This Victorian home blends history with innovation

Stepping into this light-filled, beautifully renovated Malvern home, with its high ceilings, tall sash windows, and stunning entrance hall, there is much to take in.

The grand staircase, which splits and turns back on itself to reach the second floor, takes one’s breath away, while the pristine wood-panelled ceiling in the kitchen draws the gaze to a lofty height. Inside, well-loved and characterful pieces bound, softened with the nostalgia of vintage homewares and Sanderson florals.

A Victorian lodge nodding towards a gothic design style, it sits proudly in the Malvern Hills, a holiday destination in Victorian times due to the purported healing properties of the natural springs. The home of Imogen Driver and her family, who moved in during 2021, has, in its recent history, quite literally risen from the ashes.

‘The house had suffered a bad fire about six years prior to us buying it and had been rebuilt exactly as it was when originally constructed,’ Imogen explains. ‘The structural renovation work was mostly complete, and a new heating system and electrics were in place. It was a completely blank canvas of white walls and bare floorboards without bathrooms or a kitchen.’

Imogen and her husband Michael loved that they could put their stamp on the place, even choosing which room would become the kitchen. Falling in love with the incredible gothic window and staircase, which miraculously survived the fire, the sprawling, albeit very overgrown, garden, and the hills, Imogen recalls that ‘the house needed a huge amount of love and deserved to be brought back to life.

What’s more, we could picture our little girls growing up here happily, and so we were sold.’ Four years on and the couple confess they are still renovating, but have done almost everything themselves, bar more structural matters. ‘The first thing we had to do was put in a makeshift bathroom with sanitaryware found on Facebook Marketplace – we actually had to do this before we even owned the house, as it was a requirement for obtaining a mortgage!’

Despite the property’s grand proportions, filling the space wasn’t something Imogen worried about, even after moving from a modestly sized 1930s semi-detached house. ‘We consciously avoided rushing to fill the rooms, realising instead that we had the opportunity to embrace a sense of space,’ says Imogen. ‘The house was a little sparse for some time, but I wanted to enjoy finding the perfect pieces when they presented themselves.’

Moving in with comfortable, large sofas and armchairs – but little storage furniture, as their previous home had quite a lot of fitted pieces – they spent time hunting down preloved essentials like chests of drawers and tall wardrobes that suited the generous space. Although mindful of practicality, Imogen says, ‘if I see something I really love, I can usually find a little space for it!’

Spurred on by a love of treasure hunting, Imogen has chosen to have very little colour or pattern on the walls, instead skilfully building character with old pieces of furniture and blousy floral accessories. ‘There is something very nostalgic about florals and they always soften an interior,’ she acknowledges. Having a particular liking for 1950s cotton bark cloth, cross-stitch florals and Sanderson prints, Imogen says, ‘I love how a cushion or lampshade can add a little drama and character to a room without having to commit to something as invested as wallpaper.’

While the interior strikes a good balance between traditional and modern aesthetics and features, Imogen’s use of floral patterns suggest she is an old-fashioned country girl at heart. ‘I’m very much a country mouse and love being back in a place where I can enjoy the countryside,’ she says. ‘The garden has really come together now too and is filled with hydrangeas and roses.’

Trial and error have also played a role, with some pieces proving too small for the space – one example being a dining table intended to sit lengthways along a row of three sash windows in the large kitchen-diner. Initially, a smaller table was used, but Imogen felt it looked ‘a bit silly’ in such a spacious room. It was soon replaced with a longer one. Both were sourced from Facebook Marketplace, and with the smaller table resold, no money was lost.
Upsizing always means upscaling, and for Imogen, the greatest joy was being able to have a grand piano. ‘I learned to play as a child and knew our girls would enjoy learning too, so when one came up free locally, I jumped at the chance to give it a loving home.’