Pre-loved treasures

Deborah has filled her south London home with character without breaking the bank, thanks to her smart shopping know-how and eye for a bargain

-  CASSIE PRYCE

Born and bred in this part of south east London, Deborah Brett was thrilled when a Victorian terraced property came onto the market on one of her preferred streets. ‘It wasn’t exactly love at first sight,’ she recalls. ‘The whole house was in a state of disrepair, and the rooms had an odd smell from not being used in some time – but it was available at a good price and I knew the potential was there to turn it back into a characterful family home for myself and the boys.’

With the sale taking some time to go through, as Deborah had to wait for power of attorney to be granted for the then 95-year-old owner, she had plenty of time to think about the structural changes she wanted to make to the house. ‘My first priority was to move the bathroom upstairs,’ she says, ‘as it was previously at the back of the house where the kitchen now sits. This layout felt old-fashioned and not practical for a family of four, so I decided to take some space from one of the bedrooms to make room for a family bathroom on the first floor instead.’