Heather and Thomas share their amazing Aberdeen home renovation

Heather and Thomas Lynch have spent the last 10 years renovating their charming home in Bedford Place and the results are amazing.

By Rosemary Lowne

April 11 2024, 11:45 am

This charming period property has been given a new lease of life. Image: Peterkins

Who: Heather Lynch, 34, who works in project controls management, her husband Thomas, 36, who is an electrical engineer and their two children, seven-year-old Ezra and two-year-old River plus their six cats – Tink, Belle, Theodore, Drago, Boo, Zeus – and their dog Poppy.

What: A Victorian terrace, built in 1890 with three bedrooms, a living room, dining room/playroom, bathroom, kitchen and utility.

Where: Bedford Place, Aberdeen city centre, between Kittybrewster and Old Aberdeen.

Heather and Thomas Lynch have worked hard to create their dream family home. Image: Heather Lynch

44 Bedford Place

As told to Rosemary Lowne

“Our first home was a tiny maisonette in Cove but we decided to move as we needed more space.

We spotted our home on the ASPC website and the first thing I remember falling in love with was the original Victorian tiles in the entrance hall.

They were pretty battered and beaten up so we have lovingly restored them back to their original glory.

The colourful living room in the renovated home in Aberdeen — Bold paints and vibrant furniture brings bright and positive energy to the living room. Image: Peterkins

The smallest bedroom, which has a slanted ceiling. There is a built in shelving unit with a desk, a plush green corner chair and a chest of drawers. — Heather has used her ingenuity to maximise the space in the smallest bedroom. Image: Peterkins

And despite the dated façade, we felt that with a bit of TLC and elbow grease we could make it something perfect for us.

We moved into our home in August 2014, and have been slowly renovating since.

We put in a lot of time and effort to restore it and make it the perfect home for our young family.

Everything needed to be done to the house as the interiors were incredibly dated.

The bathroom has zigzagging white wall tiles and muted neutral colours. — The bathroom exudes boutique hotel vibes. Image: Peterkins

The bedroom has muted neutral tones with pops of colour included in cushions and throws on the bed and chairs in the renovated home in Aberdeen — The bedroom is a serene sanctuary. Image: Peterkins

The first thing I knew I had to change was the windows as they were brown PVC and very old so instead we installed sash and case windows which are more in keeping with the property.

Next, we restored the living room, peeling back the layers of lead paint on the skirtings and cornicing.

We also sanded down the wooden floor and reinstating a Victorian open flame fireplace.

The kitchen in the renovated home in Aberdeen. The cupboards are a dusty shade of blue wit light wooden-toned countertops. — Crisp and fresh interiors work beautifully in the kitchen. Image: Peterkins

A colourful living area in the house. There is a pink, blue and purple L-shaped sofa, multi-coloured rug and small table with four stools around it — Soft pastel shades create a tranquil feel in this spacious room. Image: Peterkins

The garden was in a dire state too so we spent most of the Covid lockdowns overhauling what was once a depressing waste land of concrete and overgrown bushes.

We also ripped out the bathroom right down to the brick walls and floor joists and rebuilt the lot as you see it today.

Renovated home in Aberdeen took a decade to overhaul

Every room has been overhauled since we moved in, it’s taken us 10 years to slowly renovate.

In terms of interiors, I love colour and all things whimsical.

A child's bedroom in the renovated home in Aberdeen with light wood-toned furniture. There is a small climbing frame in the middle of the room, a small wall-mounted TV and a climbing ladder to a nook above the bed — How cool is the climbing wall type ladder in Heather’s son’s room. Image: Peterkins

The dusty blue shelving unit in the smallest bedroom. There is a small desk with a computer on it and lots of knickknacks on the shelves along with some framed artwork — Every corner of the family home has special little touches. Image: Peterkins

I just wanted a home that felt like home for me and that makes me smile and I’ve achieved that.

Some of the dark colours won’t appeal to everyone but I love the feeling of being immersed in bold colours as I find it to be tranquil and cosy.

I also wanted to reinstate as many period features as possible and preserve some of the history of the house.

In terms of paint, I mostly used Valspar and have occasionally colour matched to the Farrow and Ball paint range colours.

The hallway with the staircase leading downstairs in the renovated home in Aberdeen — Even the staircase has pretty features. Image: Peterkins

A corner of the living room with a green armchair covered in a black and white checkerboard throw and three colourful fluffy cushions — The interiors work wonderfully. Image: Peterkins

I used Little Greene Paint for the red in our bathroom as I fell in love with it instantly and there really was no other product that could give me the same shade.

The wallpaper in the nursery/office is special to me as again I fell in love with it instantly.

I found it online but you can get it in John Lewis too.

For trinkets and accessories, I shop in TK Maxx, Homesense and charity shops while our furniture is both second hand and new pieces.

For my son’s room, I wanted to create something really special so I came up with the idea to create built-in wardrobes, a toy cupboard and create a platform above his bed that he can reach with a climbing wall type ladder.

Also in the smallest bedroom, there’s not a huge amount of space and it has to function as an office and a nursery.

A different view of the smallest bedroom in the renovated home in Aberdeen. The desk is on the right wall and there is a built-in shelving unit on the far wall with a TV on it and a rail for clothes above it — Every room tells a different story. Image: Peterkins

The patio in the garden of the renovated home in Aberdeen with a wooden decked area. There's patio furniture including a hanging chair and coffee table and chairs — Relax in style in this beautiful decking area. Image: Peterkins

So I came up with an idea to create a bookshelf that enclosed the radiator and has a desk that can fold out.

I love our house, especially the huge bay windows and the abundance of light.

My advice for anyone renovating would be to take your time with renovations as it’s an expensive undertaking to do quickly but also you need to live in a space for a while before you can really decide how you want it to work for you.

And only fill your home with things you love now and will love forever, avoid trends or you will quickly get bored of your own space.”

44 Bedford Place, is on the market for offers over £245,000.

For more details check out the website aspc.co.uk or take a look at their Instagram page @house_of_whimsy_and_whiskers