EASY elegance

First-time homeowner Esther Pillans brought a touch of Parisian chic to her Victorian terrace

PROFILE

THE OWNERS

Esther Pillans (@prettylittleterrace), an assistant buyer on the home and textile team at Very, her boyfriend, Lewis, an insurance claims handler, and their cats, Sassy and Suki

THE PROPERTY

A four-bed late Victorian terrace in Liverpool

PROJECT COST

£25,650

An older house was always on the cards for Esther Pillans. Growing up with parents who renovated homes - her dad was a builder - when the time came for her and her boyfriend, Lewis, to buy a property of their own, they wanted a period project they could put their stamp on. Living at home while they saved up meant they were in a great position to buy a four-bed Victorian terrace just around the corner from Esther's family home.

Helping the sale was the fact the house was on for a competitive price - despite the fact it was in relatively good shape. 'It had been empty for six months when we bought it, and rented out before, but it was in good condition, with a new roof and boiler,' says Esther. But it looked grotty, so was quite cheap. Everything was done already, so we wouldn't need to spend much money.'

Still, the house needed a facelift - starting with the kitchen, which was old and battered with drip marks and peeling wallpaper. The house had been empty over winter and smelt of damp, though there wasn't any to be seen. Esther and Lewis decided to combine the kitchen with the separate dining room to create an open-plan space, enlisting Esther's dad and brother - who is also a builder - to take the wall down. They also added two sets of French doors to the rear of the house, but the rest of the work was largely cosmetic including the dusty job of removing three layers of textured wallpaper from every room.