Drive makes garage a home

Finding the perfect first home can be tricky. For someone who grew up in one of the most impressive arts and crafts houses in Yorkshire with spectacular views of the River Humber it was doubly difficult.

“All the houses I viewed were cramped and didn’t have much character. I was looking for a place with lots of light and space but I saw none in my price bracket,” says David Innes.

The solution was found right on the doorstep of his childhood home in his parents’ coach house turned garage.

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It already had planning permission to turn the loft into a studio apartment, so it was just a short step to getting the go-ahead for a full-scale conversion with the proviso that he retained the existing footprint of the 100-year-old building.

Transforming the garage with its double doors, mechanic’s pit and adjoining shed into a modern two-storey house took far longer than David anticipated. It was supposed to take six months but was finally finished in two years.

“That was a blessing really because it allowed me to save more money for the project and to really think about the layout inside,” he says.

It also turned out to be a bigger job than he’d expected. The weak design of the timber roof structure had pushed two walls out of line, which meant the whole building had to be supported by a steel framework before the walls could be taken down to head height and rebuilt.

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“To be honest, the building was falling to bits,” says David, who project managed.

Eventually, the original garage openings were filled in, the exterior walls were rendered and the foundations were dug for the kitchen along with a small gable extension at the front where the staircase would be.

The single-storey building eventually began to look more like a home with the large open-plan ground floor and a new first floor for three bedrooms and a bathroom.

Reclaimed oak beams were installed to add texture and interest, rather than structural support, and David recycled a cast iron slipper bath his father used as a horse trough.

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New glazing and Velux brought natural light and a combination of task and ambient lights from Flos make it look even better when darkness falls.

The lighting, layout and interior design reveal a creative eye that runs in the Innes family.

David’s late grandfather Donald founded Innes Photography in Hessle, near Hull, which is now run by his son Ivor. The company specialises in portraiture, weddings, and commercial work for some of the country’s top businesses. It also sells contemporary furniture.

“I wasn’t going to be a photographer but I am interested in design and when I was looking to furnish my house I couldn’t find the kind of furniture I wanted,” says David.

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The gap in the market has now filled the ground floor of the Innes building in Hessle with furniture, lighting and home accessories from the likes of B&B Italia, Conran, Fritz Hansen and Eva Solo

Some of his favourite pieces feature in his house, which has been transformed from the perfect bachelor pad into a flexible family home. David now has a wife, Becky, and two children, Ruby, five, and Harrison, three, and they have brought big changes.

A new glazed extension runs across the back of the property and this garden room doubles as a play room. The kitchen has been upgraded and the statement floating staircase now has glass panels and carpet on the oak treads to make it safer for little ones. To maximise space, the cloakroom now doubles as an office.

“Becky has had a positive influence on the house.

“It was minimalist in the extreme and now it is more homely.

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“It was her idea to frame the family photographs and have them on one wall, which I love.

“Luckily though we both like the same kind of furniture and neither of us likes clutter.”

David’s much-loved design classics still take centre stage.

The Barcelona chair by Mies van der Rohe has pride of place in the master bedroom.

The Arne Jacobsen egg chair, which he bought himself for his 40th birthday, and the tulip table and chairs, designed by Eero Saarinen for Knoll, star in the dining area, while the Arco lamp is a focal point in the garden room.

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“I love the quality and the brilliant design. There are fakes out there but they don’t compare to the real thing.

“It takes three weeks just to put the polished coating on the tulip table and that kind of attention to detail is amazing,” says David, who has also bought pieces by new designers.

The sofa in the garden room is from San Cal and he has invested in clever storage systems by a Scandinavian company, Montana, including wardrobes and cabinets in the children’s bedrooms, which retail at about £2,000 each.

“They aren’t cheap but the quality and the functionality is incredible.

“The Scandinavian ethos is to buy well once,” says David.

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Becky agrees: “We would rather save up and buy just a few beautifully designed pieces than spend less on furniture that might not stand the test of time.”

Innes, the Square, Hessle, www.ivor-innes.co.uk

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