A Hastings Haven

This Victorian house on the south coast has been given a modern renovation by Emily and Gareth Rees, who have turned it from two separate flats into a quirky family home

- Maxine Brady/Narratives

When the Rees family swapped their London life for the East Sussex seaside town of Hastings, they also traded in their finished home for a huge renovation project that tested their design know-how and DIY skills.

‘We’d only visited Hastings twice before we moved,’ explains Emily. ‘But we loved the artistic atmosphere and the vibrant creative scene here. We knew it would be a good move for our family.’ The couple spotted this large Victorian house for sale, but it had been converted in the 1970s into two separate flats by two old ladies. ‘I’d been looking for a project to sink my teeth into,’ Emily says. ‘Each flat was a time capsule of 70s paint colors, threadbare carpets and it was riddled with damp and the smell of cigarettes. It was awful, but so much bigger than our Hackney home – the potential was huge.’ The couple decided to invest the money they made on the sale of their London home to renovate from top-to-bottom.

The layout of the house was broken up into a warren of rooms. Downstairs the flat had a poky kitchen, dingy bathroom, and nicotine-stained bedroom. Upstairs was larger but the bathroom leaked and unused rooms were full of clutter. There was no central heating and dodgy electrics. The two flats were divided with a stud wall that covered the wooden staircase. Despite the conversion, all the original Victorian fireplaces remained, hidden behind the 1960s gas fires, and the original moldings and cornice were almost intact.

MAKING THE MOVE