IDEAS HOME
WITH A LOVE OF COTTAGE-STYLE INTERIORS, SARAH WILLIAMS UPDATED HER 1930s SEMI USING SOFT TONES, VINTAGE DETAILS AND CLEVER DESIGN
Kitchen
‘The island was non-negotiable because I knew it would be the heart of our home. I wanted a look that stood the test of time, but still made a subtle statement, so we chose a soft olive green.’
Shaker cabinets in Olive Green, £12,000, Wren Kitchens. Quartz worktops, £3,500, Granite House. Boiling water tap, £399, Fohen. Josephine pendants, £45 each, M&S
HOME NOTES
Sarah Williams, a primary school teacher (@our_1930srenovation_story), lives here with her husband Michael, a lead manager for United Utilities, and their son, Teddy, who’s three.
A 1930s extended semi-detached house in Southport, Merseyside.
THE LAYOUT
The entrance hall leads to a living room and the open-plan kitchen-diner, which includes a snug and utility. The back of the house has glass doors that lead into the garden. The first floor includes three bedrooms and a family bathroom and on the top floor is the main bedroom and en suite.
Having only just finished a two-year project renovating a two-bedroom terrace, Sarah and Michael Williams spotted this place and decided to do it all again. Their friends thought they were bonkers. But the couple wanted space to create a family home and, with the possibility to extend into the garden, Sarah found herself ready for a new challenge.
WHERE DID YOU BEGIN?
‘Extending the kitchen was our main focus, but having done a reno before we knew how to get quick wins while waiting for planning. The bedrooms only needed cosmetic attention, but to add some charm Michael attached simple and inexpensive panelling to the walls, while I painted a colour-blocked feature in the third bedroom. We removed an ugly electric fire in the living room hoping to reveal a beautiful fireplace; sadly there was just brick, but a lick of paint gave it a quick update. The internal doors had been replaced with a modern design that wasn’t in keeping with the house so we changed them to stripped original 1930s doors.’
WERE THERE ANY CHALLENGES?
‘We decided to add a large kitchen-diner along the back of the house and luckily the garden was big enough to allow for this. This space has seen the biggest transformation and is exactly the vision I had, and after living for months with a small galley kitchen, dreaming of a large space with an island, it was a relief when it was finished. The build was straightforward, but living in the house was tricky during the work; last time we moved in after the work was done. This
