"Grotty" terrace is transformed with French flair and Ibiza vibes in the garden

An older house was always on the cards for Esther Pillans. Growing up with parents who renovated homes  — her dad was a builder — when the time came for her and her boyfriend, Lewis, to buy a property of their own, they wanted a period project they could put their stamp on. Living at home while they saved up meant they were in a great position to buy a four-bed Victorian terrace just around the corner from Esther’s family home.

Helping the sale was the fact the house was on for a competitive price — despite the fact it was in relatively good shape. "It had been empty for six months when we bought it, and rented out before, but it was in good condition, with a new roof and boiler," says Esther. "But it looked grotty, so was quite cheap. Everything was done already, so we wouldn’t need to spend much money."

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Still, the house needed a facelift — starting with the kitchen, which was old and battered with drip marks and peeling wallpaper. The house had been empty over winter and smelt of damp, though there wasn’t any to be seen. Esther and Lewis decided to combine the kitchen with the separate dining room to create an open-plan space, enlisting Esther’s dad and brother — who is also a builder — to take the wall down. They also added two sets of French doors to the rear of the house, but the rest of the work was largely cosmetic — including the dusty job of removing three layers of textured wallpaper from every room.

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One element Esther was keen to change was the lack of period features. "All the fireplaces had been taken out and the doors replaced with modern ones, so it was a real mismatch of eras," she says. The cornicing was the only original feature remaining. Esther is "obsessed" with fireplaces and spent time tracking down era-appropriate pieces on second-hand sites — including a £200 marble find from a nearby house for the dining room, and a £50 bargain for the bedroom. They also replaced the rotting front door: "We had a frame built and chose an old-style door with stained glass panels."

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The kitchen and bathroom were reconfigured and Esther and Lewis tackled the big job of sanding the wooden floors upstairs, though they paid someone to do downstairs. "We didn’t have any particular skill — we just hired the machine and gave it a go," says Esther.

This can-do attitude was a theme throughout the project: in fact, the only other outside help the couple enlisted was Wren’s kitchen planning service, to map out the layout of the space. The sun doesn’t reach the room until late afternoon, so Esther toyed with light-coloured units, but ultimately settled on a deep blue shade. "I didn’t want to go too bold in here because it’s our first home and we’re still not decided on our style," she adds. "The neutral colour means I can change the paint or accessories to refresh the space — and I love the greenery against the dark cabinets."

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Though Esther is still nailing down her style, there’s one look she returns to again and again. "I love French style: oversized mantle mirrors, white marble, the kind of thing you see in big Parisian apartments," she says. There’s certainly a French influence in the living room, with its marble fireplace, dramatic chandelier and big mantle mirror — and in the subtle hallway panelling, too. But there are also touches of Ibiza cool in the white-painted walls of the garden, and a more minimalist approach — warmed by natural textures and colourful accessories — in the bedroom.

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While this isn’t Esther and Lewis’s forever home, they’ve taken great care to create a warm, inviting and stylish space. "I’m a creative person, especially in my job, and living with my mum and dad while they renovated means I’ve got a good idea of how to bring a feel to a room," says Esther. Seeing her home, that certainly seems to be true — and if this house is anything to go by, we are excited to see what they’ve got up their sleeves when they do decide to move on.

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