'Our home's an ODE TO RETRO'

'Our home's an ODE TO RETRO'

COME ON IN!

ABOUT ME I’m Kate Beavis, 47, a marketing consultant (theindie practice.com). I live here with my husband Adam, 46, a carpenter, and our children, Herbie, 12, and Kitty, 10.

MY HOME A four-bedroom detached 1920s house in Bedfordshire. We moved here in February 2011.

WHEN WE MOVED IN The house was damp and decrepit. There were mid-century wallpapers, a rickety extension and worn-out carpets everywhere, even in the kitchen.

AND NOW The old kitchen has been transformed into a big, bright family hub, and we’ve incorporated the old wallpapers to make each room a backdrop for our vintage accessories.

STYLE TIP Fill shelves with just two or three colours, and not too many items – the trick is knowing when to stop.

Instead of ditching dated decor, Kate celebrated it by mixing vintage treasures with modern touches

While house-hunting for my next project, I was determined not to compromise,’ says serial renovator Kate.‘I knew that I wanted an older, detached property, with a garage and garden, and it had to be a doer-upper.

We looked for ages before we found this house. It had been extended over time from a two-up, two-down to a four bedroom house, but inside, it hadn’t been touched for decades, so there were 1950s, ’60s and ’70s wallpapers everywhere. The carpets were completely worn out and the kitchen had polystyrene ceiling tiles, and a damp, makeshift extension at the back. I think the amount of work might have put some people off, but Adam and I knew from experience what we were getting into, and for us it was perfect.

Quick fixes