So, what exactly have the Victorians done for us? For those of you who remember the television series of a similar name, you may well know. Or, if not, its presenter Adam Hart-Davis sums it up neatly: “In 1875, the Bulldog Club defined the perfect British Bulldog in a booklet that was circulated to breeders everywhere. From dogs to engineering, from sports to space and time, the world was becoming obsessed by standards and the rules that defined them. This was the world of the Victorians.” Another thing that gives us a clue about the lives of the Victorians are their houses.
Relatively ordinary on the outside – at least their proliferation has this effect on our judgement – it’s hard to step inside a Victorian ‘family home’ without marvelling at the sheer scale of their interior spaces. By new-build standards, well, there really is no comparison. At least, this seems to have been the thinking of Caroline and Simon Kyriazis when they decided to leave Tooting in south London, with their children Tilly and Oscar, and move to Tunbridge Wells: “We love period houses,” says Caroline. “We had a Victorian terraced house in London and before that we had period flats.”
And it wasn’t just the era that was the same: “This house is really similar in size and layout to our London home,” says Caroline. It’s easy to see why they wanted something similar: high ceilings, huge rooms, great layout and just the right amount of period detail to give it character, but without feeling stuffy. Unfortunately for them, the appeal of such houses had not gone unnoticed by other house-hunters. “As soon as a suitable house came on the market, which was not very often, it would get snapped up,” says Caroline.
Being in London did not make house-hunting any easier. “We couldn’t get down in time and houses would sell overnight,” says Caroline. So, they decided to enlist the help of a property finder: “We wouldn’t have found this place without help from Fiona Penny,” says Caroline. “She has great relationships with the agents so knew about this house before it officially went on the market.” It worked out well for the sellers too, as Caroline and Simon made an instant decision when they viewed the house. “I was standing outside and I just got a feeling. It was really weird. I’ve had that with all of the places we’ve lived. I’ve walked in and thought ‘I love this house’,” says Caroline. “Fiona also has a great ‘little black book’ and helped us with everything from the removals company, to finding swimming lessons for the kids.”
Despite finding their dream home, it still took a little time for the family to settle in. “It was harder than I expected, to start with. It’s been challenging making new friends and building a network if, say, you need help, or someone to watch the kids and have no-one around you.” More than a year later, it’s as if they have lived here for years: “Tilly has settled in brilliantly now and Oscar is at the same school, just across the road. So, we got there in the end and I have met loads of people through the children and various events.”
Inside the home, it is clear that Caroline has more than settled in. A comfortable and seemingly effortless style throughout makes it a very homely place to be: “It mainly needed cosmetic work – we haven’t knocked down any walls. I’ve always had a love of decoration and DIY, and I love transforming spaces just with paint.” Various greys and dark blues link the rooms, though few colours are identical. The only colour that runs through the house is Railings – a ‘soft black with blue undertones’ with which Caroline has painted every fireplace as well as the bannisters and balustrade of the stairwell. “I love the colours that Farrow & Ball do but I often use Valspar’s colour match service too,” Caroline admits.
Given the couple’s love of grey as a backdrop, they were lucky to take on a home with a neutral grey colour scheme: “It was a much-loved family home which was a little tired in places and needed a bit of a revamp. We wanted to put our stamp on it. So lots and lots of painting has been done!”
Caroline tells me this as we sit in the kitchen. There is a huge sash window, as well as bi-fold doors on to a little courtyard garden – both of which help to fill the room with natural light. The kitchen units are minimalist and pale cream. “The units were already here – we were lucky with that one!” says Caroline. In the middle of the room is a stark metal table that Caroline bought on eBay, flanked by benches topped with sheepskins. “The sheepskins just warm it up a bit. We love a bit of industrial style, rather than going too ‘country-rustic’. But to warm it up we use lots of cushions, soft furnishings, throws and things like that.” The look works, as do the engineered oak boards that run throughout the downstairs. They were already here too.
Next to the kitchen is a cosy room that, unsurprisingly, is known as ‘the snug’. “This is where we spend our evenings, by the open fire,” says Caroline. “This room was a very, very light grey and I wanted to make it a really cosy, warm space. It doesn’t get a lot of natural light, so I have gone with the darkness – then added little pops of colour. Mustard is one of my favourite colours at the moment.” Caroline is perfectly on-trend. She has gone for the same ‘warming’ style as in the kitchen, with different fabric textures including wool and faux fur.
Next door again is the playroom at the front of the house. “We had thought about joining this to the snug, but have decided not to,” says Caroline. Like others, many of whom have learnt too late about the downside of ‘open plan’, Caroline and Simon can see the advantage of having two separate rooms. A fashionably worn leather sofa and a piano take pride of place in this room. “We get lots of morning sunshine in here, which is lovely, and there’s lots of storage to hide toys.” Storage; another great feature of older homes, that modern houses so often lack.
In case we’re in any doubt that this is a period property, a magnificent cast iron fireplace with dark green tiles is the focal point of the room. Every room in the house has a fireplace, of varying size, with jewel-like tiles surrounding it in either dark green, blue or red. “We did look into putting a wood-burner in the snug, but it would have meant ripping out the fireplace and I love the fireplaces,” says Caroline. It’s easy to see why.
Leaving behind the oak boards of the downstairs, we proceed upstairs, on thick pile carpet. The stairwell and landings are open and light, giving a feeling of spaciousness that is soon realised, even on the top floor. This is no poky attic area but home to the children’s bedrooms, a laundry room as well as Caroline’s ‘home office’.
“I worked for a few months in a creative agency in Tunbridge Wells, doing marketing, then I had the summer off with the kids which was wonderful,” says Caroline. “Then, at the end of October I started my own business – Twelve Communications – specialising in digital marketing.” This move, into a home office, has transformed their lives almost as much as their move from London. “I work from home which means that I can pick the kids up and watch their class shows or help in class if needed,” she says. “We wanted a better work-life balance. In London I was working full time, the kids were in child care 7am until 6pm. They were long, long days for everybody and we thought ‘What are we doing?!’ ”
The move suits Simon too. “Although Simon still commutes, he gets to sit and read on the train. When he comes home, the house is all sorted and I’ve done homework with the kids. Everyone is so much happier and less stressed.”
Looking in on Caroline’s workspace emphasises the benefits of home working. Her neat, mid-century-style desk – from Maisons du Monde – is next to a large window, with a view out over the back gardens of this quiet corner of Tunbridge Wells. There is another gorgeous fireplace, this time with Venetian masquerade masks on the mantlepiece. “They were a present from Simon,” says Caroline. The room has been replastered and painted in a moody dark blue from paint-makers Craig & Rose.
Along the warmly carpeted landing, past the laundry room – “It may seem kind of strange, but it actually it works really well!” – are the kids’ rooms. “Oscar’s room was difficult to fit furniture in because of the sloping ceiling. So I’ve had to do a bit of trading-in of old furniture and buy new stuff, to make the space work.” IKEA came up trumps. Tilly’s spacious room, at the front of the house, looks over the school playing field. “I would have loved to have had a room like this when I was little!” says Caroline. Again, IKEA made the desk and wardrobes: “IKEA furniture is great for kids, as it’s affordable and it doesn’t matter too much if it gets trashed.”
Below Tilly’s bedroom is the master bedroom, or master suite as it is in fact. “This was another selling point when we viewed the house,” says Caroline. “We walked in here and I saw the potential with the en suite and thought ‘this is literally like a hotel room’ – and it’s got the view as well.” A king-sized bed by Sofa.com takes pride of place next to a pretty lantern window. Close by is a bay window and oversized armchair or ‘love seat’. “We’ve had the armchair for more than 10 years, along with the leather sofa downstairs. They were in the first flat we had together,” says Caroline. Original pine boards also give this room a lived-in feel.
A passage leads through to a large en suite bathroom. “I’ve got great plans for this bathroom!” says Caroline. “It’s just crying out for a free-standing bath… and I love the original floorboards.” It’s clearly got huge potential what with its high ceiling, his-and-hers basins and ornate fireplace. The window, like others in the house, is trimmed with scarlet stained glass. Like the rest of the house, the bathroom is a beautiful blank canvas. This late-Victorian house is enjoying a new era, and is clearly up to standard.
