VIBRANT COLOUR AND BOLD PATTERN FILL GERI SAMMUT-ALESSI'S BEAUTIFUL HOME

Geri Sammut-Alessi describes her Milton Keynes home as a 'land of magnolia' when she and husband Andrew first bought it nine years ago. The five-bedroom, new-build house in Milton Keynes was just two years old, and "very uninspiring," Geri says. "It was such a challenge to decorate but we are incredibly proud of the personality and character we've added."

- LOTTIE STOREY

And so they should be. This colourful, eclectic home is a joy, with unexpected touches everywhere you look. Many of the projects undertaken by this formidable couple have been completed on very small budgets, making this home even more impressive. As well as re-decorating nearly every room (only the top bathroom has remained untouched), Geri and Andrew added a 32-square-metre single-storey extension with huge bi-fold doors and a stunning roof lantern.

"We knew we'd eventually want to extend," explains Geri. "When we first bought the house we felt all the rooms were a really good size for a family except for the kitchen, which felt far too small. We only came to truly realise this when living here. There was virtually no workspace and not nearly enough storage.

"We found ourselves wanting to spend very little time in the kitchen and that's not what we wanted. We visualised it being the heart of the home so we knew we would have to extend but we'd have to save for a while to do it."

Geri and Andrew bit the bullet in 2019. The project took six months to complete and was a good experience overall "with a few hiccups along the way," Geri remembers. "But find me a renovation that doesn't have hiccups! You just have to hope that you can deal with whatever is thrown at you." The couple certainly did and are now the proud owners of a vast, open-plan, light-filled space that looks out onto the garden on two sides. It's a space where the whole family can be together, with daughters Emilia (10) and Luisa (8) round the table drawing or perched at the island while Geri fires up the SodaStream.