Made to order

Gemma and Ed Mehmed managed to see past the woodchip and completely reinvented this 1970s house, taking their family’s evolving needs as their starting point

- Ciara Elliott

Dining room

‘We knew we wanted our living and dining spaces to be open plan. In the future, though, we might add dividing screens here to create separate spaces,’ says Gemma.

BUY THE KEY PIECES

Table in ash and steel, approx £1,600, Steel Vintage. J104 chairs, £185 each, Hay at Made in Design. E27 pendants, £65 each, Muuto at Amara

DOUBLE-SIDED FIREPLACE Warmth and division of space in an open-plan extension

Gemma Mehmed lives here with her husband Ed and their children, Fred, six and Ottilie, four. Ed is a partner in a consultancy firm; Gemma is a stay-at-home mum.

THE PROPERTY

A four-bed detached 1960s house in Suffolk.

THE VALUE

Bought in 2016 for £390,000; now valued at £750,000.

“As soon as Ed and I saw it, we looked at each other and felt the excitement build”

Gemma and Ed swapped their dream home for the challenge of a real project. ‘We’d moved out of London and bought a beautiful, historic country house in Norfolk,’ says Gemma. ‘It was the most perfect setting, but Ed was away Monday to Thursday and the reality of living apart wasn’t working for us. The decision to move wasn’t easy, as it felt like we were giving up on a dream, but we do love a project.’