How To Renovate

EP60 Designing with Heritage: How to Honour the Soul Of An Old Home

• Tash South • Season 1 • Episode 60

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This episode delves into the art of designing with heritage, exploring how to preserve the soul of your period property. We talk about what to preserve, what can be adapted, and how to blend the charm of historic details with the functionality of modern living.

I also share stories from my own renovation projects, from Victorian terraces to Art Deco apartments, and the joy of sourcing reclaimed treasures that breathe character back into a space. 

And for homes where previous naughty renovators have stripped away character, I share my tips on sourcing reclaimed materials to bring authenticity back to your space. 

I’ll also cover how the exciting possibility of commissioning a bespoke piece can honour the historical style of your home, but with contemporary craftsmanship. 

Whether your home still has its original features or has lost them along the way, this episode will help you think about how to save its soul and story, while still making it all yours. 

I’ll see you inside!

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Hi I'm your host, Tash South I'm an Interior Designer and Renovation Consultant.
Each episode of How To Renovate is short, but brimming with practical advice to help you manage your renovation project with confidence and success.

Grab some more renovation advice & free resources and become part of the South Place Studio Renovation Community at
https://www.southplacestudio.com/freebies

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Tash South:

Hello, hello, my lovely renovators. How are you doing today? I hope that your renovation planning is coming along nicely and that you're making good progress and getting that proper roadmap and plan in place so that you can have a much easier process when you come to be on site this week. On the podcast, though, I want to talk to you about those old homes, those gorgeous old homes, and this episode is called Designing with Heritage how to honour the soul of an old home.

Tash South:

So I love older homes. Actually, even though I live in quite a modern new build, I do love both, and here in London there is no shortage of gorgeous period properties. You know, we have arts and crafts, we have art deco, we have Victorian, we have Edwardian, and I think it's so beautiful to live in such an old city where, every day, you can walk around and see beautiful examples of all these period homes, and you could just take a turn and come across a street of homes that's completely different to the ones you've just seen. They might be from the same period, but they have different detailing, different styling on the outside, different entranceways, different door styles, stained glass, and so I just love just wandering around and looking at all the different properties here in London. So we've been lucky enough now to actually live in a few period properties before we built this modern house, and they were mainly Victorian homes, victorian apartments, and I was lucky enough to renovate two of those. And, of course, for my clients, I've been fortunate to renovate lots of Victorian homes, an Edwardian home as well, and also one of my favourites I did was an art deco apartment which was in this stunning building which used to be the main water works laboratory here in London at one point back in the 1920s, and so I just love doing that apartment, bringing some of the character back in.

Tash South:

So in this episode I want to talk to you about how to approach an older property and how to perhaps honour the soul of that old home. Perhaps you're lucky enough to still have those period features in place, or perhaps someone's renovated it before and unfortunately torn some of those out and you want to try and reinstate some of those. So let's get into this episode. I'm really excited to talk to you about how we can kind of preserve and honour these souls of these old homes but still make them livable and suitable for us in the modern day. So let's get into the episode everybody.

Tash South:

Number one let's look at what to preserve and why it matters. So what I usually do when approaching a period property renovation is, when I walk through the property I generally ask myself so which parts, which elements of this home are really standing out to me as being part of the architecture and part of the history of this home, and kind of which parts can we preserve? And so that doesn't mean that you can't make changes. It does. Preserving doesn't mean it has to be frozen in time, because I I truly believe that you need to make the home suitable for modern living. It has to be that framework, it has to be that support that you and yours need and needs to function properly for you. So I like to mix those two things. I like to be able to preserve what we can of the period property but then also make those changes where needed. Generally, that tends to be to layout in a period property, so adjusting the layout to suit more modern living, perhaps opening up a wall, adding more glazing, but then still trying to preserve as much of the period property as possible, because these are really the details that give a period property its own voice and its own own soul and own feeling. And once they are gone and ripped out it's quite tricky and quite expensive to bring back. But we'll chat more about that as we go through the episode.

Tash South:

Okay, so things I very much love to keep in a period property, first up, fireplaces. I will always try and keep an original fireplace and work with that. Another thing I love to keep is if the property has the original staircase. Perhaps it's hand carved, it's got gorgeous detailing to the spindles, to the handrail. That is another piece that's really, really precious to keep, because to have a staircase remade like that in this day and age costs thousands. So if you can preserve it, if you can restore it, repair it, then the staircases and the handrails and the spindles always an amazing feature to keep as well. And then we come to the kind of detailing, the arch, trays, cornicing, the sash windows. So here in London many, many, many of the original properties still have the sash windows in place, which I absolutely love.

Tash South:

But of course these days if the sash windows are original they're usually single glaze, they're quite drafty, sometimes they're a bit creaky, a bit noisy. When the wind blows they kind of wobble and rattle, and so when I come across that in a property for a client, I always recommend that they take a look at the windows, because also making the home more energy efficient, warmer, more comfortable is obviously really important as well, and so we want to work with period features like the sash windows but kind of bring them up to the modern day. So actually there are so many companies that will remake the sash windows in the same style but they will double glaze them so they're up to the modern standards but they still have that feel of being traditional and they still operate in the same way. So they still kind of slide up in the same way the original sash windows do, but they are a lot more modern, a lot more efficient, but they maintain that period look. So if there's an opportunity within the budget for the sash windows to be upgraded, I always recommend that a client does that.

Tash South:

If you have great listed properties or properties that are even older, sometimes the windows are really spectacular and they are really difficult to have remade or reglazed, and in that situation either your council won't allow you to replace those windows or make them more modern, so then you just have to work with what you have. Perhaps you can repair them, perhaps you can seal them in a better way. But I would always say maintaining that look, maintaining that character, because the windows are like the eyes of a building and so I think always changing those up for something modern like plastic or UPVC or metal on a Victorian or period home just doesn't look quite right. So I always encourage to keep the sash window, if that's what's original to the building. And then we come to floorboards.

Tash South:

So I feel floorboards is a bit of a tricky one. Sanded, stripped floorboards that are restained are really beautiful, really characterful in an older home, in a Victorian home or an Edwardian home. But also they can be quite drafty and it's quite a lot of work to make them efficient. To make them efficient, so in other words to remove all the floorboards, perhaps add insulation into the floor, clean everything up, relay all the floorboards, then sand them. That's a lot of labor and a lot of money to do that.

Tash South:

So I'm always a bit in two minds and sometimes it just comes down to the individual property. Sometimes the floorboards in great condition. There aren't many gaps in between, so they're not as drafty, but sometimes they've got huge gaps in between. The floorboards are damaged. You can feel the coldness coming up from the floor and I think in those situations it is okay to cover them and perhaps go for something that still can add character to the home, perhaps like a solid oak floor, an engineered floorboard that's more modern, that can be laid on top. Perhaps you want to add underfloor heating, which you can then do as well, which is almost impossible to do with original wooden floorboards. And so, thinking about it that way, it's kind of you're covering up the original but you're still kind of keeping that character, but in a more modern way and something that's more suitable to modern family and or modern life. And so that's how I approach it when I start walking through a period property that needs renovating. But you know it doesn't mean you have to freeze everything in time. It doesn't mean you can't make changes if you just approach everything with curiosity and ask can this be repaired instead of ripped out? Can this be celebrated, reframed or integrated in a different part of the home? So if you have to move something, if you have to remove a fireplace because it just doesn't make sense where it is for the room layout, perhaps you can use that elsewhere in the home. So you're not losing that character, you're still maintaining the original character of the house, but just re-imagining it a bit, just rethinking it, okay. So, moving on to number two, everybody and this is something I love doing as well One of my favourite things to do is sourcing reclaimed materials put back into period homes.

Tash South:

So I've worked on a few properties now where previous renovators or developers have ripped out those period features and then the home is then purchased by someone who wants to kind of bring back some of that, that beauty, some of that original character back into the home, and so we work together to do that and it's so satisfying. I love going to source period fireplaces, radiators, the kind of original style cast iron radiators, handmade tiles, the door handle sometimes just sourcing original brass door handles for a kitchen or for the internal doors, or pretty little cabinet knobs All of those things can make a huge impact when you're trying to bring that period character back into the home. And what I love about this is like you don't have to panic, things don't have to match perfectly in a period home. I think a slightly different metal here and there, slightly different patina, that all adds even further to the character of a home and if you kind of follow the theme of the home and look at what's already there, take lots of photos, take them with you to the salvage yard or wherever you're going to be sourcing your reclaimed materials, and you can just play around, look at everything, see what works. Together with the pictures you're taking with, you, see if you can match little elements, whether it be colours, metal, colour, shapes, styling of the little details on the elements, perhaps on the corner of a fireplace or the shape of a door handle. So that's the way you can bring things back in, and they may not be periodically correct, but if you choose carefully it will still work together and it will just bring that magic back into that home. And then, of course, places like eBay, vinteriaeria, amazing places to find these reclaimed elements and those reclaimed materials, and you can search for anything from the obvious ones like the fireplaces and the cast iron radiators, but also tiles, so original victorian tiles, stained glass panels, furniture, even if you want to bring a more period piece into the home. So really scour those sites or go to your local salvage yards. They're great places to kind of just wander around, mooch about, see what's there and just see what will work in your home. And then, even if you can't find what you're looking for, you can have things remade.

Tash South:

I mentioned the apartment before, the art deco apartment that was in the Waterworks building. For that apartment, it was renovated back in the 80s and they'd ripped all of the original Art Deco features out. It was quite heartbreaking. But what I did with the space was we actually sourced a metal worker to actually recreate some of the Art Deco shaped lighting. The most amazing art deco metal staircase was created because it was a duplex apartment. So it's not only an opportunity to bring that character back in, but it's also an opportunity, if your budget allows, to work with these amazing artists who can bring character back in, but in a completely new way, but still with a nod back to the period of the home. So that really gets me excited.

Tash South:

I love working on properties like that, where you get a chance to study the history but you get to reimagine it in a completely different way, but when you look at it within the property it just still works. Okay. So, moving on to number three, we're talking about blending those modern comforts with that historic charm of your property. Now, I love this. I love doing this because I feel like when the old of the original building, perhaps its original beam or an architectural feature like amazingly carved cornicing, but then alongside you put more modern materials like perhaps it's a gorgeous veined marble, perhaps it's a patinated brass. I just feel like all of those elements in conversation work so beautifully together. And so I do think that modern living does have a place in period homes.

Tash South:

The key is just to integrate it really intentionally. And I think layout is key. If you can experiment with your layout, really really discover what's going to work for you in the home and then work on your floor plans to firstly achieve what space is going to work with you, what layout, what flow and the light where you want to bring the light in, and then from there you can work with the period features you have, add to them, pair them with some modern materials, and I think in that way you can get a really, really successful renovation of a period home and still retain that old soul but make it really functional for what it needs to do for you, because it has to work for you. Your home has to work for you and then to work for you. And then, number four, think about your home's story, and perhaps I should have started this episode here.

Tash South:

Think about the history of your home. If there's any way to do any research on who built your home, who the architect was, who may have even lived there before, the history of your wider area, all of those things can influence the characterful elements that you choose to bring back into your home, if they've been taken out, or which elements to keep or how to build on that, on the wider design of your home. So think about the story, think about the wider history of your area of your home and if it's not immediately obvious, you can research the wider area. You can research your local buildings. Perhaps Perhaps it's your local town hall or your local library. You can find some history of the area and perhaps you can bring that into your home somehow.

Tash South:

And I think finding out that information will guide you and then you can work from there and kind of blend in what you need from your home as well, because I think sometimes, especially if it's a period home, good design is not really forcing the building to be what you want it to be, but it's more almost like imagine having a conversation with it. It's showing you things that it has, the period features, some elements that you may want to keep, but also you need to to add to that, you need to contribute to that so that the home works for you as well. So to end off, I would just say, if you're lucky enough to live in a home with history, just kind of find that balance, so treat it like the treasure it is, but it doesn't have to be precious or untouchable. It can be rich and full of character and beautiful. But you know you're giving it a new chapter. You're giving it, you're starting your new chapter there, so you want it to reflect who you are as well and your personality, and make it work for you. So I would just say preserve what you can, respect the details and when you add something new, just make it really thoughtful and make sure that it works with what's already there. But that brings us to the end of this episode.

Tash South:

Everybody, I hope you enjoyed it. I really loved recording this episode today. I hope it was helpful to you. If you liked it, please do leave us a little review or share this episode with someone who might find it helpful. We appreciate any shares, any likes, and it also helps others who might need us find us. So thank you so much for listening today. Thank you for spending time with me. I hope you have an excellent week and I'll see you next week for the next episode of how to Renovate. See you then. Bye. For now, for more information on my five pillar process for successful renovation, you can go directly to southplacestudiocom. Forward slash freebies. I have created some amazing freebies for you there. There is one on the process, like we just said. There is one on planning permission. There is one on kitchen design. There is another one on lighting planning. Go and check those out. There's so much free information there to help you on lighting planning. Go and check those out. There's so much free information there to help you with your renovation.