Ever spot a home that you'd love to move into, but it's not on the market? Even if the house isn't currently up for sale, you could still make it yours.
Amy Scarr was able to buy her perfect home, even though it wasn't for sale when she found it! Find out how she did it…
We are Amy Scarr, 40, head of marketing and public brand ambassador for sewing patterns @simplicitymccallsuk, my husband James, also 40, a product owner for Eurocamp, and our tortoiseshell cat, Chewie. You can follow our journey at @almondrock_homeandaway.
Where we live
Our home is a four-bedroom 1960s detached house in Ilkley, West Yorkshire, which we moved into in January 2021.
What I do to relax
I head into my sewing room. It’s such a sunny, happy space with the yellow wallpaper and south-facing windows, and everything I love is displayed around the room. Making something with your hands is really therapeutic and calming! I share my handmade wardrobe at @almondrock_sews.
The best bit about living here is…
We’re so close to the town centre and love being able to walk to all the independent restaurants and bars.
After missing out on two houses during their property search, Amy and James Scarr were determined to secure a place in their favourite area of Ilkley. ‘We were living in a house near Leeds at the time, but we used to drive here for day trips and I was so desperate I letter-dropped to see if we could grab a house before it went on the market. Luckily, it worked!’ Amy smiles.
The couple decided on Ilkley because it not only has a lively town centre, with plenty of independent shops and restaurants, but is also in close proximity to nature. ‘We can be out of the back door and up on the moors in five minutes and that’s important to us,’ she explains.
Having found a house about to go on sale, Amy and James did all they could to make sure it would be theirs. ‘We walked in, had a look and offered a little over the asking price, as long as they accepted there and then,’ says Amy. ‘So, by the time we left, it was ours. It was also our wedding anniversary, 27th July, which made it really special.’
Time for a makeover
The second Covid lockdown held up their moving plans but, when they finally got into the property in January 2021, it was all systems go.
When the third lockdown hit straightaway, the timing suited the couple. ‘We couldn’t go out, so we spent weeks stripping wallpaper and painting. The house hadn’t been touched since the 90s, and there was red and orange striped wallpaper and damask print everywhere,’ Amy says. ‘We knew there were major things to be done, but we focused on the main rooms, painting them white before we decided what to do.’
The couple started adding their own touches with bright new sofas and panelling in the bedroom. ‘I’d describe my style as a mix of mid-century modern and Memphis Milano – an Italian design movement known for its abstract shapes and bright colours,’ Amy explains. ‘I’ve used white walls as a base for colour pops, retro prints, velvet fabrics, lush plants and quirky antiques. I have a curated colour palette throughout the house, so everything feels cohesive.’
And the couple aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty, tackling everything from demolishing to decorating. ‘I’ve also upholstered, painted secondhand furniture, panelled walls, installed bathroom lino and made my own terrazzo coffee table. My parents helped wallpaper and my father-in-law planned out our garden.’
Project work
The next big project was creating an en-suite for their bedroom. ‘We actually built it ourselves after removing a run of wardrobes and liberating some space to get a two-metre square room.’ After picking out the sanitaryware and teal wall tiles, Amy was set on a hexagonal daisy look for the floor.
‘I’d seen the exact tiles, but they were incredibly expensive and out of stock, so instead we bought 86 sheets of white hexagonal mosaics and 14 black and worked out the design ourselves, popping out white ones and putting black ones in with PVA glue,’ Amy says. ‘It took us four nights in front of the TV, working together, but we got there. We did let the tiler lay the floor though.’
The major change happened last summer, when the couple took down the wall between the kitchen and dining room, and had the conservatory rebuilt as an extension to create a big, open-plan space.
A brand-new kitchen in a bright blue was installed at the same time and the 14-week project went fairly smoothly. ‘We had prepared well by batch-cooking lots of food beforehand, as we couldn’t afford endless takeaways, and we kept the washing machine and fridge-freezer plugged in until the last minute.’
A temporary kitchen was set up in the living room, and the living room moved to a bedroom upstairs. ‘We both work from home, so it could have been a nightmare, but there were only a couple of days where it was so noisy that we had to go and work in a café.’
Repurposing rooms
With four bedrooms, Amy had plenty of options for her office and sewing room. ‘James has a study downstairs in the extension, so I use the small fourth bedroom as my day-to-day office and the second bedroom as my sewing room.’
With a large cutting table and a myriad of fabrics and threads to house, there’s also a large filing cabinet for the 5,000 original patterns that Amy needs: ‘We provide the patterns for BBC’s The Great British Sewing Bee, and I get lots of enquiries from viewers.’
With the interior of the house sorted, Amy and James now want to enjoy all their hard work. ‘This is a long-term house,’ says Amy. ‘We’re not going anywhere!’
Kitchen
Dining area
Living room
Hallway
En suite
Main bedroom
Guest bedroom
Office
Sewing room
