FAIRYLAND FLAIR

Hard work and clever design underpin a palette of whimsy and charm in this Victorian heritage home

- BRITTANY SMITH

Achorus of cooing pigeons echoed down the chimney as artist Fleur Harris walked through the house that would become her home. As first impressions go, this one left much to be desired. The Victorian build had been untouched for three years and in that time nature had taken over. "There was years of pigeon poo piled up in the fireplaces," Fleur recalls. "There were mice and spiders, a backyard full of weeds, mushrooms growing out of the grout in the bathroom." Underneath the grime, the home ticked all the boxes for Fleur, her husband Dave and their son, Baillieux. They wanted extra space and this delivered in spades with five bedrooms. It also had high ceilings and all the architectural charm you'd expect from a house built in 1908. "I said to my husband, 'I think I've found the house for us but it'll take a lot of work"," she says. They put in an offer and, once ac