IVYWELL INTERIORS V3.qxp_Layout 1 26/01/2024 12:37 Page 1
INTERIORS
A tranquil retreat
Images courtesy of Ivywell Interiors
Situated in bustling, popular Bishopston, this terraced Victorian house was brimming with potential. When the owners bought it, they saw its tall ceilings, period features and secluded rear garden; an ideal family home a stone’s throw away from Gloucester Road and its independent shops. Ivywell Interiors talks us through its complete renovation of the property
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his property’s owners were prepared to embark on this journey but they knew that redesigning an entire threestorey house while working and managing family life wouldn’t be a small job. They hired an architect to draw plans to open the ground floor, add windows and improve the layout and enlisted our help to plan the interior. Armed with a floor plan and a fairly good idea of what they wanted to achieve, the couple’s biggest challenge was to balance the budget to cover the necessary building upgrades while creating the look and feel they desired for the interior. We agreed that knocking the wall down between the living and dining rooms was an integral part of the new layout, as would the removal of the dining room chimney breast but we avoided the costly alteration of the staircases. As the whole house was very draughty and inefficient, the owners wanted to upgrade the windows and install an air source heat pump. This is a big undertaking requiring expert advice, so they used a local gas and heating engineer whom we’d worked with on similar properties. Collaborating with the building contractor, they planned where the system would go and the required insulation for the external walls, floors, and roof to make their home more efficient. The addition of underfloor heating on the ground floor also removed the need for wall-mounted radiators in the main living areas. With the structural elements agreed and the architectural plan amended, we could now start developing the interior scheme.
72 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2024 | No 231
Bespoke designs In this project, the kitchen was part of a previous half-width rear extension and was fairly narrow. Its size did not allow for a kitchen island but the couple were keen not to extend it further to retain the garden area. The layout was reworked to include new sliding doors on the back wall to step into the garden and a large window that would occupy most of the side wall. This new configuration created a galleytype layout. With units on either side walls, we advised the owners to reduce the sliding door size to retain the feeling of space. We created a concept design to show the new layout that included a peninsula with a waterfall edge and the main elements such as sink, cooker, pantry, cupboards. The owners previously had a fitted kitchen and they’d had to compromise on some elements. This time around, they wanted to make sure they got exactly the right balance of worktop, display, and storage space so we put them in touch with one of our kitchen partners, Creative Storage & Kitchens, to create a bespoke kitchen. Working in tandem, we developed the materials and finishes, while the maker focussed on utilising every inch of the available space and crafted a kitchen that would last a lifetime; within the defined budget. The family bathroom was another tricky space. At just over 5sqm, the wall had already been pushed back into the study and the hot water cylinder was clogging up the remaining space. The contractor, however, managed to move the cylinder in the loft, enabling us to retain a shower