Step behind the front doors of some of the homes we sell in our ‘Open House’ series, for which we ask sellers to reflect on how their lives have been enriched by their homes. Here, we meet illustrator Joe and product designer Olivia Wilson, who modernised much of their Victorian coach house themselves, resulting in contemporary living spaces and a landscaped garden with a countryside-level of privacy. Check out the listing here.

Olivia: “We’ve had enormous fun working on this house, not least because it involved discovering the previous owners’ wacky DIY projects, which were… quite full of character, shall we say! There were strange bits of blue piping suspended in mid-air in the hallway – very odd.

“I remember when we first came to see the house what really struck us was the space in the workshop, which was the original coach house and what we used as a messy space while doing the place up. It has the original glass ceiling, so it gets incredible light coming through.

“The other thing we were taken by was the flow of the downstairs. It always confuses people when they come in for the first time because it seems to never end! You go in through one room and you come out through another.”

Joe: “The open-plan layout in an old house like this is an unusual thing, I think. We had lived in quite a small terrace house before, so we were used to only having two rooms downstairs. Here, there’s quite a lot more space, which was a welcomed change for us.

“We knew the house needed some work when we bought it but, quite naively, we thought we could just come in and put a little bit of paint on the walls, and everything would be fine. It turned out it wasn’t like that at all. There was a lot more work that had to be done, and almost everything had to be re-plastered. It turned into quite a bit more of a project than we had anticipated; in a good way, though.”

Olivia: “When we moved in we discovered how quiet it is here. It’s incredibly secluded, with no overlooking and sometimes it feels like no one really knows we’re here! All we can hear are the birds singing; it’s really peaceful.”

Joe: “At the same time, we’re only a 15-minute walk to the city centre, and we still feel like part of a community.”

Olivia: “Our lifestyle has changed since living in this house. Because it’s so big, the downstairs is a really sociable space and we’ve had quite a few parties here.

“And, because it has a nice open feel from the kitchen, through the archways to the lounge and then onto the garden, it really works as an entertaining space. It’s encouraged us to be more sociable, I think.”

Joe: “Yeah, and we can have BBQs and garden parties and not feel like we’re going to annoy anyone, which is great. And I can play rock music as loud as I want!”

Olivia: “Working on this house ourselves has taught us so much. I think my interior tastes have changed and developed, and I remember when we first moved in I really wanted to rip out some fitted wardrobes in our bedroom, but Joe was keen on them.

“Looking back, I can’t believe I thought that because they’re so integral to how the space works. Engaging with interiors and looking at what styles are out there has meant my tastes have adjusted quite a lot. I used to be a real gatherer/hoarder, and now, although I still like to collect things, I appreciate the more minimal things in life too.”

Joe: “I think we both have a tendency to collect things – it sort of runs in our families. What’s been nice is having enough space to be able to curate and display those things we’ve collected and found along the way.”

Olivia: “The other thing I’ve found from living here is a real love for gardening. I’d never had my own garden before, so it was a real treat. We really enjoyed designing the space for the garden and landscaping it. It’s such a haven out there.

“Gardens are a totally different thing from interiors, as they require some specialist knowledge, but we enjoyed how experimental you can be with outdoor space. It feels quite free and not as permanent or precious as interiors, so you can express your creativity without worrying if it goes right or wrong.

“Because of the nature of what we do – I design products and Joe’s an illustrator – we’re used to conception, development and then completion, followed by the next project. I think that mentality has carried over into our home, as we feel like we’ve done our work here, and now we’re excited about the next project.

“After living at Cone Lane for five years, we’ve got a real sense of almost being in the countryside – that’s how remote it feels here. We’re tempted by the idea of a new project and challenge outside the city to be able to experiment and grow.”

Joe: “I think we’ve been spoilt to have a really unusual space and one of our concerns about leaving is that we won’t find somewhere as special as this again!”

Olivia: “We feel really lucky to have lived here. When we found it we wanted to snap it up really quickly, because we thought, ’My god, how has no one discovered this gem?’ It’s such a special place, and a joy to live in.”