Tour this Victorian home in West Sussex filled with vintage finds and heirlooms
As the saying goes, every home tells a story and this is particularly true of Hayley and Andy Baty's beautiful West Sussex house. Each corner is brimming with a curated selection of heirloom pieces, family mementos and salvaged items that all have a tale to tell.
‘I’ve filled our house with bits and pieces collected over the years,’ explains Hayley, a consultant psychiatrist (@nido_uk). ‘Nearly everything has a piece of history attached to it. We’ve also made a lot of things ourselves that have become part of our home’s renovation journey.’
Hayley and Andy started househunting in 2014, just before Euan, their eldest child, was starting school. The couple were looking for a property they could modernise and turn into a family-friendly space. When they finally found this four-bedroom Victorian house, it was love at first sight despite its neglected interior. ‘We knew we were buying our forever home – it was a place we could put down roots,’ says Hayley. ‘We’re in a small village with views over the South Downs and there are lots of country walks nearby.'
Although pretty from the outside, the property hadn't been decorated for more than 20 years. The bones of the building were in good shape though, all the rooms had generous proportions and there was a large garden and double garage. There was also scope to extend the ground floor without compromising on garden space, but internally their new home needed lots of love and attention.
Situated within the grounds of an old Manor House, the building had originally been used as a farmhouse. But over the years, the surrounding land had been sold off, and this farm holding had been converted into a family home. The back of the building had been divided into a small galley kitchen, a breakfast room and a conservatory. 'The rooms felt disconnected from each other,' says Hayley. 'And the brick conservatory blocked our view of the garden, which made the house feel gloomy and enclosed.'
The first floor was in a similarly unloved condition. In the bedrooms, there was a patchwork of carpets and a mix of patterned wallpaper, and the cramped main bathroom had been decorated. ‘There was too much going on. Everything clashed but not in a good way,’ explains Hayley. ‘The layout was outdated and didn’t work for modern living.’
Not wanting to rush the renovations, the family lived in their new home for a couple of years before starting on major building works. This gave them time to save up and to work out how to change the space. The first big job they tackled was taking the walls back to the brickwork so they could deal with damp issues and insulate the house. ‘That messy job was done in stages,’ remembers Hayley. ‘We started off with the children’s rooms and moved on to the living room.’
In 2017, the conservatory and garage were pulled down to make way for a contemporary extension. ‘The new floor plan was smaller than we’d had before,’ says Hayley. ‘But we wanted to create an area that we would use properly rather than replacing like for like.’ They hired an architect and a local build team (@stylorenovation) to install the open-plan kitchen, dining area and living area. ‘Our brief was to create a social space in which we could cook and entertain, and that we could all enjoy,’ says Hayley.
Over the next seven years, they slowly chipped away at the renovations, doing the bulk of the work themselves to save money. ‘We didn’t want to rush any decisions that we might regret later,’ explains Hayley. ‘We had temporary OSB [a building board similar to plywood] worktops for three years while we saved up for concrete worksurfaces. In the end, we made them out of micro-cement.’
During lockdown, Andy taught himself plumbing, carpentry and decorating skills. ‘With a bit of elbow grease, enthusiasm and help from YouTube, he learned all the skills we needed to transform the house,’ says Hayley. ‘We also had a lot of support from our family, but most of the work is down to Andy. He installed three of the four bathrooms!’
When it comes to furnishing their home, Hayley is an avid fan of car boot sales and charity shops for bargains. ‘I like being surrounded by things that have a bit of a story,’ she explains. ‘We display our salvaged finds with items that family members have given us. I wanted our home to have a relaxed, lived-in look.’
Now the renovation work is finished, Hayley enjoys socialising in her home. ‘This is a great house for parties. During the summer, we clear the space to create a dance floor in the dining room. And in winter, we set up the film projector so we can enjoy cosy movie nights,’ she says. ‘I’m really grateful for our home and am proud of all the hard work we’ve put into it. We’re so content here, I can’t imagine us ever leaving.’
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