Victorian chapel conversion

Reader home makeover

 
Once a wreck, this former chapel has been lovingly restored by its new owners into a stunning home, click through for the amazing results...

Property details

 
Type of house
Three-bed converted Wesleyan chapel, dating from around 1847

Location
Taunton, Somerset

Purchase price
£21,000

Money spent
£150,000

What it\'s worth now
£370,000

Dream home

When Mandy Richards, 37, met partner John, 54, in 1998, he\'d just bought a chapel at auction. It was a wreck, having been empty for years, but the couple, who run furniture warehouse, Village World, transformed it into a home.

Light and space

There was plenty of light and space to work with. The oiled oak dining table and the chenille-covered chairs in the main room all came from Village World.

Touches from China

The enormous arched windows let light flood into the living room. John had the low elm table made in China, while the carved corbels on the 18th-century altar table were originally part of a Chinese roof and are 200 years old.

Moroccan magic

Handmade metal Moroccan torches light the way up the stairs. The bronze Buddha in the distance came from Thailand.

Spectacular staircase

 
John built the glorious oak staircase himself and painted it black. The 150-year-old glazed Chinese wine jar is one of many treasures the couple have collected

Living room luxury

The living room is full of the couple\'s fascinating possessions which include 300-year-old wood panels from China hanging above the Heal\'s sofa. The red cabinet dates from the 1840s, the same era as the chapel

Work of art

 
Two Moroccan lamps that John bought in Marrakech look dramatic hanging above the living area in the main room. Artist Serena Delahaye, made the life-size wicker figure, which was bought at an art exhibition.

Interior problems

Left exposed to rain, the windows, doors, floor and stairs were all rotten and had to be replaced. The couple gutted the rotten interior and then rewired, replastered and replumbed before putting in oak floors and doors. All the windows had to be restored and copied from the original Victorian design by specialist joiners.

French fancy

Warm pink walls create a totally different feel for the master bedroom. The antique French bed was painted in a soft cream by Dulux and the elm bedside tables are from France.

Lovely limestone

Limestone tiles from Fired Earth blend with the green marble surround from China in the master ensuite.

Exotic bedroom

 
The guest bedroom has a more exotic feel thanks to a 250-year-old Chinese bed adorned with four-ply shot silk curtains handmade in Cambodia.

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