2019-06-01 25 Beautiful Homes

W

ithfourmajorprojectsundertheirbelts,

WendyandDanHollanddecidednot

togeta surveywhentheyboughttheir

VictorianvillainCheshire.Theywere

preparedtotacklewhateverthehousethrewatthem,

particularlybecausetherewereonlya handfulofsuch

buildingsinthelocalitystillintactasa singledwelling.

‘Wewanteda detachedperiodhome,’saysWendy,a

propertydeveloper.‘Sowedecidedtotakeonthechallenge.’

Afterbuyingthehouse,thecouplerentednearbyfor

sevenmonthswiththeirtwoyoungsonswhilethebulkof

thework,whichincludedplastering,plumbing,wiringand

addinga newroof,tookplace.Windowswererepairedor

replaced,andfloors,staircasesandpanellingweresanded

back.‘I spenteverydaycomingupwithsolutions,’says

Wendy,whoproject-managedtherenovationherself.

Oneofthekeyproblemswasthesmallkitchenatthe

front,whichdidn’tfitthegrandscaleofthehouse.‘We

knewthelargeroomoverlookingthereargardenwould

workbetterasthekitchen,soweplannedthenewlayout

ourselves,’saysWendy,whostressesthattheywerecareful

toensureaslittledamageaspossibletothepanellingin

thenewkitchen.Inthediningroom,Wendytookhercue

fromthegreenmarbleinthefireplaceandbanishedthe

whitewallsandredcarpetinfavourofa luxurious

dark-greenschemewithplantsandornatechandeliers.

However,it is thefirstfloorthathasbeenreconfigured

the most. In the main bedroom, the couple knocked

KITCHEN

Theislandhasa raisedsectiontodefinethe

cookingsidefromthebreakfastbararea.

EndonLightingHeranone-lightnoveltypendant,

£89.99,Wayfair,is a goodalternative.Island

unit paintedinInchyraBlueestateeggshell,

£62 for 2.5L, Farrow & Ball

118 | 25bhJUNE 2019