It gave us more ROOM TO GROW

Using clever, budget-conscious upcycling tricks and a fresh glamorous style, Kate breathed colourful new life into her 1970s home

- BEVERLEY BYRNE

This house was meant to be a stop-gap,’ says Kate Lovejoy. ‘Our daughter Nancy was coming up to one and I was pregnant with James when my soon-to-be-husband Christian and I began to think about moving from our London flat to a larger family home.

The idea was to find a modest house with a garden, near the city. We’d originally planned to stay there for about four years and then move on to something more substantial.

Imagining the future

I soon realised that the areas I liked were pretty expensive so we’d be looking at small, modern homes. And this house, situated on an estate near Maidenhead, struck a chord with me. As a child, I’d grown up in a gorgeous old Victorian schoolhouse with half an acre of garden, but I spent all my time roller-skating with my friends on the new estate on the other side of the village. I remember viewing this house, looking out of the kitchen window and imagining our own children playing with the kids next door. So even though this was meant to be a short-term plan, I was already imagining them growing up here. But I certainly didn’t think, “wow, this is my dream home”.

Plans in place