‘It Feels So Calm And Relaxed Here'

Faced with poky, boxy rooms and chaoticcolourschemes, AnnaMoumtzidoutransformed this semi into a soothing space to come home to.

- Lisa Fazzani, Vanessa Richmond

Having moved 12 times in 10 years in and around south London, Anna Moumtzidou and her fiancé Russell Barling were keen to put down roots. While walking on the Surrey Downs, they discovered Reigate and decided to make the move to this property in 2016. ‘Moving to the suburbs meant we could afford a bigger place, but still be commuting distance from work,’ says Anna.

The house was in a good general condition and completely liveable when the couple moved in, but had scope for improvement. ‘The rooms felt boxed-in, with separate living room, dining room and kitchen,’ says Anna. ‘I wanted an open-plan layout that felt spacious and full of light. The decor was bland and uninspiring, too, although there were a couple of wacky colours, such as the electric-blue hallway and the bright yellow main bedroom. But, overall, the house had a really nice feel to it and I knew I could make it home.’

‘We had to be sensible with our budget, so have tackled the house bit by bit, calling in tradespeople where we needed to, but doing what we could ourselves, such as painting walls and floorboards,’ she says. Upstairs didn’t need much work, but downstairs the plan was to knock through and create one large open-plan space and add bifold doors at the back.