The renovation of a Victorian semi in the Cotswolds

Karin had not been looking for a project but the Victorian semi in Oxford had such a tranquil feeling she bought the house anyway. “It had such a lovely vibe. Then I found out it had been a convent! You’d never have thought it.”

A tiny clue was that two of the three bedrooms had been sub-divided into four with a wash basin in each and built-in cupboards.

The beautiful peaceful feeling overrode Karin’s intentions. “I’d already done three house makeovers before,” she says. “I didn’t want another. Nor a north-facing garden. But it’s what I ended up with! I always say the house found me!” Another bonus for Karin is that this rear garden is 35 metres long! “I’m a very keen gardener,” she says.

Hallway: Karin had engineered oak flooring installed and repainted the staircase then laid a runner from Natural Flooring of Oxford. (Image: Fraser Marr)

That was in 2015. The estate agent’s brochure said the house needed full modernisation with potential for further enlargement.

It had acquired a rear extension in the past comprising a garden room, a utility room, boiler room and a cloakroom. “So it meant the original rather small kitchen was wedged between this extension and the front rooms so only had a side window making it dark. The ground floor need totally reconfiguring.”

In fact the whole house needed reconfiguring and Karin also decided to “extend the extension” by building onto the side of the house, adding an extra 12 sq metres.

Ground floor sitting room created by combining the original sitting and dining rooms. The original Victorian fireplace still has its tiles but the marble surround became damaged during the building work so the carpenter made a wood surround in its place. The sofa is a “Ray” from B & B Italia. (Image: Fraser Marr)

She employed architect Mike Milton – “so I had no problem getting planning permission.” However what had been projected as nine months work turned out to be 18! “Luckily I could stay in my original home for some of that time but then my son and I had to move – into a building site!”

The house dates from 1877 and needed rewiring, new plumbing and replastering.

“The builders took it right back to the brickwork. The four little rooms at the back were all knocked into one big room and extended to the side – and it’s now my big kitchen-dining room.” Davonport Kitchens made her new handmade units and large island and she chose worktops of marble, Silestone and wood – “the wood makes up part of my island and I use it as a butcher’s block.

New Boot Room: this used to be the old small kitchen (Image: Fraser Marr)

“As for the original sitting room and dining room at the front of the house they were knocked into one big sitting room,” she says. “And the old small kitchen is now a cloakroom and boot room with a side entrance.”

Even the basement had the treatment and is now their tv room.

As for the bedrooms one of the sub-divided ones was restored to its original proportions and is now Karin’s main bedroom.

Then another of the sub-divided bedrooms gained an en suite bathroom and yet another bedroom was converted into a family bathroom. The attic room which had been an office has become the third bedroom.

Basement TV room: The huge grey sofa made for lounging on is a “Tufty” from B & B Italia. (Image: Fraser Marr)

The original Victorian floorboards on the ground floor were not in a good condition so Karin replaced them with engineered oak boards and underfloor heating

However just recently Karin has had to refit her two bathrooms and put a new sink into the downstairs cloakroom. “The original builders did a poor job,” she says. “So this time I asked InStil Design of Oxford and I’m delighted with the result.”

Karin is a very keen gardener and asked Hendy Curzon, husband-and-wife landscape gardeners in Witney for assistance. “I was inspired by the High Line of New York,” she says. “It’s a 1.45 mile long linear public park running 30 feet above the bustling streets of New York. It was created from a previous central railroad on the west side of Manhattan and Diana von Furstenberg, the world-famous fashion designer, and her husband Barry Diller contributed millions. Celebrated plant designer Piet Oudolf was one of the design team.

Garden: Hendy Curzon Gardens designed the 35 metre long garden with a garden studio, planted new hedges of hornbeam and woven willow, and laid decking and shingle. The interesting features include the “barrel” which is used actually a lounging area. (Image: Fraser Marr)

“As for my own garden we kept some of the trees and strengthened the garden borders by planting hedges of hornbeam and adding a “wall” of woven willow. We also laid decking and shingle and a studio from Ecospace now used as a gym.”

She finishes, “We love how our house is now such a beautiful family home and how it’s maintained its calm and peaceful atmosphere. We are very happy here.”

Cloakroom: InStil Design fitted the cloakroom with a green concrete sink by Kast. This fits into the old arch which led from the original old kitchen into the rear extension. (Image: Fraser Marr) Family Bathroom: InStil Design redesigned this bathroom (a former bedroom) using Dansani furniture. Karin found the brilliant tiger-themed wallpaper on the internet. (Image: Fraser Marr) Sitting Room: Karin found this 150 year old Swedish dresser in a Pimlico antique shop. Next to it is a metal coat stand but Karin thought it was so attractive she uses it as a piece of sculpture. The book shelves holding books came from The Conran Shop. (Image: Fraser Marr) Main bedroom: This was once two bedrooms now knocked into one. The builder fitted the built-in cupboards and Karin put in the wooden window shutters. The carpet came The Rug Company. (Image: Fraser Marr)