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Houzz Tour: Built-in Storage and Soft Colours Reboot a 1970s Home
If the location is right but the house isn’t, there’s often room for reinvention, as this inspiring project proves
If you’ve outgrown your home and feel it isn’t working for you anymore, pause for a moment before deciding to move on. The family who own this 1970s house, which they’d lived in for around eight years, felt just like that, but they loved where they lived, so decided to see whether Angela Colley of GeorgieRose Interior Design could reinvent it for them. The before and after photos below reveal the magic she worked.
One of the game-changers was built-in joinery, from a media wall in the living room and storage in the utility, to a wall of wardrobes in the bedroom. “And in the kitchen, we doubled the storage in comparison to what they had,” Angela says. With her signature muted palette flowing through the rooms, the house is now a calm, cohesive home.
One of the game-changers was built-in joinery, from a media wall in the living room and storage in the utility, to a wall of wardrobes in the bedroom. “And in the kitchen, we doubled the storage in comparison to what they had,” Angela says. With her signature muted palette flowing through the rooms, the house is now a calm, cohesive home.
The Laura Ashley wallpaper and red and brown palette in the old living room felt dated. In addition, some elements of the home were flimsy.
“One of the things the husband said was that he wanted to open a door without feeling as if it was going to fall apart,” Angela says. “Every door and skirting board was replaced, and we changed all the hardware and switches for nice ones. The hardware is a big aspect of what makes things feel better.”
“One of the things the husband said was that he wanted to open a door without feeling as if it was going to fall apart,” Angela says. “Every door and skirting board was replaced, and we changed all the hardware and switches for nice ones. The hardware is a big aspect of what makes things feel better.”
The team stripped back the whole house and fitted new electrics and heating, as well as bathrooms and flooring. They also reconfigured the downstairs space to create a new utility room and separate downstairs loo. “It was almost back to a shell in some places,” Angela says.
Ready to renovate? Find interior designers in your area on Houzz.
Ready to renovate? Find interior designers in your area on Houzz.
Angela addressed the lack of storage in the living room by designing and building a media wall across the whole space. “It actually makes the room look bigger,” she says.
Double cupboards offer roomy closed storage, with display space above, but the shelving is deliberately not packed in. “There are three boxy shelves either side designed to hold nice things,” Angela says. “What [the owners] wanted was, out with the clutter and now let’s keep it simple.”
The electric fire, in a shape to mirror the TV above, has logs and flames, creating a lovely cosy glow in the evenings.
Both the muted colour palette and plenty of textures have softened the room. The sage green of the walls is complemented by a warm off-white on the media unit.
Walls painted in Hardwick White, Farrow & Ball. Media unit painted in Slaked Lime, Little Greene. Lighting, Fritz Fryer. Floral artwork; wool-mix rug, both Neptune. Side tables, Atkin & Thyme.
Double cupboards offer roomy closed storage, with display space above, but the shelving is deliberately not packed in. “There are three boxy shelves either side designed to hold nice things,” Angela says. “What [the owners] wanted was, out with the clutter and now let’s keep it simple.”
The electric fire, in a shape to mirror the TV above, has logs and flames, creating a lovely cosy glow in the evenings.
Both the muted colour palette and plenty of textures have softened the room. The sage green of the walls is complemented by a warm off-white on the media unit.
Walls painted in Hardwick White, Farrow & Ball. Media unit painted in Slaked Lime, Little Greene. Lighting, Fritz Fryer. Floral artwork; wool-mix rug, both Neptune. Side tables, Atkin & Thyme.
Angela’s Houzz mood board for the living room shows her signature calm mix of greens, beiges and neutrals.
A slim-framed glass coffee table sits lightly between the sofas. “I didn’t want it to feel too chunky when we had the media unit across the wall,” Angela says. “It’s functional but not too solid in the space.”
The black accents in the coffee table and sofa legs are echoed in the photo frames, which hold treasured family snaps. ”The family had hundreds of photos in the hallway when I arrived and it was all quite a mishmash,” Angela says. “They wanted to simplify it, so we chose six prints and made that [living room] wall the family bit.”
The black accents in the coffee table and sofa legs are echoed in the photo frames, which hold treasured family snaps. ”The family had hundreds of photos in the hallway when I arrived and it was all quite a mishmash,” Angela says. “They wanted to simplify it, so we chose six prints and made that [living room] wall the family bit.”
The island in the old kitchen was too small, limiting both storage and space to sit.
Angela designed a much more useful island with plenty of storage and, crucially, seating. “Because they’re quite a sociable family, they wanted to have five stools around the island,” she says. “The way the kitchen worked before, they didn’t have anywhere to sit, so couldn’t gather in the kitchen as a family. They also wanted to be able to hang out in here when they had friends over.
“It was a lot of stools,” she continues, “so I chose these ones with low backs that weren’t too overpowering, and could tuck in neatly and not feel as if they were taking over.”
Angela designed all the cabinets and her joiners hand-built them. The island base is in a striking black, with the rest of the kitchen in a warm neutral.
Details elevate the design. For instance, there’s a strip of walnut along the channel handles that runs around the room, and the internal finish is walnut, too. “Just to give it a bit of depth,” she says.
Island painted in Pitch Black, Farrow & Ball. Perimeter cabinets painted in Slaked Lime Deep, Little Greene. Bar stools, Crea. Pendant lights, Fritz Fryer. Tap, Quooker.
“It was a lot of stools,” she continues, “so I chose these ones with low backs that weren’t too overpowering, and could tuck in neatly and not feel as if they were taking over.”
Angela designed all the cabinets and her joiners hand-built them. The island base is in a striking black, with the rest of the kitchen in a warm neutral.
Details elevate the design. For instance, there’s a strip of walnut along the channel handles that runs around the room, and the internal finish is walnut, too. “Just to give it a bit of depth,” she says.
Island painted in Pitch Black, Farrow & Ball. Perimeter cabinets painted in Slaked Lime Deep, Little Greene. Bar stools, Crea. Pendant lights, Fritz Fryer. Tap, Quooker.
This is Angela’s mood board for the kitchen. She’s used the same soothing mix of colours as in the living room, but in stronger tones, creating a thread through the house.
Mood boards aren’t the only Houzz tool Angela uses to help her clients through the renovation process. “I use Houzz Pro all the time,” she says. “As well as the mood boards, I do product selections on there,” which allow homeowners to see all the suggested products and prices together and easily click yes or no.
“The owners found it very useful,” she says. “It makes it much easier when everything’s in one place when you’re talking, without having to flip back and forth. It makes it so much easier to look at stuff rather than going in and out of different screens.”
Mood boards aren’t the only Houzz tool Angela uses to help her clients through the renovation process. “I use Houzz Pro all the time,” she says. “As well as the mood boards, I do product selections on there,” which allow homeowners to see all the suggested products and prices together and easily click yes or no.
“The owners found it very useful,” she says. “It makes it much easier when everything’s in one place when you’re talking, without having to flip back and forth. It makes it so much easier to look at stuff rather than going in and out of different screens.”
The cupboards that flank the ovens have bifold doors and contain, among other things, appliances such as the toaster.
The worktop and upstand are marble-effect quartz.
More: How to Start a Kitchen Renovation
The worktop and upstand are marble-effect quartz.
More: How to Start a Kitchen Renovation
A trio of base cabinets on the side wall hold the owner’s large collection of glassware.
The oak-style herringbone LVT flooring runs throughout the ground floor. “Before, there were different types of flooring in each room, so having the continuity [of one flooring type] can in itself make a space feel much bigger,” Angela says.
Flooring, Amtico. Switches and sockets throughout, Dowsing & Reynolds.
The oak-style herringbone LVT flooring runs throughout the ground floor. “Before, there were different types of flooring in each room, so having the continuity [of one flooring type] can in itself make a space feel much bigger,” Angela says.
Flooring, Amtico. Switches and sockets throughout, Dowsing & Reynolds.
Angela filled the understairs area with cupboards fitted with slick push-to-open doors. There’s stacks of storage inside, including for a fridge-freezer and pull-out larder, plus drawers in the shorter space.
The first doorway on the right after the cupboards leads into the living room. In the corridor beyond, you turn right for the hallway, off which is the utility room and a downstairs loo. Turn left and you’re in the dining room.
The first doorway on the right after the cupboards leads into the living room. In the corridor beyond, you turn right for the hallway, off which is the utility room and a downstairs loo. Turn left and you’re in the dining room.
The bespoke built-in joinery reaches its zenith in the dining room, with a dedicated space for guitars and accompanying equipment.
“The family are musical and the husband is in a band and has a huge collection of amazing guitars,” Angela says, “so we built a bespoke wall for him where he can hang them. He was very happy with that.”
“The family are musical and the husband is in a band and has a huge collection of amazing guitars,” Angela says, “so we built a bespoke wall for him where he can hang them. He was very happy with that.”
The couple’s previous bedroom furniture was dated, but it did offer a fair bit of storage, so Angela needed to take that into account with her new design. “In the end, we almost doubled the storage space, as we did it in a better way,” she says.
The dressing table was a key element, as the wife had never had one before. “She was very happy with her new dressing table area,” Angela says.
Stool, Andrew Martin.
Stool, Andrew Martin.
While the design is simple, Angela chose beautifully made pieces for the room. The lights are handmade porcelain, while the large wooden bedside tables are solid wood with marble tops.
The elegant fluting on the lights and bedside units are echoed in the centrepiece upholstered headboard.
Pendant lights, Original BTC. Walls painted in Pigeon, Farrow & Ball. Throw, Graham & Green.
The elegant fluting on the lights and bedside units are echoed in the centrepiece upholstered headboard.
Pendant lights, Original BTC. Walls painted in Pigeon, Farrow & Ball. Throw, Graham & Green.
A wall of wardrobes opposite the bed, designed by Angela and built by her joiners, offers masses of storage.
The original en suite bathroom.
Angela completely redesigned the space, moving the sanitaryware around for a better layout. The new bath is sleek and gorgeous, but getting it in was quite a challenge.
“When it arrived, we couldn’t get it in, as the entrance to the bedroom is quite narrow, so we ended up having to take out the bedroom window and hoist it in without chinking it on the window, which was not an easy feat,” Angela recalls. “It was so stressful, I can’t tell you, because it was worth quite a lot, so I had to just go for it.”
Bathroom, Culina + Balneo.
“When it arrived, we couldn’t get it in, as the entrance to the bedroom is quite narrow, so we ended up having to take out the bedroom window and hoist it in without chinking it on the window, which was not an easy feat,” Angela recalls. “It was so stressful, I can’t tell you, because it was worth quite a lot, so I had to just go for it.”
Bathroom, Culina + Balneo.
The other end of the original bathroom.
Angela also had to bring the shower screen through the bedroom window, as it wouldn’t go around the curvy staircase. “It was very challenging,” she laughs.
It sounds as though all her hard work was worth it, though, judging by the review the owners left on Houzz: “Angela’s skill, expertise and enthusiasm really is second to none, and we always felt we were in very good hands. We trusted her 100% with everything – the entire design and project management. We are absolutely delighted with the results – the house is just spectacular!!!”
Tell us…
What do you think of Angela’s calm, cohesive redesign? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
It sounds as though all her hard work was worth it, though, judging by the review the owners left on Houzz: “Angela’s skill, expertise and enthusiasm really is second to none, and we always felt we were in very good hands. We trusted her 100% with everything – the entire design and project management. We are absolutely delighted with the results – the house is just spectacular!!!”
Tell us…
What do you think of Angela’s calm, cohesive redesign? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
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Who lives here? A couple with two teenage daughters
Location Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
Property A 1970s townhouse
Size Four bedrooms and two bathrooms
Designer Angela Colley of GeorgieRose Interior Design
Project year 2023
Photos by Angela Colley
In common with many of us, the owners of this house had gradually found their home becoming more cluttered. The main problem was a lack of storage. “A lot of their stuff didn’t have a home, it was all a mishmash,” Angela says, “so creating storage gave them the order they needed and definitely made the home feel bigger.”
The couple didn’t have major views on the decor, except that they’d seen other projects Angela had done and liked her style. “I tend to work with muted palettes – greens, beiges and neutrals,” she says. “I wanted to make this property flow in a much more cohesive way than before, so I tried to keep those muted colours and the natural woods running throughout.”