Restoring a charming London property

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We absolutely love the renovation of this period property, where the owners have restored so many original features whilst bringing it up to date with some modern finishes. Our favourite space is the bathroom...dark blue panelling, a roll top bath, Victorian radiators...this room has it all!

The lovely inthedoghouse__ on Instagram shared with us some of their renovation journey so far. This renovation is a great example of how you don't need to do it all at once, with the owners now looking to update the kitchen as the next project...we can't wait to see how fabulous it looks!

Thanks to inthedoghouse__ for the beautiful photos and the renovation story!

Tell us about your property and renovation project?

Our property is our first home! When we were house hunting, we really wanted a property that needed renovating so we could make it our own and loved that this one had lots of character as it was built in the 1890’s.

We didn’t move in for three months as we gutted a few rooms as the house had been left in a bit of a state as the previous owner hadn’t lived there for a while. Once we moved in, we did a couple of big projects whilst living in the house (so much dust!) and have slowed right down now whilst we save for our next big project, the kitchen!

The fabulous bathroom - we love everything about it!

How would you describe your style?

We really loved mixing character and age with some modern trends so although we aren’t completely traditional, it is central to what we have done with a lot of the rooms so far! We love clean white walls and contrasting them with splashes of dark colours.

I think our bathroom, lounge and hallway really show the mix between emphasising the character of the property with current trends. Insta and Pinterest really helped us get a feel for what we liked before we made any big decisions as we took little things such as paint colour or tile style from lots of peoples homes!

The lounge is so homely and perfect for this period property

What was the biggest challenge of your renovation?

The hardest part of the renovation was the fact we got the keys when my partner was working abroad for 3 months in Australia! This meant we had to make some pretty big design decisions over FaceTime plus we had a big time difference 😂 But we got there and I think he was happy with how the house was looking when he got back.. although it was still looking like a building site so it was another few weeks before we braved it. Our first night in the house was actually Christmas Eve!

The master bedroom is so cosy...we love the dark wooden floorboards

What are you most proud of and what is your favourite place in your home now?

I am so proud of the bathroom as it was the room which we transformed the most! From disgusting carpet to clean hexagonal tiles, magnolia walls to beautiful panelling, no shower to a huge power shower, everything changed for the better. Plus we restored the cast iron bath which came with the house. It is definitely my favourite room as I love to unwind in the evening in a bubbly bath.

The rolltop bath that was restored

What do friends say about your renovation?

Friends love what we have done so far and can’t wait to see what we do with the kitchen, dining room and downstairs loo/utility! Some have even asked for help with ideas in their new homes. Some weren’t so keen on the mustard whipping on the stair runner though haha 😂

The fabulously bold entrance!

What would be your advice to anyone about to start a renovation project?

Firstly, defo go for a renovation project! It’s the best thing we did! Make sure you spend time creating mood boards or looking at ideas on insta or Pinterest so you get a real feel for what you like and dislike and make sure you choose things you like and don’t try and please anyone else. We made decisions other people didn’t like the sound of and it would have been so easy to listen to them but it’s our house at the end of the day.

Also prepare for dust getting everywhere during the project! Everything will be dusty no matter how much tape you use on the doors.