This 143-Year-Old Home Has a Lush “Urban Jungle Garden” in the Backyard

Beige kitchen with window opened to outdoor porch area
Outdoor area
Green, beige, and white kitchen
Woman in green, beige, and white kitchen
Green, beige, and white kitchen
Green, beige, and white kitchen
Woman in green and beige kitchen
Beige and white dining area
Beige dining area with green chairs
Woman sitting in beige and white dining area
Woman sitting in beige dining area
Flowers on table
Green closet area in kitchen
Green closet space
Woman with books in green and beige space
Art on gray and yellow wall
Gray, white, and yellow space
Gray and white living room space
Books and toys in yellow and white space
Crib and books in yellow and white children's room
Tent in children's room
Pendant lamp in bedroom
Mirror on wall in black and white space
Green bedroom with art on walls
Mirror on black wall
Pendant lamp in green bedroom
Bug designs on white bedroom wall
Colorful abstract shapes on white wall
Brown and white stripes on wall
Brown and white striped shower space
Brown and white striped wall

ABOUT THIS TOUR

HOME TYPE: Townhouse

LOCATION: Central Hove, East Sussex, United Kingdom

STYLE: Colorful, Contemporary, Modern, Traditional

BEDROOMS: 3

SQUARE FEET: 1345

Kas and her partner, Tom, moved into their Brighton home six years ago, after relocating from a one-bedroom basement flat just a few streets away. They chose this three-bedroom townhouse for its space, and immediately saw its renovation potential. Kas describes it as a blank canvas at the beginning, with mostly white and gray walls, aside from some quirky silver accents that took a lot of paint to cover.

Crib and items in yellow and white children's room

Now, their home is bright and playful, filled with patterns and pops of color. It’s an open, inviting space with personality and feels like home. Kas shares that a lot has changed since they first moved in — they’ve knocked down walls, added a new bedroom, and welcomed two kids, Charlie and Oscar.

Initially, it was just the two of them, but they knew they wanted a renovation project to create a functional space for their growing family. One of the first significant changes involved their bedroom layout. As soon as they saw the primary bedroom, they realized it was much larger than they would ever need — probably close to the size of their entire previous flat. They managed to complete this project just before their first son, Charlie, was born, before starting on the next project downstairs.

Multicolor mirror on white wall

The couple’s next focus was making their downstairs living area more spacious and practical as they began working on the side return extension. They wanted to open up the space while also optimizing storage. Kas sketched a plan for the kitchen cupboard; initially, she was unsure if it would take up too much space or look out of place, but she loved how it turned out. It’s perfect for hiding away items that would otherwise look messy, including their washing machine, dryer, vacuum, and microwave.

When it comes to renovating, one of the biggest lessons Kas has learned is to always plan ahead. This means really thinking about the practical ways they will use their home. And when it comes to outlets — more is always better! Simple things like having high plug sockets for their speakers make a difference, and it’s always better to think ahead, as going back to change anything will end up costing more.

Woman in green and beige kitchen

Kas and Tom have a fun and collaborative approach to interior design. Usually, one of them comes up with a creative idea — like a color or pattern — and runs it by the other for feedback. They enjoy bouncing ideas off each other and discussing what works and what might be a bit risky. Kas emphasizes the importance of experimenting: “The worst thing that can happen is you have to repaint over it. That type of stuff is a lot easier to change and isn’t the end of the world, so it’s worth trying something different.”

One of their key philosophies is understanding complementary colors and how they change in different lighting. They tend to choose color combinations for rooms — such as pink and green, or yellow and blue — and let everything else come together from there.

Wood mirror on white wall

With their kids being such an integral part of their lives, Kas emphasizes creating a home that works for everyone. She understands that things will inevitably get stained, scratched, or scuffed — especially with young children. Instead of worrying about keeping everything pristine, she advises embracing the lived-in feel as part of family life.

The open concept design has also worked well for them as a family — the kids love being able to run around, and Kas and Tom can see and hear them much more easily. At the end of the day, you’re not just designing a home for yourselves, but for everyone in your family: “Your kids are such a big part of your life; it’s their home too, so you have to make it work for them.”

Resources

Art on gray and yellow wall

PAINT & COLORS

  • Front room — Farrow & Ball Downpipe

  • Playroom — Farrow & Ball Citrona, Palm, and Hazy

  • Kitchen — Cupboards, Farrow & Ball Duck Green; Walls, Farrow & Ball Pink Ground

  • Hallway — Bottom, Farrow & Ball Hague Blue; Top, Farrow & Ball Old White

  • Bathroom — Dulux Heritage Red Sand

  • Small bedroom — Terrazzo style: Crown Ella Decoration

Pendant lamp in green bedroom

PRIMARY BEDROOM

  • Walls — Farrow & Ball Card Room Green

  • Woodwork — Farrow & Ball Studio Green

  • Bed — Ercol by John Lewis

  • Side tables — Ercol

  • Bedside lights — John Lewis

  • Light — John Lewis Harmony

  • Wardrobes

Tent in children's room

KIDS BEDROOM

  • Walls — Little Green Paint Pink Yellow

  • Woodwork — Little Green Paint Lamp Black

  • Tent — IKEA

  • Ceiling light — Tom Raffield by John Lewis

  • Furniture — Silver Cross

  • Toddler bed — John Lewis

  • Mat — Totter and Tumble

  • Sofas — John Lewis

  • Lamp/table — Marks and Spencer

  • Fireplace — Original with surround from Facebook Marketplace

Woman with books in green and beige space

ENTRY

  • Radiators — Acova

Gray and white living room space

LIVING ROOM

  • Sofa Bed — Made from Facebook Marketplace

  • Chair — Facebook Marketplace

  • Chair — John Lewis

  • Light — Empire chandelier

Beige dining area with green chairs

DINING ROOM

  • Table — John Lewis

  • Matisse Print

  • Shelves — Made.com

Beige kitchen with window opened to outdoor porch area

KITCHEN

  • Kitchen cupboards — Wren

  • Safe Coffee Machine

  • Boiling water tap — Insinkerator

Bug designs on white bedroom wall

SPARE BEDROOM

  • Fish, bugs, and seahorses — Studio Roof

Thanks, Kas!

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

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