Jane Hunter called in an interior design team to help transform her Victorian terrace into the perfect family home.

Sixteen years ago, Jane Hunter, her then husband and their two small daughters had outgrown their two-bedroom home in a leafy area of Cambridge and were looking for a Victorian house with period features in the same area. This house, with its sash windows, stained-glass doors, and fireplaces in almost every room, was just what they wanted.

The couple bought it in 1993, had the loft converted soon after and decorated throughout, but they later split up, leaving Jane and the girls living there.

‘After my husband and I divorced, I was keen to give the house a completely different look,’ says Jane. ‘I wanted to reflect my new lifestyle but wasn’t sure how to turn my ideas into reality’.

What was the house like when you bought it?

It had all the period features I was hoping for and was in a great location. It’s easy to walk into town from here, which is convenient for the girls’ school and my work, and it’s a very quiet street. However, the kitchen was much too small for a family house and the breakfast room next to it was dark and cramped. The dining room and living room were separate and we like that because it gave us a quiet room to work in when the television was on.

How did you go about changing the house?

Luckily, the walls were all in good condition, so that made my job easier, but I did struggle in other ways. I couldn’t find any fabrics I liked locally – I know what I like when I see it – and didn’t know how to make the kitchen and breakfast room work better for us.

In the end. I asked local interior designers Gail and Cate from Angel + Blume to point me in the right direction. Gail and I had a great day out in London visiting fabric showrooms and we worked out the colours from there. She and Cate organised the building work, decoration and curtain making, which I’d have really struggled to do because I work full time. Their help meant I avoided costly mistakes and got exactly the look I wanted.

What work did you do to the house?

My husband and I had the attic converted shortly after we bought the house, creating a guest bedroom and shower room. After he moved out, I had the kitchen and breakfast room knocked into one and the kitchen pantry removed. This really opened up the room and enabled me to have the spacious kitchen-diner I’d always wanted. I also had the whole house redecorated and chose new furnishings, curtains and blinds.

What did changing the kitchen involve?

That was the biggest job. The builders started by pulling down the wall between the kitchen and breakfast room, then removed the pantry and gutted the kitchen. The space this created was amazing and after a new window and skylight were fitted, my old gloomy cooking area was gone for good. I bought a new Shaker-style kitchen from a local company, which designed and built it to fit the space, and this gave me all the storage I needed. I love the combination of wood and granite-effect worktops, the cream painted units and the concealed appliances.

My friends can’t believe I haven’t had an extension built!

Were there any setbacks?

Removing the pantry caused an unforeseen problem because the supporting beam turned out to be too short, we had to call in a structural engineer to sort it out. This meant more work for the builders because they had to put in a steel support, which then had to be inspected by the local council’s Building Control department to check that it complied. As a result, the project took three months to complete instead of the six weeks I’d expected.

How would you describe your decorating style?

I’ve always loved colour, so I didn’t want a minimal or bland house but I did want it to be sophisticated. I’d describe my style as contemporary and relaxed with a colourful twist, which I think works well with the house’s original features. I’m a fan of fabrics from Osborne & Little and Designers Guild, and accessories from local shop Sandra Jane in Cambridge, which stocks lovely lamps, soft furnishings and finishing touches.

Which rooms do you like best?

I like them all but I spend a lot of time in the kitchen-diner, which I’m very pleased with, and I love my bedroom’s opulent look.

Original article featured in Ideal Home Magazine June 2009. Images courtesy of Spike Powell Photography.