Who: Esther Woolfson Currie, an author who writes books about nature.
What: A stunning Victorian terraced home brimming with striking period features.
Where: Forest Road in Aberdeen’s leafy West End.
Here Esther chats about her amazing Aberdeen home makeover…
“I’ve been living here since the late 1980s when work brought my family from London to Aberdeen.
It’s difficult to remember now but I looked at lots of houses in the area before buying this one.
What I liked most about this home was that it hadn’t been modernised.
All the original features were – and are – still intact which is really important to me as I’m a great admirer of Scottish vernacular architecture.
I’m originally from Glasgow so it was lovely to come back to a solid Scottish stone house after our flimsy London terrace.
Author gives Aberdeen home an amazing makeover…
The history of the house is fascinating because it has only had three owners.
The first was a Mrs Robertson of the famous granite family, who had lived in Rubislaw Den but moved here when she was widowed.
She must have chosen some of the features during the building because there are some unique aspects to this house.
She was clearly a fan of the arts and crafts movement, an art style popular at the time because there is lovely panelling in the hall and study and on the stairs in this style.
Ms Robertson lived here with her companion both of whom must have been very hardy types because there was no heating.
Also, there was the most rudimentary kitchen, a situation which was swiftly altered when heating, a new kitchen and two bathrooms were installed.
‘Keeping the original features was really important to me’
Built in 1871, my house is in a row of four terraced houses in Forest Road.
It has five bedrooms, a large study, a sitting room, kitchen, three bathrooms and a moderate sized garden.
I designed the kitchen for functionality because I love cooking.
It’s compact but I think it’s a good use of space and time.
I don’t have to cross an expanse of floor with a pan of boiling water or walk to the other side of the room to fetch something from the fridge.
Over time, I’ve changed the worktops and equipment and still love the ease of working there.
The kitchen/dining room has always been the hub of the house, where we all love to gather when we get together, sitting round the table chatting.
‘My daughter designed the decor’
I’m very lucky because my daughter is an interior designer and she designed the décor as it is now.
I’m grateful because I used to think I was ‘good at these things’ until, working with her, I discovered that I wasn’t.
It’s a really skilled job, knowing about colour and light and project management.
We decided to go for a ‘Belgian style’ look, classic but incorporating both town and country features.
The wallpaper is Ralph Lauren and Manuel Canovas.
Aberdeen home enjoys ‘wonderful’ location
For paint, I used Zoffany and the colour in the sitting room is ‘Velvet blue’.
I also used paint from Graphenstone and Resource which are both eco-paint companies.
Other features include the wood burning stove which was installed by K&I Paterson of Lumphanan.
Meanwhile, the vanity unit in the ensuite bathroom is by Flamante, a Belgian company.
The sofas and console table in the sitting room are from Acanthus Interiors, Edinburgh.
In terms of location, my house is wonderfully situated as it’s within easy walking distance of town.
It was great when my daughters were young because they could walk to and from school.
And when they were teenagers, it was easy for them to get wherever they were going and better still, easy for them to get home.
Ready for a new chapter…
Overall, what I love about the house – and garden – is the style and the tranquillity.
It’s a great place to write because it’s so quiet—it’s difficult to believe that it’s in the middle of a city.
In one way, I don’t want to leave it but at the same time, I would love another family to enjoy it.
My tips for anyone embarking on doing anything to a house is to get good advice from professionals.
It’s one thing to see a gorgeous room on Instagram and to try to reproduce it but what looks good in California will probably look and feel like an ice cave in Aberdeen.”
3 Forest Road, Aberdeen is on the market at a guide price of £480,000.
To arrange a viewing contact Savills on 01224 971122 or check out the website savills.com
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