Home tour | A beautiful mix of old & new in Leamington Spa

It’s been a while since I last featured an interview-style home tour, but I love doing them when I can. It’s always fascinating to get an insight into the people and stories that make a house a home, and I tend to come away from these chats with lots of ideas and inspiration.

The property in today’s post belongs to Francesca Chase, aka @theaccountantandroofer on Instagram. She and her boyfriend Terry have spent the last couple of years renovating their Victorian terrace in the town of Leamington Spa, central England, and I’ve really enjoyed following their journey. They did almost all the work themselves and the results are stunning. The once-dated house has been transformed into an elegant, light-filled home, with whites and beiges offset by dark wooden furniture and occasional splashes of black, inky blue and rich umber. I particularly love the way contemporary elements have been paired with vintage finds to create a scheme that’s timeless and calming, but at the same time brimming with personality. Francesca also has some fantastic advice to share, so over to her for more…

Hi Francesca! Please can you start by telling us a bit about yourself? 

“I’m 29 and I was born and bred in Birmingham, but I don’t have the accent to go with it. I’m a qualified accountant, having worked in practice for four years in both Birmingham and London. I currently work as a finance manager for a large pub and restaurant company, although for most of the last year I’ve been furloughed due to the pandemic. That’s given me lots of time to focus on finishing and tweaking our home, and it’s made me realise my love for all things interiors.”

Where’s home, and how long have you lived there?

“It’s a Victorian terraced house in Leamington Spa, where I live with my boyfriend of nearly seven years. We met on Tinder when I lived in Birmingham and did the long-distance thing between here and London, but he persuaded me to move to Leamington three years ago and I can’t say I regret it – it’s a beautiful town with the countryside on the doorstep.”

Francesca and Terry laid reclaimed parquet flooring throughout most of the ground floor. The French doors in the dining space were also reclaimed, as was the fireplace, which they adapted to match the existing one in the living area. The vintage Ercol table and chairs were eBay buys. 

Have you made many changes since moving in? 

“So many changes – I don’t think anything has stayed the same! We always planned to buy a doer-upper and have loved the challenge. For starters, we knocked down three walls and one ceiling, cleaned and laid 30sqm of reclaimed parquet, installed reclaimed French doors and dug up the whole garden by ourselves, all before starting on the decorating and interiors. Three rooms have also been repainted within a year and a half, which probably says a lot about me and how particular I am!”

How would you describe your interiors style?

“I find this question hard, as I just buy things I love and ask myself ‘will it go with the rest of the room?’ and, more importantly, ‘is there space for it?’. I’d like to describe my style as a contemporary twist on traditional, but I’m not sure whether I’m there yet. I love Victorian and Georgian architecture and antique furniture, but I also appreciate modern, light-coloured soft furnishings that make spaces feel as homely and calm as possible. My style is still developing – I enjoy adding and changing elements as and when I come across things, and I’ve noticed that I’m swapping high-street items for vintage more and more. Only today my boyfriend commented that the house is starting to look like The Antiques Roadshow.”

Splashes of dark blue and umber make the two bedrooms feel sumptuous and cosy, and sit beautifully against the pale beige walls. The throws and cushions are a mix of H&M Home and Urbanara, while the beautiful curtains in the main bedroom are from Ada & Ina Linen Fabrics. 

What does home mean to you, and has that changed at all during these strange times? 

“I don’t think I realised how important my home was to me until we bought this house. I never had a serious ‘passion’ for interiors until we had our own home and I had free reign to do what I wanted with it. Now it’s a big part of me. Home makes me happy – it’s about being in a place where I can relax, shut off from the world and just enjoy the space. I look around and I’m surrounded by things I love, including my boyfriend and our kitten. So cheesy, but true!

“This year has probably been a blessing and a curse for many reasons, but being furloughed has given me time to focus on finishing the house and be creative. On the flip side, it’s given me too much time to look at and dissect my home, leading me to go off certain elements, want to change things and, some may say, spend an unnecessary amount of money doing so.”

Where do you find interiors inspiration?

“The vast majority of it comes from Instagram and Pinterest, although I hope to get more inspiration from hotels and other countries when we can travel again. There are a few interior designers who I love (@houseninedesign, @rebeccawakefield and @imperfectinteriors) and I find their Instagram feeds super-useful – they post lots of different projects, so if I’m stuck on what to put in a certain corner or wondering how to arrange a room I just ask ‘what have they done in a similar space?’ and give their pages a quick stalk.”

Francesca and Terry opened up the bathroom ceiling to form an apex, and installed DIY panelling behind the bath. Hexagonal floor tiles and chrome fixtures and fittings offset the more traditional elements of the room.

What’s your favourite part of your home and why?

“It seems to change as and when we either finish a room or I update one. At the moment I’d say it’s the living area. Everything just feels right, with a good mix of vintage and modern elements that I’ve slowly added in. It’s where we spend a lot of our time, especially in winter with the log-burner going, and we’ve just bought a new (second-hand) sofa that’s ridiculously comfy, so it feels even more homely.”

And your favourite piece of furniture or accessory…?

“That’s an easy one – it’s my vintage floor lamp, to which I’ve added a Pooky lampshade. It reminds me of a lovely weekend away at The Pig, whose interiors are to die for – I love how they combine traditional and contemporary elements so perfectly. Their floor lamps with pleated lampshades caught my eye, so the day we got back home I went on to Facebook Marketplace and searched for ‘vintage wooden floor lamp’. I found this one for £7 – it needed re-wiring and came with a dated shade, but I could see its potential straight away. I still love it and wish I had the space for another one!”

Like the rest of the house, the living area incorporates plenty of vintage finds, including Francesca’s favourite piece – a floor lamp sourced on Facebook Marketplace and upcycled with a new shade. The wall to the hallway has been removed to open up the space, and a large circular mirror bounces light around. Slatted wooden panelling makes a feature out of the radiator. 

Where do you like to source items – any favourite brands or shops?

“More and more I’m moving towards buying items from eBay and Facebook Marketplace, as well as independent shops via Etsy and Trouva. I love that so many of the items are unique. Another huge positive with buying second-hand and vintage is that if something isn’t quite right, or if your taste changes, you can resell it and even make a profit from it, rather than paying a premium to buy new and then having to resell at half the price. It allows you to have so much more flexibility with furnishings and keeps your home interesting.

“That said, I also love high-street brands such as Zara Home, H&M Home, Oka and Pooky, and I can only dream of buying from Soho Home.”

Do you have any future plans for your home?

“We can’t wait to finish the garden. We started it during the first lockdown and got to a point where it was 80% complete, but for various reasons we never finished. The plasterer is booked in to do the rendering this month, and then it should almost be time to enjoy it… and with friends and family, fingers crossed!

“The exterior of the house also needs finishing, which should happen at the same time as the garden. And we may convert the loft into usable space, but I’m not holding my breath for that.”

The kitchen is sleek and contemporary, with white units, concrete-like floor tiles and plywood worktops and end panels. A patterned rug and beautifully styled open shelves add character and ensure the space still fits seamlessly with the overall look of the house. 

Finally, what’s your top interior-design tip?

“I love this question! I’ve thought about this a lot during our renovations and I wish I could share it with everyone. I would say that although it’s super-tempting to finish your home as soon as possible and have it looking perfect (especially with all the Instagram pressure), don’t rush buying the big items and buy second-hand first. You can then swap out items as and when you come across things you love, and will soon have rooms full of pieces that make you happy rather than recreating an H&M Home showroom. Your pockets won’t be as empty either!

“I would also say don’t fall into the trap of following trends (although I’m guilty of this myself at times). Keep your home like a blank canvas so you’re able to change it easily as your taste evolves. The impact paint and furniture can make on a space is huge, whereas panelling or ‘on trend’ tiles, for example, are much harder to remove and you may regret your decision six months later.”

Thanks Francesca!

See more of Francesca’s beautiful home and follow her ongoing renovation and decorating journey on Instagram. 

All photography by Francesca Chase