DESIGNED FOR life

REBECCA AND JOHN KERRY TOOK A STUDENT HOUSE BACK TO ITS FORMER GLORY, AND ENSURED FAMILY LIFE TOOK CENTRE STAGE

- KAREN WILSON

HOME NOTES

WHO LIVES HERE? Rebecca Kerry, an interior designer (rebelinteriordesign. co.uk), lives here with her husband John, an IT consultant, and their three children: Alexandra, 17, Thea, 14, and Camille, 10.

THE PROPERTY A five-bedroom late-Georgian detached house in Sheffild, South Yorkshire.

THE LAYOUT

The hallway leads into an open-plan living/dining/kitchen space, plus cloakroom and utility. Across the hall is a family room and a study. Upstairs the main bedroom sits alongside four more bedrooms.

After renovating this former student house with durable family-friendly materials, Rebecca Kerry has gone to town on the style front with a fabulous mix of vintage French furniture, dramatic lighting and urban art.

WHY DID YOU BUY THE HOUSE?

‘When we first saw this property five years ago, it was a complete wreck. It had been a student house for 40 years, and the previous owner had carved it up into three flats so it was a dark and confused rabbit warren.