Downstairs, in the basement of the Baker family’s home, an old cast iron range cooker stands proud and intact. It reminds the family of what their double-fronted Victorian house in Burley-in-Wharfedale, West Yorkshire must have been like in its heyday. Much has changed since then, but the old-time charm remains. “I’ve always loved houses from that era for their large rooms, high ceilings, and period features,” Sandra Baker says.
Sandra and her husband Chris, both lawyers, have lived in their historic four-story house for five years, transforming it bit by bit into the forever-home of their dreams and the perfect place to raise their two daughters, Kitty and Polly. The couple never actually intended to house hunt in the area where they now live. “The picture of the exterior of the house on the estate agent’s website intrigued me enough to book a viewing,” Sandra explains. “It wasn’t a slow burn — as soon as we walked through the front door we were smitten! It had a happy feeling. I even shed a tear!”
Sandra, who calls herself a frustrated creative given her career choice, was excited to have a fixer-upper on her hands. While the house offered the space that the family needed and was in good structural shape, there were plenty of opportunities to make much-desired changes. The family couldn’t afford to update the home in the first year — feeling things out and seeing how each space worked for them ultimately allowed for better and more tailored design choices. “I wanted to make each room exactly right for us, and I was prepared to wait until we could afford to do that,” Sandra explains.
While making the house ideal for their family’s needs, Sandra and Chris have kept the best bits of the Victorian era in mind — maximalism, heavily patterned wallpaper and lots of trinkets add even more character to this family’s historic home. The house has gone through major transformations, which isn’t to say it’s all completed — in fact, the biggest changes are yet to come. Sandra and Chris have plans to move the kitchen into another space, leaving the existing kitchen as a dining and living area with doors out to the garden. Sandra shares, “it’s a big project, but once this is done, it will make a huge difference to the way we eat, live and hang out as a family.”
Throughout the process of turning her family’s home into their dream home, Sandra has been most focused on reflecting their personalities and having fun. “I believe your interior is the natural projection of your heart and soul. For me, that means a riot of color and pattern, so my advice is — be bold and have fun with your decor. It’s not a serious or lifelong commitment, it can be changed if you hate it, so see what speaks to you and get it up on the walls!”—Sofia
Photography by Sandra Baker / @the_idle_hands
Image above: The downstairs hallway is the most recent project in the family’s home and one that ties all the different spaces together. For the stairs, Sandra wanted a striped runner with yellow edging, but sourcing the right type of yarn proved difficult. Finally, a supplier found a mill that supplied yarn to a homeware store that was introducing a new line of emoji rugs. “My runner is edged in emoji yellow — the kids love this fact!” Sandra exclaims.
from Design*Sponge http://www.designsponge.com/2018/03/a-riot-of-color-and-charm-in-a-west-yorkshire-victorian.html
from Home Improvment http://notelocreesnitu.tumblr.com/post/171450339764
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