Our journey through space

It looks like an ordinary terrace, but this stylish, multi-purpose home has plenty of space for work, rest and play. Sharon Dale reports.

The front of Bronwen Lenik’s mid-terraced house in Leeds looks like a tiny two up, two down that is far too small to hold two businesses and a family.

“That’s what everyone thinks and so it’s always a surprise when they come in and realise how much space we have got,” says Bronwen.

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She and husband Mark, who both run home-based companies, bought the property in 2006 after being bowled over by the square footage that stretches over three floors.

But it was in desperate need of a facelift, so the couple, who have a son Jude, three, devised a plan to revamp every room.

The front room was made into Mark’s office, where he runs Lenik Media, a film production company specialising in weddings and corporate videos.

Behind it on the ground floor is the family sitting room, where the old gas fire was knocked out to reveal an open fireplace with stone lintels, which now houses a wood burning stove.

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“We did a lot of the work ourselves, including knocking the fireplace out, painting the walls and stripping the floorboards,” says Bronwen.

Upstairs, the small bathroom was moved into a bedroom, while the remaining two bedrooms were redecorated and the old 1970s-style fitted wardrobes were treated to a coat of paint and new handles.

The lower ground floor housed an old kitchen, which Bronwen has transformed with new units from Wickes, a range cooker and cottage-style decor to complement the beams and newly-exposed brickwork.

“We did it on a budget and used outdoor paving stones on the floor, which were much cheaper than indoor version at £5.99 each and just as good when we had sealed them. I found a dishwasher on Gumtree for £30 and a reconditioned fridge freezer,”she says.

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A new conservatory leading to the back garden created a playroom for Jude and the couple have also converted the damp cellar rooms behind the kitchen into useable space,

“That was the biggest job we tackled especially as we had to connect a drain to the new toilet and have the walls tanked and damp-proofed, but it’s been well worth it because it has given us an extra room and a downstairs loo,” says Bronwen.

The new room has been used for boys’ toys, for dining and as a play space but now it is HQ for Through the Cottage Door, a shabby chic and country-style home and giftware store that trades online.

Bronwen, who had her own recruitment company, and her sister Lissie O’Kane , who worked in catering management, set up the business to create better work life balance.

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“We both love rustic decor and vintage pieces and our mum is the same so we grew up with it and that’s where the idea for the online shop came from. We also wanted something we could do from home so I could be there for Jude,” says Bronwen.

They have built the business using social media. They have spent hours blogging, Facebooking, tweeting and putting mood boards on Pinterest.

Lissie says: “A lot of women go online at night to shop and we’ve tapped into that market. We also like supporting designers who are just starting out and that gives us something different to offer customers.”

The cabinet at the top of the cellar stairs is a best-seller. It offers storage space, drawers and a wine rack for £199. The tea cosy is by Pippany, a designer maker based in Cornwall and the shell mirror on the landing is by a maker in Sandsend, near Whitby.

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The house is also a treasure trove of vintage finds. The antique dressing table mirror belonged to Bronwen’s mum and the chair was £4 from a local charity shop.

“I love vintage pieces and they help add character to a property like this,” says Bronwen.

The line where her own belongings start and the business stock ends can get blurred. The office is bursting with boxes, while Lissie squashes up against the wall at a small desk.

“We’re thinking of a getting a warehouse where we can show the stock to people but for now this works really well and it’s great being at home. When Jude is here Lissie and I juggle looking after him with Through the Cottage Door.

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“The only issue is keeping the kitchen tidy. Mark has someone working for him and then there’s me and Lissie and we all eat and make tea down here.”

They also spill out into the garden on sunny days .

“We’ve almost finished doing the garden and the next project is to convert the attic, which will give us even more space,” says Bronwen.

“It means that we won’t ever outgrow the house. If we do ever move then it would be to my dream home, a big cottage in the country.”

www.throughthecottagedoor.co.uk

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