Full of cheer

Paula and Matthew Gowar embarked on a labour-of-love restoration when they moved into their home a decade ago. It hadn’t been touched for 40 years: ‘Every room was a 1970s throwback of patterned carpets, woodchip and flowery wallpaper. We installed central heating and moved in three days before Christmas. Caspar arrived two weeks later,’ says Paula.

‘I drew up the plans for six separate stages of planning applications, including a glass side-return extension.’ Growing up, she had seen her father run his construction company and developed a passion for spatial planning. She) and Matthew is the founder of Range Left Graphic Design Studio, so the couple had plenty of ideas. However, when the extension’s shell was finished, they hit a cash-flow crisis: ‘We continued to live in the rest of the house, doing work as and when funds permitted. I remember all four of us living in one room while the rest of the house was plastered. We had a two-ring hob and I cooked all over the house. I even made a cake in the hallway once!’