"This was the house that my mother married from. It was left to me by a maiden aunt and, at the time, friends said it would be folly to take on the refurbishment as it needed everything. But the Victorians were very clever, they had a great sense of house design, and so I had great material to work with.

This is the typical singlestorey to the front, two-storey to the rear villa style and all those shifts in level really use the space well."

After an architect was hired to re-configure the living areas and extend the kitchen, Joan took her skills as a dress designer and applied that flair for colour and easy-on-the-eye style to the house. The result is a modern welcoming home of some 121sq m (1,302sq ft) that retains many of the original features of its late 19th century vintage.

Entrance is through the reception hall with high ceiling and decorative cornice.

To the left is the more formal of the living areas . . . a quiet reception room with period character including the cast iron fireplace and tall sash window. Downstairs is the garden level accommodation. A wonderfully bright, eat-in kitchen, with extensive and stylish whitepainted units and pale, ceramic tiled floor, opens to a south-facing, sun trap courtyard garden.

Adjoining the kitchen is the large living room, another inviting space with gleaming blonde-wood floors, double doors to the garden and a feature spiral staircase leading to the upstairs accommodation.

Still at garden level is the first of the three bedrooms, with a shower en-suite and built-in wardrobe.

Upstairs, off the landing with dado rail, are the two remaining bedrooms, the second of which connects with the spiral staircase. A real feature of the house is the very large bathroom, where a host of original features (the coloured glass-panelled Victorian door and timber flooring) are off-set against wainscotting which has been painted a dove grey beneath the soft white wall above.

Joan's decorative input compliments the period features and enhances a home that, despite all the renovation required, had oodles of character from the start.

"Doing this house up was a real pleasure and we've had so many good times here. I can remember the builder we had back at the beginning of all the work, standing in the hall, looking around and saying 'This is a very kind house'.

And hopefully the next owners will get that feeling too."

Price: AMV 1.15m; auction 20 October 2006 Agent: Felicity Fox 01-633 4431