Small wonder

Ryan James and partner Craig elevated their compact cottage with clever decorating tricks and space-saving ideas

- WORDS AND STYLING ALI LOVETT

HOW DID YOU END UP BUYING THIS PARTICULAR HOUSE?

We've lived here almost four years now. Before we found this property we were living not too far away in a Victorian two-bed, which we had renovated quickly and managed to make a bit of profit on. We had been searching for something a bit different so we could do the same again. This place had been rented out and was all perfectly liveable but it needed some character added and a few clever ideas — there was a lot of dark mahogany and the ceilings had been lowered so that made it feel very small and enclosed.

WHAT WORK DID YOU DO?