TRANSFORMED HOME
Katie and Stuart have lovingly created a spacious home that caters to all of the family’s needs
Stools, Cult Furniture. Dining set, Next
PROFILE
THE OWNERS
Katie and Stuart Thorner, of Summer House Interiors (summerhouse-interiors.com), live here with their daughters, Annie and Pippa, and cats Walter and Lily
THE PROPERTY
Five-bedroom house in Telford, Shropshire
PROJECT COST
£220,000
Lights, Dunelm. Fridge, Fisher & Paykel. Floor tiles, Mandarin Stone
Buying a home with a 37-year-old heating system that was only able to reach a maximum temperature of 12 degrees in the winter might seem a bad idea. But when Katie and Stuart saw this two-bedroom period property, they were drawn to the character and the potential for it to become a stunning family home. They’d just needed to rip out a few gas fireplaces, add a double-storey extension and sort out the garden all while expecting their second child and organising a wedding (or two)! The 1930s property had high ceilings and beautiful period features worth restoring, and having lived in a new-build home for the last three years, the couple craved the charm of a traditional house.
Stuart was experienced in design and Katie in finance, and the couple combined their skills to make savings while creating comfortable and practical spaces. ‘We wanted to be in keeping with the house, and it still had a lot of period features we wanted to highlight, such as the fireplaces and high ceilings,’ says Katie. Where they could, the couple tried to upcycle as much furniture as possible. Their new office space features a preloved desk that Stuart drove to Wales to pick up.
Having welcoming spaces where they could spend quality time together as a family and entertaining friends was important. ‘We figured a bigger kitchen-diner would allow one of us to prepare a meal while the children play in the same space. That’s why we chose to create an extension to afford us the room we needed to be able to do this,’ says Stuart. Work on the extension started in the summer of 2019. ‘It took 12 weeks to build and be watertight,’ says Stuart. Designing this new addition to complement the original property was crucial. ‘We chose to use solid wood kitchen doors and solid brass fittings from Perrin & Rowe, as they have a timeless look. We wanted to achieve a classy, sociable openplan space – this was relatively
