My Houzz: A Couple Completely Revamp a Rundown Victorian Property
Interior designer and blogger Laura Butler-Madden takes us on a before and after tour of her beautiful Dorset home
Rather than being overwhelmed by the challenge of renovating an old Victorian carriage house, Laura Butler-Madden and her husband, Patrick, saw the project as a great opportunity to create a stunning home for their growing family.
“It was this large main room that really captured us,” Laura says. “We thought it would make a lovely kitchen and family area.”
Excited by the challenge of restoring this old building and creating a beautiful home, they put in an offer and set about making plans. “We knew the layout [we wanted] quite quickly, which involved removing various stud walls to open up rooms that had been divided,” Laura recalls. “It needed new plumbing, new electrics and a new roof. All the windows with their original wooden frames needed restoring to make the building as beautiful as it should be.”
Excited by the challenge of restoring this old building and creating a beautiful home, they put in an offer and set about making plans. “We knew the layout [we wanted] quite quickly, which involved removing various stud walls to open up rooms that had been divided,” Laura recalls. “It needed new plumbing, new electrics and a new roof. All the windows with their original wooden frames needed restoring to make the building as beautiful as it should be.”
In the main, open-plan living area, the couple were pleased to find parquet on the floor. However, they soon realised it was a very thin, damaged veneer and had to be replaced, which was a good opportunity to lay underfloor heating. “As the room is so large, we decided underfloor heating would work best,” explains Laura. “It was a huge undertaking, as we had to dig up the floors, but it was definitely worthwhile.”
They then laid smoke-finished engineered oak flooring in a chevron pattern throughout the entire room.
They then laid smoke-finished engineered oak flooring in a chevron pattern throughout the entire room.
The kitchen design was governed by the size of the room and the open-plan layout. “We wanted the kitchen to blend into the space and feel part of the room,” Laura says, “so we chose a design that resembles furniture. We decided not to have wall units, and included artwork and pendant lights.”
The high ceiling also influenced their design. “We chose really thick worktops, as thinner ones might have been lost in such a high space,” she says. “These work with the proportions of the room and make it feel like a unique space.”
Many people shy away from solid marble worktops, but Laura says, “We find it OK to maintain. The main things [to watch] are lemon juice and really hot pans. If you drop something on the surface, you just have to make sure you mop it up straight away.
“We love real materials and, in the past, we’ve had honed marble, which gains character as it gets worn,” she adds. “When the marble’s polished, like this one, you have to be more careful.”
The contemporary bar stools have been covered with cosy sheepskins. “I got these from Ikea,” Laura says. “If you look through the buckets, you’ll find smaller ones that are perfect for stools.”
Kitchen, Roundhouse. Bar stools, Rockett St George. Walls painted in Pearl Ashes, Fired Earth.
The high ceiling also influenced their design. “We chose really thick worktops, as thinner ones might have been lost in such a high space,” she says. “These work with the proportions of the room and make it feel like a unique space.”
Many people shy away from solid marble worktops, but Laura says, “We find it OK to maintain. The main things [to watch] are lemon juice and really hot pans. If you drop something on the surface, you just have to make sure you mop it up straight away.
“We love real materials and, in the past, we’ve had honed marble, which gains character as it gets worn,” she adds. “When the marble’s polished, like this one, you have to be more careful.”
The contemporary bar stools have been covered with cosy sheepskins. “I got these from Ikea,” Laura says. “If you look through the buckets, you’ll find smaller ones that are perfect for stools.”
Kitchen, Roundhouse. Bar stools, Rockett St George. Walls painted in Pearl Ashes, Fired Earth.
“We bought the dining table before we’d actually bought the house,” Laura says. “It was in an antiques shop in the local town. It has the right proportions and is made of a lovely soft wood. We snapped it up and just hoped our offer would go through.”
At the far end is a mezzanine area, which was previously blocked off. The spiral staircase was located at the other end of the room, so the couple moved it to here and had a balustrade made to match. “I wallpapered the wall at this end to make more of a feature of it,” says Laura. “There are some bookshelves and a leather armchair on the mezzanine for relaxing.”
Dining chairs, Cult Furniture.
Find grey designs for every room in the Houzz Shop
At the far end is a mezzanine area, which was previously blocked off. The spiral staircase was located at the other end of the room, so the couple moved it to here and had a balustrade made to match. “I wallpapered the wall at this end to make more of a feature of it,” says Laura. “There are some bookshelves and a leather armchair on the mezzanine for relaxing.”
Dining chairs, Cult Furniture.
Find grey designs for every room in the Houzz Shop
From the mezzanine you get a bird’s eye view of the living area. “The fireplace was already there,” Laura says. “It was nice to find an original feature, and we just added a stove. The massive mirror was a lucky find at a warehouse sale – we painted it white to fit in the space.”
Sofas, Loaf. Coffee table, OKA. Rug, West Elm. Mirror, And So To Bed.
Sofas, Loaf. Coffee table, OKA. Rug, West Elm. Mirror, And So To Bed.
The dark blue living room had previously been used as a kitchen.
The colourful print above the sideboard was painted by Patrick’s late mother. “We always move her paintings around with us,” Laura says, “and wherever we put them, they fit so well that it looks as if we’ve designed the whole room around them.”
Sideboard, Atkin and Thyme. Lamp, Jonathan Adler.
Sideboard, Atkin and Thyme. Lamp, Jonathan Adler.
It’s quite decadent to have three living areas, but in such a large property there’s plenty of space. This area is located at the side of the house, where the couple fitted two large sets of French windows. “You can sit here and enjoy the view,” Laura says.
The room is soft and fresh, with a pastel colour palette. “I bought the vintage rug online without seeing it in real life,” she says. “When it arrived, I realised the colour wasn’t as I’d imagined, so we turned it over and it works perfectly. In fact, the shorter weave on the underside looks good with the floor.”
Sofa, Loaf. Coffee table, La Redoute.
The room is soft and fresh, with a pastel colour palette. “I bought the vintage rug online without seeing it in real life,” she says. “When it arrived, I realised the colour wasn’t as I’d imagined, so we turned it over and it works perfectly. In fact, the shorter weave on the underside looks good with the floor.”
Sofa, Loaf. Coffee table, La Redoute.
“As the building used to be stables, many of the rooms have low ceilings,” says Laura. “So we added a very small strip of cornicing here and fitted spotlights rather than pendants.”
Walls painted in Chateau, Zoffany. Curtains, GP&J Baker. Pink armchair, Sweetpea & Willow. Shelving unit, West Elm.
Walls painted in Chateau, Zoffany. Curtains, GP&J Baker. Pink armchair, Sweetpea & Willow. Shelving unit, West Elm.
The pastel living room is attached to an office area, via an archway. “This used to be the kitchen of one of the flats,” Laura explains. “I made it into a little home office with a vintage desk and comfortable chair.”
Vintage desk and chair, Vinterior.
Vintage desk and chair, Vinterior.
“The hall had a dark green carpet and dark green wallpaper,” says Laura. “There was also a plain, flimsy balustrade.”
The couple wanted to make the space more traditional, so they sourced some Victorian spindles and laid stone on the floor. A sisal runner leads up the stairs. “It’s practical, but has a fine weave that looks elegant,” Laura says.
A window at the rear of the hallway was made larger.
Upper walls painted in La Seine, Zoffany. Lower walls painted in Ammonite, Farrow & Ball. Stone flooring, Artisans of Devizes.
The couple wanted to make the space more traditional, so they sourced some Victorian spindles and laid stone on the floor. A sisal runner leads up the stairs. “It’s practical, but has a fine weave that looks elegant,” Laura says.
A window at the rear of the hallway was made larger.
Upper walls painted in La Seine, Zoffany. Lower walls painted in Ammonite, Farrow & Ball. Stone flooring, Artisans of Devizes.
“My style is probably traditional with contemporary accents,” Laura says, “and I take inspiration from lots of different styles.” So while the staircase is traditional Victorian, the sideboard gives the space a more modern feel.
Sideboard, Julian Chichester.
Sideboard, Julian Chichester.
The master bedroom was previously split into three rooms, so the couple opened up the walls and ceiling to turn it into one large space. “We had no idea the beam was there,” Laura says. “That was a lovely surprise.”
Bed, The English Bed Company.
Bed, The English Bed Company.
To make a feature of the sloped ceiling, Laura decided to hang patterned wallpaper on the short walls. The top of the wallpaper is perfectly in line with the top of the Roman blinds, which gives the space a clean look.
Wallpaper, Cole & Son.
Wallpaper, Cole & Son.
In the bathroom, the couple removed the dated wallpaper and fitted the same engineered oak flooring as downstairs.
“I found the 1920s medicine cabinet on eBay and painted it white,” Laura says.
Discover which basin to choose for your traditional bathroom
“I found the 1920s medicine cabinet on eBay and painted it white,” Laura says.
Discover which basin to choose for your traditional bathroom
The sanitaryware was chosen to fit in with the period of the building.
Walls painted in Cornforth White, Farrow & Ball. Victorian-style basin and console; freestanding bath, both Heritage Bathrooms.
Read Laura’s blog.
Tell us…
What do you like about how Laura and Patrick have renovated this Victorian carriage house? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
Walls painted in Cornforth White, Farrow & Ball. Victorian-style basin and console; freestanding bath, both Heritage Bathrooms.
Read Laura’s blog.
Tell us…
What do you like about how Laura and Patrick have renovated this Victorian carriage house? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
Who lives here Interior designer and blogger Laura Butler-Madden with her husband, photographer Patrick Butler-Madden, and a baby on the way
Location Dorchester, Dorset
Property A Victorian carriage house
Size Six bedrooms and five bathrooms
Photos by Patrick Butler-Madden
It was really by chance that Laura and Patrick came to buy this old carriage house in rural Dorset. They were living in London at the time, but Laura’s parents still lived in Dorset, where she’d grown up, so while they were visiting, they decided to take a look. “We came to view it out of intrigue,” Laura says, “but we were bowled over by the size compared to our London home and the potential of the building.
“It had been divided into three flats and nothing had been done to it since the 1970s,” she says. “It was run-down, with dated décor and wallpaper peeling off the walls.”