'Our redesign adds VITAL SPACE'

A well thought-out extension and renovation has created a charming family home that's testament to Amy and Jamie's hard work and creativity

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COME ON IN!

ABOUT ME I’m Amy Nightingale, 38, a senior sales executive for a property developer, and I live here with my fiancé, Jamie Shefford, 46, owner of Sheff Plumbing and Heating, our son, Perry, two, my son Stanley, 14, and Jamie’s two boys, Carter, 16, and Conor, 18.

MY HOME We live in a four-bedroom, 1930s semi-detached house in East Sussex.

WHEN WE MOVED IN It was an outdated three-bed property that needed modernisation.

AND NOW It’s a spacious family home, with the perfect blend of functionality and comfort. A side extension added more space downstairs for an open-plan kitchen-diner, utility and downstairs toilet and upstairs, an extra bedroom. We couldn’t be happier with the outcome.

STYLE TIP Don’t rush to buy accessories. It’s tempting to want to fill a room as quickly as possible, but taking time to discover interesting pieces for your home is much more fun and will set your home apart from the rest.

We were fed up with renting in our home town of Brighton,’ says Amy, ‘and were thinking about having a baby, so desperately needed more space for our growing, blended family. When we spotted this 1930s semidetached house had come onto the market in a village on the outskirts of the city, it ticked all our boxes.

The property was surrounded by lots of green space, was a short walking distance to the local school and shops, and with only a short drive back into the centre of Brighton it felt like we would have the perfect balance of everything.