Bright Move

Laura and Will Mellor bought a period house and lost no time in giving it a fresh new look

- Hazel Dolan

When it came to making her mark on her pretty Edwardian home in Yorkshire, Laura Mellor didn’t mess about. ‘I went at it like a whirlwind,’ she says. ‘On day two I was digging up the garden in front of the house, making friends with the neighbours. By the end of the first week, I think I had bought and planted all the topiary for sale in the area and painted the front door. For me, the way the outside and inside blend is important, so it seemed a good idea to start with the kerb appeal.’

From the moment Laura and her husband, Will, first saw the house, they were smitten. They loved its position, tucked into a neat terraced row at the edge of a popular village and a short distance from a common – perfect for long walks with their wire-haired fox terrier Belle.

‘I love the high ceilings, too,’ says Laura. ‘And the scale of the house, and the light the big windows bring in.’ The interior was a little dated, but that simply boosted its appeal – the couple run home design and accessories business Hare & Wilde and were looking for a home renovation project.

‘Whenever I first walk into a space, I start to consider how it could look down the line once it’s been done up, rather than concentrate on how it looks in its current condition, so I wasn’t fazed by the work the house required,’ says Laura.