This 139-Year-Old “Ugly Duckling” House’s Reno Includes a Must-See Kitchen

Adrienne Breaux
·8 min read
6
Living room with pink ceiling, large rectangular mirror, and matching grey couches.
Windowed door leading to the home's entryway.
Framed TV wall mounted above white media cabinet in a living room.
Living room with pink ceiling, large rectangular mirror, and matching grey couches.
Living room with pink ceiling, chandler, shelves with decorative items, and tripod lamp.
Living room with pink ceiling, large rectangular mirror, and matching grey couches.
Living room with pink ceiling, large rectangular mirror, and matching grey couches.
Doorway to a kitchen with a blue-trim accent next to a small gallery wall of framed art.
Decoratives include a catus, mirror, and other art pieces.
Wooden dining room table in the corner across from the blue shelvings.
Wooden dining room table in the corner with light suspended from the ceiling.
Kitchen with large wooden island with green cabinets and terracotta backsplash.
Kitchen with large wooden island with green cabinets and terracotta details.
Kitchen with large wooden island with green cabinets and terracotta backsplash.
A coffee cup rack against a terracotta tile backsplash
A coffee cup rack against a terracotta tile backsplash
Wooden kitchen island across from a lunge with a yellow lounge chair and green couch.
Green couch and yellow lounge chair with decorative pillows on a striped carpet next to a gallery wall of framed art.
Yellow couch with decorative pillows on a striped carpet next to a gallery wall of framed art.
Green couch with decorative pillows on a striped carpet next to a gallery wall of framed art.
A plant vine hangs off a bookshelf next to a framed piece of art and a yellow reading chair..
Blue accent wall bedroom with checkered bedding and wooden shelf.
Blue accent wall bedroom with checkered bedding and wooden shelf.
Blue accent wall bedroom with checkered bedding and wooden shelf.
Bedroom looking into a bathroom with a stone and wooden floating vanity below a rectangular mirror..
Stone and wooden floating vanity below a rectangular mirror across from a shelf with plants and hygiene items.
A large bed in front of a window with plants in colorful vases.
Grey couch with decorative pillows and throw next to bathroom entryway near circular mirror.
Grey couch with decorative pillows and throw next to bathroom entryway near circular mirror.
Beige bathroom with wooden shelves with vases full of plants.
Wooden shelves with cleaning supplies and plants hang in a vase.

ABOUT THIS TOUR

HOME TYPE: House

LOCATION: South Manchester, United Kingdom

STYLE: Colorful, Eclectic, Maximalist

BEDROOMS: 4

SQUARE FEET: 2000

“We had been looking for a house that had the potential to be a little more interesting than most of the houses in our price range,” begins interior designer turned plant stylist Ella Moore. “We wanted an older house, and even though it needed a lot of work it had good bones. It was built in 1885 and is a semidetached but with a quirk that it’s a corner plot so our attached neighbors are angled onto the next street.”

Dweller poses for a portrait in their lounge area near their kitchen

Ella, who runs a business called Ella’s Garden, says this house she and her husband, David Moore, purchased is one of the oldest in the area, “built when there was no bridge over the nearby river, meaning it was a secluded hamlet without a direct route into the city of Manchester. There was a mill and water wheel across the road, and it would have been a lovely place to live back then. The house was built on the site of the local orchard. It’s now a lot busier and not so picturesque, but we love the area!”

The doorway to a kitchen with a blue-trim accent next to a small gallery wall of framed art.

There are a ton of things that Ella loves about the house, but one of the main things is the layout. “I love that the living room has two doors, which means you can go right round the downstairs in a circle without dead ends; the flow of the house is great, and it works in different ways for day, evening, and for entertaining,” she writes. “I love that it’s an older house and has a nice history linked to our neighborhood. It was such an ugly duckling when we bought it as it had a very unattractive square porch, garish green paint, and unflattering windows, so it’s been lovely to realize it’s potential and bring it back to life.”

Kitchen with large wooden island with green cabinets and terracotta backsplash.

After doing some work and adding their personality to the home, Ella says she also really loves their remodeled kitchen. “I designed it with texture and warmth in mind — the iroko timber worktops are quite unusual, and I don’t see many people going for that look and it gives it a unique and warm look. I love the zellige tiles I choose for the backsplash in the kitchen and the hanging racks that I use to display plants and dried botanicals.”

Resources

A plant vine hangs off a bookshelf next to a framed piece of art and a yellow reading chair..

PAINT & COLORS

  • Kitchen, Living Room, Entrance, Ensuite — Valspar “Puppy Love”

  • Kitchen Cabinets — Farrow and Ball “Green Smoke”

  • Living Room Ceiling — Valspar “Deep Blush”

  • Primary Bedroom — Farrow and Ball “Inchyra Blue”

  • Primary Bedroom Wallpaper — Borastapeter “Rabarber”

  • Ensuite — Farrow and Ball “Card Room Green” and Dulux “Egyptian Cotton”

  • Spare Room — Dulux “Egyptian Cotton”

  • Landing — Valspar “Chestnuts in the Park”

The entry door is flanked by a leather bench with shoe storage.

ENTRY

  • Shoe Storage — John Lewis

  • Drawers and Wall Unit — Vintage

Living room with pink ceiling, large rectangular mirror, and matching grey couches.

LIVING ROOM

  • Cricket Sofas — Sofology

  • Cushions — H&M

  • Rug — IKEA

  • Woman Sculpture — Abigail Ahern

  • TV Unit — IKEA

  • Mirror — Cox and Cox

Wooden dining room table in the corner with light suspended from the ceiling.

DINING ROOM

  • Mid-Century Table and Chairs — Swoon Editions

Kitchen with large wooden island with green cabinets and terracotta backsplash.

KITCHEN

  • Appliances — Neff

  • Lighting — Swoon

  • Hanging Racks — Ferm Living

  • Little Wall Shelves — Cox and Cox

  • Display Cupboard — La Redoute

Blue accent wall bedroom with checkered bedding and wooden shelf.

BEDROOM

Thanks Eleanore!

This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.

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