Creating a large open-plan space on the ground floor was at the top of Nicola Walch’s wishlist for her forever home
MODERNIST MAKEOVER
My story
We’d outgrown our previous home and needed more space, so were on the hunt for a project where James could put his architectural credentials to use and I could add my creativity. We liked the uniqueness of this house: it’s triangle shaped and had already been extended twice so there was lots of room to play with.
James took the measurements when we viewed the place so during the buying process, he drew up plans to reconfigure the space. He also plotted the kitchen design using specialist software. We chose most of the fixtures and fittings beforehand which meant that we had all the trades ready to go when we moved in.
We initially created a plan which included renovating both bathrooms, but the rise in costs after Covid meant that knocking down the walls and creating the open-plan space downstairs wiped out the budget. As that space was our priority, we were determined to do it properly. We see this as our forever home, so we’re happy to wait and save to finish the remaining rooms.
It was hard work living here during the renovation as I work from home and my office doubled as our living space. But I absolutely love what we’ve achieved: it reflects everything we love about interiors, so it was definitely worth the difficult times.
Welcome to my home
A BIT ABOUT ME
I’m Nicola Walch, 42, a marketing manager, and I live with my husband, James, 43, an architect, and our two children, George, 12, and Emilia, who is nine, and our cat, Ralph. You can follow me on Instagram @that.triangle.house.
WHERE I LIVE
A 1970s detached four-bedroom house in Shenstone, a village near Lichfield, Staffordshire. We moved here in July 2021.
WHAT I WANTED TO CHANGE
The hard work of extending the house had already been done so we mostly had to look at the cosmetic side of the renovation. Although we did want to knock down a few walls to create a family-friendly open-plan ground floor space.
HOW I MADE IT MY OWN
We installed a sleek, modern kitchen and created a white canvas downstairs to showcase our collection of art, then used dark colours and sumptuous velvets in the cosy living room.
