Who: Louise Witter, who runs a consultancy specialising in chemical legislation and her enormous cat Leo.
What: An exceptionalself-contained three bedroom double upper apartment.
Where: 8 Rosebank Place, a quiet cul-de -sac just off the Hardgate. The home is in Ferryhill but it is also close to all the shops in Holburn Street and it’s a 10-15 minute walk to the train station and Union Square.
8 Rosebank Place, Ferryhill Aberdeen
As told to Rosemary Lowne
“I was renting a big house in Springbank Terrace with friends and was ready to find my own place.
I found this property on the ASPC website and when I first viewed it, I loved the potential of the place.
I was really looking for a two-bedroom flat with one big bedroom for me and one good sized bedroom for guests.
I fell in love with the size of the living space downstairs and I realised that I could be decadent and sprawl across two bedrooms instead of one big one.
I was being too fixated on my wish list to start with but the house turned out better than I ever envisaged.
So I moved into the property in September 2010.
When I moved in the kitchen had just been fitted and possibly the fireplace but nothing else had been done.
Apart from the kitchen and the fireplace, I’ve changed everything else in the house including installing a new boiler and a new bathroom plus fitting new windows, a cast iron radiator, a dressing room and I even upcycled a bed for the guest room.
In 2015 I got a garden office and I installed a driveway with electric gates plus I completely re-landscaped the garden.
In the pastyear or so I’ve changed all the floors to a white wood and I’ve also re-done the metalwork on the stairs.
I’ve alsohad the understairs cupboard extended and upgraded to a shiny new utility room.
I started renovating shortly after I moved in and I never stopped.
In terms of the property itself, it’s really unusual as it’s a Victorian flat which I believe was above the shop (which is now an own door flat below).
It was converted into a double upper long before I moved in almost 15 years ago.
The flat feels more like a house as it has its own garden, driveway and front door.
It’s at the end of a terrace and has a side return so there are windows looking in three directions, including over the garden.
The lower floor has a really big kitchen dining room and a large, quirky living room with a window seat next to the fireplace.
There’s a handy utility room as well.
Upstairs there are two cosy bedrooms and the third bedroom is being used as a walk-in wardrobe/ dressing room while I enjoy pottering about in the charcoal grey bathroom.
In terms of interiors, it’s gone through a few iterations but latterly I’ve gone for a bolder look especially in the hallways where I’ve used a fabulous wallpaper called Glasshouse Flora by Graham and Brown.
I’ve never had proper wallpaper before so I just went for it.
Tony Yeats did a brilliant job with the decorating.
In terms of furniture, most of it was either custom reupholstery of antiques by Aberdeen company Shades of Blue and Grey or purchased locally from Annie Mo’s.
Magda at Shades of Blue and Grey has a real eye for pieces and she also upcycled the bed in the spare room to match the walls which are painted in Stiffkey Blue by Farrow and Ball.
She also upholstered the headboard to match the curtains which are a fabric called ‘Heat of the Night Indigo by Linwood.
Other pieces have been done in herringbone wool from Moon of England and more elegant velvets which are less ‘fluffy’.
Dressmaker Vessi Preston also worked with Magda to create matching curtains and cushions in both the guest bedroom and living room and she also upholstered the window seat.
During the renovation, the biggest challenge was probably my naivety in managing the overlaps between the trades.
It’s something I still struggle with as I don’t take enough time to go over the detail and then end up frustrated with myself.
I’ll probably need to just accept my weakness there and get some project management help on my new house.
For me, what I love best about my property is looking into the open space in the kitchen from the dining room.
They moved the island to the side when the floors were being fitted and I never moved it back.
It all feels quite glamorous and grown up.
My top tips for anyone who is also renovating would be to live in a place for a while first.
See how you feel about the layout and light before you do any work.
Do the boring necessities first and the decorating last.
Also get a joiner you can trust which for me was Norbert Szablowski.
And never paint a ceiling royal purple.”
8 Rosebank Place, Aberdeen, is on the market for offers over £245,000.
To arrange a viewing contact Laurie and Co on 01224 645085 or check out the website aspc.co.uk
And if you would like your home to feature, simply email features@eveningexpress.co.uk
More home renovation stories:
- Maria and Andrzej give their Aberdeen home an amazing makeover
- Emily shares the story behind her beautifully renovated former mill near Inverurie
