Known for her whimsical paper entomology series with handcut butterflies and beetles, Helen Ward, a Bristol-based artist and product designer, lives with her husband Tim and their children Jet and Della. Helen and her family moved into this house six years ago and since then have been slowly renovating this Edwardian gem and restoring it to its former glory.

“We are super lucky to have amazing original floor in our hallway. The house was built in 1910 and has had relatively little work done on it. We still have loads of the amazing original features like this, but unfortunately, this means we are also having to sort out things like wonky windows, corroded gas pipes, and lead water pipes,” says Helen.

What I love the most about Helen’s approach is that she’s not trying to turn this Edwardian house into a brand new house. She’s modernized it with Farrow & Ball Downpipe wall paint over all the woodwork, as well as adding modern fun artwork, but most walls have been stripped to reveal original plasterwork. “I love them like this as you can really see the true fabric of the house,” she tells me.

Although she may not be “massively handy with a power tool” as she describes herself, Helen’s creative approach means she’s filled her house with interesting objects like the brass wall hanging (that she made originally for a local arts trail, although they made her hands sore because it was such difficult work!), and the giant pom pom hanging that occupies a wall in her bedroom (which she made a couple of years back for a shop window, and was then also been used as a backdrop at a family wedding!).

Her home is full of one-off items that cannot be replicated easily anywhere. There’s a little table at the back of the living room that is full of trinkets the family has collected over their travels, like the ceramic glove mold from France, a vintage globe from a Mallorcan flea market, a Japanese Ichimatsu doll from near Kyoto, a breastfeeding skeleton surrounded by turkeys from Mexico, and a fabric-backed geographical map of The British Isles from a car boot sale. And that’s just a small sampling of what makes their decor unique.

Our Style: Vintage finds, a cosy colour palette, and keeping it fun!

Inspiration: Mostly taken from the house itself and the original Edwardian features.

Favorite Element: Probably the garden. This was a real labour of love to get together and even if we are not out there every month of the year, you still look out on it from lots of the rooms in the house every day.

Biggest Challenge: Currently it is probably finding the time to get things done. We have two young children and life always feels so busy. We have big plans for the house, but little opportunity to actually get them into action…

What Friends Say: They say that it’s always so tidy–but that is just because I never invite anyone in if it’s a mess!

Biggest Embarrassment: We have a downstairs loo that is so old and grotty. The door stays shut and not even we go in there! Roll on the renovations…

Proudest DIY: I am not massively handy with a power tool, but I do like making decorations to hang up around the house.

Biggest Indulgence: We went all out when we had the bathroom redone. Initially we were trying to keep to quite a small budget on things, but then we just figured if we’re going to do it, we might as well do the job properly. Inspiration for the fittings comes from our honeymoon in Japan and we decided to get a Japanese style soaking tub and to splash out(!) on a smart toilet. So glad we decided to just go for it!

Best Advice: When we initially moved in, it was so tempting to start knocking down walls and get cracking on renovations straight away. I am so glad we decided to wait for these things though. I think it really pays to live in a space for a while first to decide how you are going to really use it. We are planning on living here for a long time now too, so we have taken the time to save up for all our projects as that means we can get a higher quality and longer lasting finish on everything. Don’t rush it!

Dream Sources: As a family, we tend to spend quite a bit of time around Girona in Spain and I am always completely blown away by the interior shops and antique markets there. My favourite place to visit is Ultima Parada and my wallet is always thankful that the baggage allowance is so small on the airlines so I can’t bring too much back! One day I will take the car and drive down there and then there really WILL be trouble!!

PAINT & COLORS

• Entry – Valspar Coal Tipple
• Woodwork – Farrow & Ball Downpipe
• Living room – Valspar State Secret
• Kitchen – Valspar Coal Tipple
• Bedroom – Valspar Coal Tipple
• Bathroom – Valspar Coal Tipple
• Hallway and landing – Farrow & Ball Card Room Green and Calamine

ENTRY

• Wooden chest of drawers from back of Father-In-Law’s garage
• Family portrait by Victoria Topping – www.victoriatopping.com

LIVING ROOM

• Grey Sofa – Sofa Project – it’s rubbish, don’t buy one
• Yellow Sofa – https://dig-haushizzle.co.uk
• Butterfly artwork is my own
• Cushions made myself from vintage fabrics or from Bouton Shop
• Large tree trunk vase – Hay
• Flowery chair is original Statesman chair from Parker Knoll

PLAY ROOM

• Sofa – Togo from Ligne Roset
• Artwork – Victoria Topping – www.victoriatopping.com

DINING ROOM

• Odger dining chairs – IKEA
• Table made from old scaffolding boards
• Barometer clock – Bramwell & Brown

BEDROOM

• Brass and pompom wall hangings made by myself
• City Lights globe – Wild&Wolf

BATHROOM

• Vanity unit from eBay with black taps added
• ‘Lagoon’ mural – Lucy Tiffney
• Soaking tub – Omnitub
• Toilet – Vitra V-Care

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