{"id":21941,"date":"2023-07-14T11:10:05","date_gmt":"2023-07-14T10:10:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goodhomesmagazine.com\/?p=21941"},"modified":"2023-07-14T12:16:53","modified_gmt":"2023-07-14T11:16:53","slug":"victorian-terrace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goodhomesmagazine.com\/home-tours\/victorian-terrace\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018This house has evolved with me\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Retired sailor Paul Rowland\u2019s coastal Victorian terrace in Harwich, Essex is unrecognisable from the original he bought in the 1980s.<\/p>\n

Paul Rowland\u2019s Essex home has gone through several transformations since he bought it with his ex-wife over 40 years ago. From salmon pink carpet to a coloured bathroom suite, this house has embraced nearly every interior trend over the years. \u2018You could say it\u2019s had many costume changes,\u2019 Paul says. \u2018A bit like a West End show!\u2019<\/p>\n

\"Paul

Photo: David Giles<\/p><\/div>\n

Updating the property<\/h2>\n

After splitting up with his wife, Paul became sole owner of the property in 1989, yet he\u2019s never had the desire to move or take on another project since. \u2018I love Victorian properties, and this one is solidly built with lovely bay windows in a great location,\u2019 explains Paul.<\/p>\n

\u2018When we bought the house it had a typical layout, with small rooms and a galley kitchen<\/a> and bathroom at the back. So the first job was to move the bathroom upstairs, which meant sacrificing a bedroom, but a loft conversion<\/a> \u2013 added years before \u2013 meant there was still a third room.\u2019<\/p>

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Since then, with the help of his brother-in-law Barry doing most of the building work, Paul has created a more contemporary open-plan layout, extending out the back and into the side return to create a larger kitchen, and knocking walls down so the downstairs rooms naturally flow into one another. \u2018I was only 21 when we bought the house, so my dad taught me how to wallpaper,\u2019 he explains. \u2018I\u2019ve picked up other skills, like tiling, along the way, and found YouTube a great tool for when you want to learn something new. Trends come and go, as do interior design failures like carpeting the bath panel!\u2019<\/p>\n

\"Dining

Photo: David Giles<\/p><\/div>\n

Gaining inspiration<\/h2>\n

When it comes to design inspiration, Paul enjoys watching TV shows like Grand Designs<\/a> for ideas from high-end houses that can be translated into smaller properties. \u2018I love coming up with affordable ways to achieve a luxurious look,\u2019 he explains, \u2018like taking the style of a marbled bathroom, then finding a similar wallpaper.\u2019<\/p>\n

A good example is the media wall<\/a> in the living room, where Paul replicated a design he had seen online.\u2018A slab of real marble would have cost around \u00a33,000, but I achieved the look I wanted for a fraction of the cost by pimping up a new sideboard then adding a panel of wallpaper, edged with black and gold tape to create a border. It\u2019s created an amazing focal point in the room.\u2019<\/p>\n

It\u2019s this kind of sleek black and gold detailing, glinting glassware, lush greenery and well-chosen finishing touches that create cohesion between the downstairs spaces \u2013 and Paul admits he likes nothing more than a walk around a show home to see what could work in his own house. \u2018The living room\u2019s corner mirrors were inspired by one such visit, and I wanted a statement light above so put two pendant lights together for dramatic effect.\u2019<\/p>

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\"Victorian

Photo: David Giles<\/p><\/div>\n

Let the light in<\/h2>\n

Bringing in as much light as possible has always been high on Paul\u2019s priority list, and adding rooflights in the loft conversion and another on the upstairs landing has increased the brightness of the downstairs hall. The kitchen rooflight was then given a design twist with the addition of some leafy wallpaper. \u2018It\u2019s nice to be able to look up at the sky and see palm trees,\u2019 he says.<\/p>\n

Style-wise, Paul has always been drawn to the Art Deco era, but prefers to buy new pieces. \u2018I guess you could say my style is a contemporary spin on vintage design,\u2019 he explains. \u2018I like to shop online as well as on the high street, but have my favourite local independent stores too, like Tides<\/a> in Brentwood and Dear Grace<\/a> in Colchester.\u2019<\/p>\n

\"Loft

Photo: David Giles<\/p><\/div>\n

DIY SOS<\/h2>\n

With each space in the Victorian terrace beautifully curated, it\u2019s hard to imagine that there were any disasters along the way, but as Paul explains, not everything has always gone to plan. \u2018The sofa, for example, wouldn\u2019t fit through the doorway, and the delivery driver just left it in the front garden, he says. \u2018Luckily, my neighbour was on hand to help, and we had to take the middle window out of the bay to get it in!\u2019 There was also the time he broke his back falling off a step ladder while putting the sheets of pebbles on the wall in the living room. \u2018Fortunately the damage wasn\u2019t permanent, but I had to wear a back brace for over a year after.\u2019<\/p>\n

\"Master

Photo: David Giles<\/p><\/div>\n

Connecting with the garden<\/h2>\n

The most recent addition to the house is the Crittall-style doors that lead out to the garden, which replace white uPVC ones that Paul first installed when the side-return extension was done. He did consider having bi-folds across the back of the house, but redoing the kitchen would have been too costly. \u2018These are a happy compromise \u2013 they give me the look I\u2019m after without breaking the bank, and create a lovely connection with the garden,\u2019 he says. \u2018Plus when my daughter Emma and her husband Sam visit, it\u2019s the perfect space for my grandchildren Ruby and Albert to play in.\u2019<\/p>

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\"Plants

Photo: David Giles<\/p><\/div>\n

There aren\u2019t any more projects in the pipeline at the moment, but Paul doesn\u2019t rule out making changes to the Victorian terrace in the future. \u2018I can be quite impulsive when an idea pops into my mind,\u2019 he says. \u2018This house has evolved with me through the decades, from the Artex ceilings and wallpapered borders in the 80s and 90s to the more stylish neutral tones of today. It\u2019s my own little sanctuary.”<\/p>\n

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MORE HOME INSPIRATION<\/h4>\n