'It won me over in more ways than one!'

A big fan of period properties, Lizzie Clarke couldn't resist the features in this 1940s house and has cleverly incorporated them into her modern-day design

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A lifelong vintage lover, Lizzie Clarke always dreamed of an older home, but was living in a two-bedroom modern house an hour from her then-boyfriend (now husband), Lee, when he started dropping hints.

'We'd been going out for six years, and Lee was making it clear he'd like to move in together,' remembers Lizzie. 'I'm incredibly independent, and it was a big move, but one day in spring 2019 we went for a drive and Lee pulled up outside a house that didn't even have a for sale sign up, although it was on the market.'

Over the next few weeks, Lizzie, a former estate agent, couldn't stop herself looking at the details of the 80-year-old property, and finally went to look at it with Lee. 'As soon as we walked in, I knew it was right for us, and I'd be taking that big step forward,' says Lizzie. 'With stained glass, bay windows and bags of potential, Lee had absolutely nailed it.' Putting Lee's house up for sale and renting Lizzie's out took time, but fortunately the owners agreed to wait. Eventually, the couple were in and could start thinking about how they wanted the house to look. 'It wasn't in a terrible state, just dated in places and not our style,' explains Lizzie.

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