Second Time Around

- Heather Dixon

When Victoria Clive returned to her family home after a five-year break, she relied on her creative skills and thrifty nature to revamp the decor. ‘It was like stepping back in time,’ she says. ‘The house was tired and dated. My budget was tight, but I knew I could transform it with a bit of imagination.’

Victoria moved out of the house when she and her husband Charlie separated, but they remain good friends and the children, Roisin, 18, and Finn, 14, missed their family home. ‘They were thrilled to be back,’ says Victoria. ‘My only proviso was that I was able to start again with the decorating. We didn’t have the money to buy new things so I was going to have to be creative. It was looking gloomy so it needed warmth and colour to turn it into a welcoming home.’