Family home with room to grow

Making a newly-bought house a home usually entails a bit of re-decorating. But when Jayne and Matt Johnson bought their property on the outskirts of Harrogate, they decided a lick of paint wasn't enough. The couple embarked on a complete makeover that has given the beautiful 1930s house a brand new look both inside and outside.

The Johnsons, who have a six-year-old daughter, Ruby, and two-year-old twins Vic and Iris, bought the property six years ago. "It was quite traditionally decorated but we loved the way it looked. It's like a house a child would draw in a picture," says Jayne. "It also has a large garden unlike our old house, which was in the centre of Harrogate."

The property has a roomy ground floor but lacked the space they wanted upstairs. To get more square footage on the first floor, where there were four bedrooms and two bathrooms, they built over the existing single storey kitchen extension and now have five bedrooms and three bathrooms.

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That includes a magnificent new master bedroom suite. The couple also installed a new central heating system, new windows and fireplaces, fresh floor coverings and built-in storage throughout the house. Most of the furniture from their previous home – a large Victorian terrace – looked out of place so they replaced it with a mix of antique and modern pieces from Tomlinsons, Barker and Stonehouse and Harrogate store Rasmus.

The hand-built kitchen installed by the previous owners was painted and given fresh handles and added to with matching storage, table and dressers designed and made by Clarity Arts in Summerbridge. The old dining room was turned into a playroom with colourful Marmoleum flooring.

"My pet hate is everything cream and brown. I like colour," says Jayne, who has lavished as much attention on the outside of the property as she has indoors. She and Matt, an actuary, enlisted the help of garden designer Maxine Nelson, of Leeds-based Gardens by Max. They decided to pull down the two garages at the side of the house, which they never used, and have their long drive Tarmacced so the children could ride their bikes on it. "What we wanted most was to make the space at the back and side of the house more useable, but I'm not very good at visualising, which is why Max was such a help," says Jayne. The initial designs cost about 250, but they also employed Maxine to project manage the work. "That was crucial because she had all the contacts and there were a lot of people involved from the hard landscaping to the Tarmaccing and lighting designers," says Jayne. "She organised them all and the work went really smoothly."

The Johnsons now have a child-and adult-friendly walled garden and patio at the side of the house with access from the kitchen. "It has made a big difference. The children can play out there any time of year, which is great because before they just had the lawned area. It also looks beautiful at night when it is lit and it is low maintenance. We could never have done anything like that ourselves. We wouldn't have had a clue."

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The outdoor transformation from the electric front gates to the landscaping, lighting and planting came in at just over their 50,000 budget, but Jayne was keen to push it a bit further.

"I persuaded Matt to buy me a David Harber sundial for the rear garden," she says. "I got the idea after seeing one in a magazine. It was expensive but it is beautiful.

"It is a scientific instrument and a piece of art, which we've had inscribed with the children's names and various quotes.

"I can't see us moving from here because it is the perfect family home for us, but if we have to then I can take the sundial with me."

CONTACTS

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Gardens by Max, 98 Haven Chase, Cookridge, Leeds, LS16 6SG. Tel: 07855 824224; www.gardensbymax.co.uk

Tomlinsons Antiques, Tockwith. Tel: 01423 358833; www.antique-furniture.co.uk

Clarity Arts, Summerbridge, bespoke kitchens and furniture. Tel: 01423 781100; www.clarityarts.com

Rasmus, Harrogate, furniture, lighting and interiors design. Tel: 01423 560050; www.rasmusdesign.co.uk

Morris Interiors, Harrogate, bespoke soft furnishings.

Tel: 01423 503637, www.morrisinteriors.com

Jim's Carpets, Kirkstall Road,

Leeds. Tel: 0113 2752599

David Harber sundials. www.davidharbersundials.co.uk

Barker and Stonehouse furniture, Leeds, Knaresborough and Hull. www.barkerandstonehouse.co.uk

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