Telegraph Money asked Julia Kendell interior designer for Kendell + Co and expert at the Homebuilding & Renovating Show to give her views on the Robinsons’ mammoth makeover.
Before artist Joanne, owner of The Little Art School, and Nigel, an air traffic controller, could move into the property they had to battle thick mould covering every wall and surface in the house.
Documenting their progress on their Instagram account @renovating_thepines, the couple set themselves a target of 10 days.
“We’re both ex-Royal Air Force officers,” said Joanne. “We treated the cleaning like we were on an exercise. We worked 14-hour days going from room to room until it was free from mould.”
Joanne’s vision was to turn The Pines back into a bright, airy country house.
The ‘big room’
Aside from removing a staircase, other major structural work included adding a corridor and removing a downstairs bathroom to create a new space for a kitchen and walk-in pantry that would make even Nigella Lawson envious.
The kitchen now sits at one end of the so-called “big room”, the family’s name for the 70 square metre area. The decision to turn five small rooms into one big space was the right one, says Julia, giving the family a central hub where they can come together to relax and cook.
The “big room” with its high ornate ceilings is flooded with light from two sets of French doors to the side and rear which lead out into the kitchen garden and patio.
