HOME IDEAS Detached Sixties house
‘We had to give this
house character’
Faced with a featureless space? Try using colour and statement
pieces to full effect, like Hannah and Colin Gee have
FOR WHERE TO BUY ITEMS SHOWN, TURN TO OUR SHOPPING DIRECTORY
The big
CHANGE
MODERNISING AND
ENLARGING A SIXTIES HOUSE
BY EXTENDING INTO THE
SITE OF THE EXISTING
DOUBLE GARAGE AND
CONSERVATORY
Get the
LOOK
PAGE 86
1 Dining area
Knocking down walls
opened up the ground
floor, creating space for
large-scale furniture, bold
colour and quirky finds to
bring in more personality
For similar dining
chairs, try the Ice,
£127 each, Calligaris
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Detached Sixties house HOME IDEAS
2 Den
A large corner sofa and
chairs dressed with
an assortment of bright
cushions create a lively
mood for this sociable
space beyond the kitchen
For a similar corner sofa,
try the Izzy chaise in Olive
velvet, £2,490, Sofa.com
Take the 60-SECOND TOUR
SPENT
BOUGHT FOR
NOW WORTH
£519,000 £470,000 £1.2 million
THE PROPERTY
A four-bedroom, detached
Sixties house in Tunbridge Wells,
Kent, extended at the front and
rear to create a flexible family
living space. The owners bought
it in August 2007.
WHAT IT COST
Building work.......................£350,000
Kitchen.....................................£30,000
Bathrooms................................£10,000
Carpentry.................................£30,000
Garden landscaping............£50,000
TOTAL....................£470,000
WHO LIVES HERE
Hannah and Colin Gee live here
with their sons, Sam, 10, Joe,
seven, and Fred, four. Hannah
runs interiors boutique Love Inc
and Colin works in the City.
LESSONS LEARNED
We employed a quantity
surveyor to assess the builders’
work and costs throughout the
project. It was a worthwhile
investment, as it helped
maintain quality and he
fought our corner when there
were questions over bills.
THE LOOK
An eclectic mix of vintage finds
and colourful, upcycled furniture,
showcased against clean
and simple white walls.
▹ FIRST FLOOR
The main bedroom and
en suite are at the front.
Fred’s bedroom, Joe’s
bedroom and a study are
off the corridor and a
bathroom and Sam’s
bedroom are at the rear
6
10
5
7
‘Our priority was to
bring in light, with larger
windows and sliding
doors to the garden’
1
3
8
11
12
9
4
2
▲ GROUND FLOOR
The living room is to the right
of the front door and access
to the open-plan kitchen,
dining and living area is
straight ahead. Beyond
the kitchen, there’s a utility
room, a loo and a den
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Detached Sixties house HOME IDEAS
‘The house didn’t have any original
features, so I knew I had to add some
standout elements to give it character’
H
annah Gee loved her home
long before she ever owned
it. ‘I used to walk past it
regularly, as our previous
home was just around the
corner,’ she says. ‘The house
is detached and set back from the road, so it
has real privacy. And among the neighbouring
Edwardian houses, its Sixties style is distinctive.’
No wonder then that, when Hannah saw
it was for sale, she immediately arranged a
viewing. ‘Let’s just say, the reality was different
to what I’d imagined,’ she laughs. ‘I’m a big fan
of Sixties architecture, but the house looked
really ugly up close, with red wood panelling
on the exterior, and a mixture of lino and
parquet on the floors inside. Plus, the rooms
were dark because the windows were so small.’
What the house did have in its favour was
space. The property is in a conservation area,
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so it could have been tricky to secure planning
permission for building an extension, but it
already had a double garage at the back and
a conservatory. ‘We knew we would be able
to replace those structures with front and rear
extensions without increasing the building’s
footprint, so getting consent for the work
wasn’t a problem,’ explains Hannah.
Building work began in February 2008 and
Hannah and her husband Colin rented a house
for the duration. Having written a wish list of
changes they wanted to make to the property,
they hired an architect to draw up the plans,
then recruited a building firm and a quantity
surveyor to oversee the work during the
14-month project. ‘The main priority was
to bring in more light, with larger windows and
sliding doors to the garden,’ explains Hannah.
‘We also wanted to open up the ground floor
and create a central kitchen-diner at the ➺
3 Living room
Concealed sliding doors
mean the living room can
be separated from the
dining area when needed.
‘It makes it more snug
in winter,’ says Hannah
Wall painted in Bowler
Hat matt emulsion, £25
for 2.5ltr, Dulux Timeless
Classics range, The Paint
and Paper Centre
4 Living room
The purpose-built display
unit is perfect for
showcasing Hannah’s
vintage finds, and is an
ingenious way of creating
an eye-catching feature
For a similar vintage-style
tray, try the Folk Striped,
£25, Hen & Hammock
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HOME IDEAS Detached Sixties house
heart of the house, but we added concealed
doors to give us the flexibility to close off
adjacent rooms if needed.’
The badly designed conservatory, which had
no access to the garden, was torn down and a
new living room was built in its place, with
a light and airy bedroom for Hannah and Colin
on the floor above. The garage was given away
on freecycle.org. ‘Two men took it down in a
day while I made constant cups of tea for them,’
says Hannah. ‘It saved us the cost of having it
removed.’ In its place, they built a large den,
complete with a built-in bar and a corner sofa.
The build encountered a few problems.
The windows, which were expected to be
‘My style is a mix of kitsch, modern
and African, and I love to upcycle
furniture to create something special’
delivered before work even began, finally
arrived four months later. Seven months into
the project, the City bank that Colin worked for
collapsed, causing the stock market to crash
and Colin to lose his job. ‘The builder had seen
it on the news, so he called and asked if we
wanted him to stop work,’ says Hannah. ‘We
said, “No, build faster!” Fortunately, we already
had the funds put aside and Colin was quickly
re-employed, but it was a scary time.’
Hannah, who left her career in sales and
recruitment when the couple started a family,
managed the project. ‘My one concern was that
the house didn’t have any original features,’
she says. ‘I knew I had to add some standout ➺
5 Main bedroom
Bespoke shelving on
either side of the bed
acts an alternative
to bedside cabinets.
Shallow picture ledges
are a smart way to display
pieces of art that can be
switched around when
the couple want a change
Radius double bed, £750,
Habitat. For a similar
bedspread, try the
selection at Love Inc
6 Fred’s bedroom
Hannah painted wooden
crates to match the
chest of drawers and
mounted them to use
as box shelves for toys
Box shelves, £15 each,
HomeSense; painted in
English Yellow Chalk Paint,
£18.95 for 1ltr, Annie Sloan
3 of the best
RETRO PIECES OF FURNITURE
£299
£299
£398
Side show
Mismatched drawers and handles
give this sideboard a quirky slant
Milligan retro sideboard (H80cm x
W120cm x D50cm), Atkin and Thyme
Mellow yellow
With its scalloped back and splayed
legs, this is pure mid-century cool
Fitz cocktail chair in Straw (H83cm
x W71cm x D73cm), Swoon Editions
Grain of truth
Mixes a retro shape with a
modern faux-woodgrain effect
Woody chest of drawers (H83cm
x W95cm x D45cm), Made.com
Detached Sixties house HOME IDEAS
9 Hallway
An antique ottoman
and an old vase used
as an umbrella stand
add vintage style
For a similar mirror,
try the Ivory Rococo,
£195, Insider Chic
7 Bathroom
The aqua-blue accents in
this room were inspired
by the bold floor tiles.
Mirrored mosaic tiles,
a collection of glassware
and sleek, twin basins
add a glamorous touch
Pacific Water floor tiles,
£36 per sq m, Harvey
Maria. Mirrored mosaic
tiles, £94 per sq m,
Walls and Floors
8 Stairs
An Italian chandelier
from the Sixties
and a host of simple
vintage mirrors give the
stairwell wow factor
For a similar chandelier,
try the Giogali PL CA3,
£5,621, Twentytwentyone
Main
bedroom
10
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DON’T MISS
the details
Hannah has a talent for
combining mismatched
pieces to add colour
and interest
FEATURE ANDRÉA CHILDS STYLING DILLY ORME PHOTOGRAPHS COLIN POOLE
BOX COPY LISA FAZZANI PLANS PERSONA-ID
elements to give it character.’ Her solution was
to choose larger-than-life statement pieces for
key areas, such as a granite fireplace in the den,
a wall-to-wall display shelf in the living room
and an Italian chandelier above the stairs.
‘Colin and I agreed on most of the big
decisions, but we are both strong personalities
and would occasionally have a blazing row
about the decoration,’ says Hannah. ‘We found
a way to keep the peace by agreeing to fight
for the ideas we were truly passionate about
and compromising on the rest.’ So, Hannah
got her way and hired decorators to paint the
garden fencing black, while, in return, Colin
got surround-sound speakers fitted in the
den. ‘I thought the speakers were going to be
a waste of money, but Colin was right – we use
that room all the time,’ says Hannah.
It’s in the finishing touches that Hannah has
really made her mark. She has a magpie’s eye for
colourful fabric and accessories, plus a knack
for spotting cool boot-sale pieces to mix into
the look – she now even has her own boutique
and online store, Love Inc (loveincltd.co.uk),
selling new and vintage pieces. ‘My style is
a mix of kitsch, modern and African, and
I love to upcycle furniture to create something
special,’ she says. The result is a truly individual
family home that’s full of personality. ‘My secret
is to only bring in pieces that I really love,’ she
says. ‘Nothing else would be good enough for
the people I care most about in the world.’ IH
A collection of
flower paintings
are displayed in
mismatched frames
Mosslanda picture
ledge, £4.50, Ikea
11
Stairs
Hannah used
washi tape to stick
postcards to the wall
For similar washi
tape, try the selection
at Paperchase
12
Den
A fern-print cushion
stands out against
the fuchsia designs
For a similar cushion,
try the Jungle, £30,
Shedquarters
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