SUNSHINE state

With full-height patio doors that slide right back to let the sun in, Catherine Banner's home is bright and beautiful

- LOU O'BRYAN

The hustle and bustle of Central London might only be 10 minutes on the train, but for Catherine Banner and her husband, Rod, the Big Smoke feels a million miles away when sat in their generously glazed kitchen extension that opens onto a lush, verdant garden. ‘We were careful to plant hardy evergreens like pittosporum, ferns and grasses so it feels like a real city oasis all year round,’ says Catherine.

At a time when elegant Victorian townhouses were all the renovation rage, Catherine and Rod’s decision to take on this flat-roofed Bauhaus property raised eyebrows, however, its wide, double frontage, large garden and off-street parking made it an ideal family home. ‘We bought it from the original owner 31 years ago, and despite having many original features, it needed a lot of updating to make it a functional family home for us and our two small children at the time,’ recalls Catherine. ‘The kitchen was tiny, yet the hallway was huge. The proportions were all wrong. And to say the decor was dated is an understatement.’ Needless to say, we immediately set about reworking the layout and modernising every room.’