VICTORIAN TERRACE MAKEOVER
After buying a newly-renovated, all-white home, adding warm colours, vintage finds and colourful artwork were the priorities for Niamh and her husband, Brian
M oveor improve? It’s an all-too-common quandary for plenty of homeowners who are beginning to feel a little too cramped in their current property – something that was certainly the case for Niamh and her husband, Brian, when they outgrew their threebedroom Victorian house in East Dulwich.
The couple moved to south-east London in 2016, having previously rented in Battersea for several years. ‘We love it here and were keen to stay in the area,’ says Niamh. ‘But we really wanted an extra bathroom, a fourth bedroom and a larger kitchen that was open-plan to the living space.’
The couple had already spoken to architects about extending their small kitchen and secured planning permission for a loft conversion – but later changed their minds. ‘When we weighed up the costs and the hassle of having to move out while the work was done, it was going to be far more expensive than we’d realised,’ admits Niamh. ‘So we put our home up for sale, which sold quickly, and found a four-bedroom Victorian house that had already been renovated and extended. I loved the open-plan living space, and the converted loft was perfect as a dedicated guest space for family and friends visiting from Ireland. It was also in a much better location on a small, quiet and leafy street, as well as being closer to amenities and the two train stations.’
As the previous owners had bought the house with a view to selling it on, the couple were faced with a blank canvas. ‘They’d done a really nice job in terms of the structural stuff and it was st
