Stepping into this light-filled Malvern home – with its high ceilings, tall sash windows, and sweeping entrance hall – there is much to take in. The grand staircase, which splits and turns back on itself to reach the second floor, immediately draws the eye, as does the pristine, wood-panelled kitchen ceiling.
A House Reborn
All this comes before the far-reaching easterly views towards the Cotswold Hills are appreciated. A Victorian lodge with Gothic influences, the house sits proudly in the Malvern Hills, once a popular Victorian holiday destination thanks to its healing natural springs.
Now home to Imogen (who co-owns Little Cotton Clothes and Path Homeware with her sister) and her family, the house has, in recent years, quite literally risen from the ashes. ‘The house had suffered a bad fire about six years prior to us buying it and had been rebuilt exactly as it was when originally constructed,’ Imogen explains. With structural work complete, it offered a completely blank canvas of white walls and bare floorboards – although it was missing bathrooms and a kitchen.
Imogen and her husband, Michael, loved the opportunity to shape the house themselves – even choosing which room would become the kitchen. They also fell for the Gothic windows, the fire-surviving staircase, the sprawling (if overgrown) garden, and the surrounding hills.
‘The house needed a huge amount of love and deserved to be brought back to life,’ Imogen recalls. ‘What’s more, we could picture our little girls growing up here happily, and so we were sold.’ Having grown up nearby with her three sisters, moving back from London also came with a strong feeling of ‘coming home.’
Renovating with Vision
Five years on, the couple admit they are still renovating, and are doing almost everything themselves apart from major structural work. ‘The first thing we had to do was put in a makeshift bathroom with sanitaryware we found on Facebook Marketplace. This was all before we even owned the house, as it was a requirement for obtaining a mortgage,’ says Imogen.
Renovating went hand in hand with slowly furnishing the house, with local car boot sales, charity shops, and the nearby Malvern Flea & Collectors Fair supplying many finds. ‘There are very few things in our home that we have bought new, as I love the challenge of finding special pieces that enrich the story of our home,’ says Imogen.
at the London Transport Museum shop. Imogen says it’s a lovely reminder of when the family lived in the area and enjoyed day trips there. - Tamsyn Morgans -
Despite the generous proportions, Imogen wasn’t intimidated by the space when moving from a modest 1930s semi. ‘We avoided rushing to fill the rooms, realising instead that we had the opportunity to embrace a sense of space,’ she says. ‘The house was a little sparse for some time, but I wanted to enjoy finding the perfect pieces when they presented themselves.’
The Thrill of the Find
Bringing large sofas and armchairs but little storage, they gradually sourced second-hand chests of drawers and tall wardrobes that suited the scale. The house also allowed for one dream acquisition: a grand piano. ‘I learned to play as a child and knew our girls would enjoy learning, too, so when we were offered one for free, I jumped at the chance to give it a home,’ says Imogen.
Vintage influences are deeply rooted in Imogen’s family history. ‘My maternal grandma loved trawling through bric-a-brac, vintage and antique shops, so I’m sure that our mother, my sisters and I all inherited our love of old things from her,’ she says. Like many others, the thrill lies in the hunt. ‘My favourite thing to do on a Sunday morning is visit a car boot sale or flea market, getting up before anyone else in the house has stirred.’
One favourite flea-market find is a green velvet chair by the kitchen log burner – spotted as she was leaving and hastily bought for £40. Another cherished piece is a large French cupboard in the living room, now painted in pale blue, lined with vintage paper and home to collected and inherited crockery.
Florals and Country Roots
Rather than using colour or pattern on the walls, Imogen builds character with old furniture and floral textiles. ‘There’s something very nostalgic about florals – they always soften an interior,’ she says. She gravitates toward 1950s cotton bark cloth, cross-stitch florals and vintage Sanderson prints. ‘I love how a cushion or lampshade can add character to a room without having to commit to something as invested as wallpaper.’
While the interior beautifully blends traditional and modern influences, Imogen’s floral choices reveal her country-girl roots. ‘I love being back in a place where I can enjoy the countryside and create a home for me and my family to cherish,’ she says.
