Past meets present

The McFarlanes sympathetically updated their Victorian house, avoiding period pastiche and working in contemporary elements without destroying its character

- ANNABELLE GRUNDY

Hallway

‘It was important to restore the house sensitively, so finding modern floor tiles for the hall that matched the original Victorian design in the porch was brilliant.’

BUY THE KEY PIECES Norfolk mosaic floor tiles, £344.35sq m, London Mosaic. Large convex mirror, £1,950, Pure White Lines

Staircase

‘My painted gold stair runner was supposed to be a temporary replacement for the worn-out carpet, but I love it so much I’ve continued it across the landing. It’s glamorous and durable; even with three boys, there’s not a scratch.’

BUY THE KEY PIECES Bedec MSP Gold soft satin paint, £21.48 for 750ml, Brewers

We adored this house from the moment we walked in,’ says Philippa McFarlane, owner of sandrockhouse.com. ‘We’d been looking for a while, as we were expecting our second son and running out of space. This house was much larger, and the beautifully-proportioned rooms and period features were fabulous.

‘There was work to be done, though. The interior was all dated creams and yellows and, although the house was habitable, the kitchen was small and rickety. The roof, windows and guttering needed redoing, and there was a decrepit, leaky conservatory at the back.’ Top of Philippa and Alistair’s wishlist was a light-flooded, open-plan family kitchen and living area, and once they had sorted out the structural issues, they were eager to push on and bring their vision to life. ‘We’d been hands-on with DIY before we had the boys, and we did tackle some decorating, but we didn’t have the time or energy to progress things as fast as we’d have liked.