Home Style: Juggling Act

Polly and David Richard refused to be defeated when undertaking a huge renovation project alongside managing their busy careers and impending parenthood. Living on site only made the realisation of their dream home that much sweeter 

It takes a certain amount of grit and determination to live on site during a major renovation – and that is not even taking into account holding down high-pressure careers and being pregnant. But that is exactly what Polly Richard, 36, and her husband David, 38, did after buying their detached Victorian property in Surrey. 

The couple bought the four-bed property, which was built in 1884, in 2016. They had been living half a mile away and had often walked down the street looking at the houses on their way to and from the train station during their commute to work. “We always admired the houses but assumed they would be out of our budget,” said Polly. 

Luckily that wasn’t the case. The house was a probate sale and so Polly and David were forced to stay with friends and family for six months until the grant of probate came through and they were able to complete on their purchase. “We wanted it so much we were willing to wait,” said Polly. 

The previous family had owned the house for 60 years. “There was no central heating but coal fires in every room, even the bathrooms,” said Polly. Suffice to say they faced a huge project, all the while juggling Polly’s work as a lawyer and David’s job in finance. 

By the time they had moved in and building work began, a year had passed and Polly was 11 weeks pregnant with Ralph, now five. “We had no choice but to live in the kitchen while the work was being done. We had no bathroom, heating or electricity,” remembered Polly. “We both worked such long hours that we showered and ate at work.” 

Rewiring, plumbing, carpentry, full redecoration – there was a long list of things to get done. So it wasn’t long before things did start to, rather literally, get bit on top of them. One unfortunate day a few months into the build, when Polly returned home from work late one night, she found the ceiling had caved in. The builders had been stress testing the floor above the kitchen to check whether it could bear the weight of a cast-iron bath and the ceiling collapsed onto their bed, which was set up below. 

Things soon went from bad to worse, especially given emotions were heightened as Polly’s due date neared. “We had started decorating and all the carpentry had been done. Because the house didn’t have central heating we had installed a Megaflo in the loft. The plumber flushed the system because he thought the first fix had been done but the pipes weren’t connected and so the rooms got flooded. I just burst into tears, it was a total nightmare and everything had to be redone,” said Polly. “Another low point was finding a piece of pizza in our bed when I pulled back the covers one night. We had nowhere to eat other than in bed!” 

The work took six months in all and the builders finished a week beforeRalph was born. The final piece of the puzzle was the kitchen renovation, which was undertaken a year later. The couple went on to have Cecily, now three, and the family are happily ensconced in their beautiful home with mini dachshund Mabel. 

Polly has always had a flair for interiors, something inherited from her mother. “I lived in a Jacobean house growing up in Northumberland and my mum has always had a really classic English country house style,” she said. “My friends used to laugh at me as I furnished my first flat with antiques and they called my dark brown dining table my ‘granny table’!” 

David, meanwhile, had different taste when the couple got together. “His style was more modern minimalist, but he has come round,” Polly said. “He now pretends everything in the house was his idea!” The end result is a serene and stylish home bedecked with beautiful soft furnishings, accessories and antique pieces. 

The kitchen/ dining room is a masterclass in simple period style with its dark kitchen island and taupe cabinets, complete with brass fixtures and fittings. The downstairs also features a snug/playroom and more formal sitting room. 

The latter is painted dusky pink with bolder pops of colour in the choice of accessories. The focal point is an open fireplace, surrounded by Delft tiles which were in place when the couple bought the house. The snug meanwhile has alcove shelving painted in a moody green and lined with books and pictures. 

Upstairs, there are four bedrooms, one en suite, and a family bathroom. The children’s bedrooms feature wonderful prints by Ralph & James – the storybook art business run by David and a friend in their spare time. Polly’s clever use of fabrics is on display in all the rooms – from the vanity unit curtain in the en suite to the canopy above Cecily’s bed. 

Polly says she likes to spend time acquiring pieces for the house rather than rushing and getting everything bought at once. “I buy bits really slowly over time when they catch my eye,” she said. “I love visiting the fairs, like Ardingly and Kempton.” 

Something else that has grown organically is Polly’s Instagram account. “I started posting bits about the renovation on my personal account – it used to consist of dog and horse pictures and then it became interiors pictures,” said Polly. “It was at a time when people were very interested in following renovation projects – particularly DIY. I only post what I want to, barely anything is sponsored. It has been a really positive thing and I have become part of a nice community and made friends through it.” 

Polly and David are delighted with their home. “I love the usabilityof the house especially now we have kids. It somehow manages to be family friendly without me actually knowing what having kids would really entail when the project began,” Polly said. “We spend a lot of time in the kitchen, especially in the summer when we have the doors open and the kids run in and out with Mabel.” 

Words: Amy Maynard/living4media 

Photos: Richard Gadsby/living4media