Shed heaven

Transforming some crumbling outhouses and a 150-year-old cottage into a brightly coloured home became an an abiding passion for one family. Patricia Ace describes the transformation from traditional to contemporary

HEN we bought our home in 1995, little did we realise how the process of transforming and breathing new life into its 150-year-old shell would become an abiding passion over the next three years of our lives. Aside from the structural and building work, which included creating three new rooms out of old sheds and stores, adding new windows and installing a central heating system, we were keen to devise an interior design strategy that stamped our family's personality firmly on our living space.

Uppermost in our minds was to develop a stimulating environment for ourselves and our two young children who were five and 15 months when we moved in. Consequently a strong theme of fun became apparent in our decor and people who visit are often surprised to discover a treasure chest of jewel-coloured rooms and contemporary style inside a very traditional white stone cottage. There is no floral chintz or Laura Ashley wallpaper, no Aga or wood-burning stove, although these things could easily be accommodated if required. The kitchen is modern but retains a country feel with coloured Shaker-style units and an antique pine dresser; we have combined these with a stainless steel oven, hob, sink and accessories to add an element of urbanity and city chic. This mixture of old and new is characteristic of our interior design; we have successfully mixed cheap and cheerful pieces from Ikea and Habitat with older pine and birdseye maple from the local auction house, Love's of Perth. Seventies floor lamps and wicker 'bedroom' chairs sit happily next to Granny's old sewing table and Grandad's bureau. It really boils down to having the confidence to experiment and throw things together, to spotting the connections between these contrasting designs and developing your individual style around them. The original floorboards in the kitchen, sanded and varnished, have proved surprisingly practical with small children trailing mud in and out of the house all day and little ones can even ride a trike or rollerblade round the spacious kitchen and living room, proving that designer looks can be child-friendly too. Our bedroom was based on a bedouin tent to begin with, but has developed into more of a deep, dark haven which my partner Fin and I now call our 'womb'! I bought fabrics from Zum Zum Saree in Glasgow and used them to cover our wardrobes and on the ceiling, creating a red and silver loveheart drape over our chunky pine bed. The walls, carpet, ceiling and curtains are blood red which makes the space pretty dark, but on sunny days the room glows like a ruby. It's theatrical and dramatic, passionate and protective and I have slept like a log in its soporific peace, despite its strong, vibrant colour. The bathroom I initially envisaged as having a jungle theme, but it quickly developed into a garden as we discovered daisy accessories in abundance: wall sconces, towel rail, toilet-roll holder and hooks from Shaker, shower curtain, baskets, candles and pictures. We painted the entire room lime green and stencilled 18-inch daisies along the wall, adding a white trellis to the skirting boards. But the choice of leisure lawn as a carpet has become one of the most talked-about features of our home as friends and family marvel at what they call Astroturf used in a domestic setting. I still love it. It glitters in the sunlight and has proved immensely practical as it copes well with water, even the amount splashed out of the bath by our two solidly-built children re-enacting scenes from Titanic. The hall we tackled last and decided to make it a 'hall of fame', celebrating our lives and those of family and friends with a good dollop of humour thrown in. As a backdrop we chose three different shades of blue paint: dark, mid and light, and a warm sandy-coloured carpet. This gives a bright and breezy, beachy feel to the main thoroughfare of the house. We made it stimulating to the eye and ear with an assortment of chimes and mobiles suspended from the ceiling, most of them gifts, and covered the walls with framed holiday snaps, wedding photos of friends and snippets from their marriage services, tickets from T-in-the-Park, King Tut's and a carnival in Trinidad, photos of past houses, beloved first cars and postcards of footballers, reefers and willies - amongst other things - sent to us by friends. Visitors spend ages in the hall on the way to the bathroom, studying these diverse images. On sunny summer days it feels almost Mediterranean here in deepest Perthshire, with all the kids playing happily in the courtyard, and our home adds to that illusion with its strong, bright colour scheme and vivacious interior design, but our living room has a quieter and more neutral feel to it. Here, in the largest room of the house, we have concentrated on light and space and have transformed what initially resembled a gymnasium, with its white walls and shiny pine floor, into a natural sanctuary with driftwood from Scottish beaches, fake fur brown cow cushions, a goatskin rug and an unusual swirly floor lamp which the kids describe as a giant piece of pasta. Two strong African pieces, a carved five-foot giraffe and a large framed fabric print, both from Zimbabwe, provide a hint of the exotic and blend with the cane blinds; sprays of dried honesty, carved wooden flowers, baskets of dried cones and seashells balance out the technology of the TV, video and hi-fi. This room works best however as a reflection of the outside in, and this is due to the wall mirror which, at six-foot square, dominates the space. A housewarming present from Fin's parents, this huge glass has been an amazing success with all the family. The kids adore making faces in it, dancing around in front of it and generally posing in it, I can perfect my yoga positions in it and Fin tends to pretend it isn't there, except to acknowledge its ample sexual potential! The best thing about the mirror is the way it connects the growing garden around the patio by reflecting the view through the glass doors and the amount of light it adds to an already bright and spacious room. We are moving on next month, to a Victorian villa in nearby Crieff, and are looking forward to trying some new design ideas on a somewhat larger scale. Meanwhile, West Cottage, Sportfield, is on the market Enquiries should be made to Thornton's Property Services in Perth. Call 01738 621212 for more information

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