In 2014, Philippa May, founder of creative branding agency Mayd Studio, and her husband Guy Mercer bought a dilapidated garage in Bath. Enviably located just behind the Royal Crescent, Philippa initially considered the building as a possible office, but Guy, who works in property development, immediately spotted its potential to be converted into a home, with its double-height pitched roof, spacious footprint and surprisingly private location. As the house comes on the market, Philippa reflects on their year-long renovation and tells us why this sort of open-plan space is such a rarity in Bath. Check out the sales listing here.

Philippa: “When we bought this place in 2014, our parents thought it was hilarious that we’d spent so much money on what was essentially a garage that consisted of a couple of car parking spaces. The building was completely disused and derelict, but we both realised how rare it was to have something this spacious just five minutes from the centre of town.

“Although this was a very nerve-wracking project to embark on, it was easy to see the potential of the space, with its warehouse-style height and streams of beautiful light. We loved that you entered the building through an unassuming hole in the wall, which then opened up to a double-height pitched roof. The proportions were just incredible and, amazingly for a house in the city, we aren’t overlooked by anyone else.

“It’s so hard to find big, open-plan, bright spaces in Bath, because the Georgian architecture really takes precedence – although there are some amazingly tall windows, they usually compromise your privacy.

“We lived with Guy’s family in the countryside while we renovated and Guy managed the building, while I oversaw all the design elements. A lot of the building work was dictated by the conservation area regulations, as well as modern building regulations and the format of the building, which is sandwiched in a terrace.

“The floorplan and external aspects of the house had to remain the same, so we worked with David Johnson, an architectural technician from Bournemouth, to draw up our ideas for the layout; our aim was to create a really liveable space.

“On one side of the building, we created two spacious bedrooms out of what were previously three small office rooms, but the rest remained architecturally pretty similar to the original layout and is all open-plan. The bedrooms feel very calm and detached from the open-plan living area where we introduced big skylights. We also added a retractable roof in the kitchen above the island, which makes the space feel sunny and bright all year round.

“The builders were amazing – there was so much we couldn’t foresee until we smashed through a lot of concrete and panelled walls. A lot of the work involved finding smart solutions to a very irregularly shaped building. What is now our kitchen was once a cobbled alleyway for a pub where horses were tied up while their owners refreshed themselves inside! The street was part of Bath’s brewery quarter and later became a slum, which is why there is such a mix of buildings.

“Since we are in a conservation area, we could only use certain materials in the build. Inside, we chose other details carefully to give some character to the space, such as the engineered oak floors from Boniti and the bespoke concrete fireplace in the living area that runs from floor to ceiling, which we designed ourselves. We always intended to put a woodburner in, but the underfloor heating and insulation are so good that we’ve never actually had the need for a fire.

“After doing such a huge renovation, we didn’t have a lot of budget for furniture, so we searched for bargains at various markets. Guy actually built a lot of the furniture and the huge shelves in the living area, as nothing off-the-shelf quite worked with the odd shape of the building. We always wanted to keep things minimal and light – our aesthetic is quite natural, a bit “Japandi” I guess.

“For us, modern living is all about having versatile spaces that can complement our versatile life. We wanted our home to reflect our lifestyle, with proper space dedicated to socialising with friends and family, which would help us step away from our hectic work lives.

“We always feel excited to invite friends over because it feels so welcoming. We designed the home not just to look good, but to be enjoyed. We’ve just had a son, Cooper, which has made us realise even more that a good interior shouldn’t be precious and overly curated. There’s no enjoyment in constantly panicking over mucky hands!

“I love being at the kitchen island, with the rooflight open and a margarita in my hand. It’s such a fun spot in the evening too, as you can see the stars. It’s great when we’re cooking food and have friends gathered around the island, sharing massive feasts with lots of accompanying wine.

“We both work from home and our proximity to the centre of town meant that we never felt a need to rent out separate offices. The main living area is so large and bright, and the dining table has proved a perfect workspace. I’ve even held brand photoshoots here. When we need a break from working from home, we just pop to Walcot House, a nearby bar and restaurant, with our laptops.

“It’s been an amazing location to live in, just behind the Royal Crescent, with a very picturesque walk into town. There are few things we enjoy more than walking down the hill into town via our favourite bars and eateries or grabbing a blanket and some beers to watch the sunset over the Royal Crescent.

“We love going to The Green Bird Cafe around the corner for breakfast – their mushrooms on toast are unreal – and the Marlborough Tavern for the perfect Sunday roast. There aren’t many spots in Bath like this where you have so many amazing experiences on your doorstep, yet can come back so quickly to a light-filled sanctuary.

“It’s been a hard decision to sell, because we don’t think we’ll ever find a space like this again in Bath. But after four years here, the time has come for us to move somewhere new, especially with the arrival of Cooper. We’ve actually already moved to our new home, which is a semi-detached Victorian house in Bath. The first thing we did was knock through the kitchen to let light in and free up space for our big dining table. It’s completely different from this house, but has so much potential, with more bedrooms and a big garden.

“We felt too sentimental about this place to let it go initially, but we’re ready to pass it on now. We hope the new owners love its uniqueness as much as we did. We always intended to add a roof terrace above our kitchen, but never quite got round to it, so perhaps that could be a project. We designed the roof to hold a terrace and it has a wonderful view across Bath – it feels like a secret sunken sun spot. This was our first home and project and we hope someone else enjoys that big living space in the same way we did.”