CREATIVE TOUCH

Everything about Lovisa Silburn’s Victorian revamp oozes charm and ingenuity

- SEAN O'CONNELL/JO LEEVERS

From the moment Lovisa Silburn, her late husband Paul and their children first viewed their Victorian semi in Kent, they could see its potential. ‘It had a such a happy family feel, I knew it would be perfect,’ says Lovisa. But even after buying the house, moving in was some way away – a full-width extension to create a spacious kitchen-diner was planned. The upside was that while the family were in rented accommodation, after selling their previous home in west Kent, Lovisa, a creative director for an advertising agency, could plan the interior.

Lovisa says her obsession with paint swatches became a running joke with her children, Jacob, 13, and Esther, 12. ‘I would carry little squares of paper in my bag and, every time we went into a shop, they would groan as I rifled through my bag for them,’ she says. ‘But when your mind is buzzing with ideas, it helps to keep a focus. If, say, a vintage vase caught my eye, I’d only buy it if it matched my scheme.’