Take a tour of this Arts and Crafts house in the West Midlands

The owner, who is an artist and illustrator, and her husband, an anaesthetist, bought this five-bedroom detached Arts and Craft house in 2011.

Living nearby, she used to walk past the property every day and the garish colours it was painted in at the time are what grabbed her attention. ‘But it was a lovely, big old house with a large garden that would have been perfect for our children, so I decided that it was meant to be ours and that we’d move there one day,’ she says.

When the property came up for sale in 2009, the couple put in an offer but were gazumped. Two years later the house came up for sale again, but the couple lost out to another buyer. However, it was third time lucky, when the sale fell through and the couple had their third offer accepted.

There was plenty to do, including replacing the windows throughout and the removal and replacement of the garish pink render. By the time they moved in, the house had been empty for some time and it was clear just how much work was needed.

1/11 Exterior

The sheer size of the property was one of the reasons we had fallen in love with it, but instead of rushing to decorate, we decided on a gradual renovation schedule, that would give us time to think things through properly.’

2/11 Open-plan kitchen-diner

Transforming the house’s interior began with extending at the back to create the kitchen-diner. ‘We knew we were going to be spending most of our time in this room, so made sure it had different eating, sitting and relaxing areas. It had to be light, so we had a glass roofed section put in and a separate utility room and cloakroom the other side.’

Natal Marfil floor tiles
Porcelanosa
Vittorio corner sofa
Made

3/11 Kitchen area

With the pale blue Aga as the starting point for the kitchen-diner, the owners chose inexpensive kitchen units teamed with luxury wall tiles. A trio of white pendant lights with copper interiors adds a stylish touch.

Carisbrooke units
B&Q
Hexagon tiles
Fired Earth

4/11 Dining area

The kitchen-diner is where the family spends most of their time. Glazed doors opening out to the rear garden flood the space with light.

Similar dining chairs
Atlantic Shopping
Similar table
Habitat

5/11 Garden corner seating

The new patio area with its protective brick wall is a great place to sit out and enjoy a coffee and the built-in bench never needs taking in from the rain.

Similar garden chairs
Next

6/11 Living room fireplace

The couple disliked the modern fireplace in the living room, but found a wooden Arts and Crafts one that fitted perfectly. Their builder created the hearth using split cobblestones laid in a herringbone pattern.

Similar stove
Stovax
Similar floral cushion
Sanderson

7/11 Living room

To create an elegant, relaxed mood in the living room, the walls were painted a soft grey and teamed with pale linen sofas and floral cushions.

Cream linen sofas
Multiyork
Similar coffee table
John Lewis

8/11 Hallway

The original parquet flooring in the hallway was renovated and now looks stunning and very in-keeping with the Arts and Crafts theme.

For a similar pendant light, try
B&Q

9/11 Master bedroom

The final big project was creating the loft bedroom and en-suite, which has created a grown-up space away from the hustle and bustle of family life.

Similar bed
And so to Bed
Similar wall lights
Ocean Lighting

10/11 En-suite bathroom

A pretty floral blind softens the all-neutral colour scheme in the en suite. The curves on the basin are echoed in the mirror above.

Duravit vanity unit
CP Hart
Stanford basin mixer
Victoria Plumb

11/11 Guest bedroom

The olive green feature wall in the guest bedroom was inspired by the owner's own artwork and co-ordinates with trailing print curtains and cushions.

Walls paint
Olive Estate at Farrow & Ball