Julia Kendell, best known for BBC’s DIY SOS, ITV’s 60 Minute Makeover, and for showing no mercy to her power tools, tells Metro about the Oxfordshire home she could never learn to love – but where she honed her DIY skills. After that she bought her dream renovation project, a house in the woods, with a poltergeist.
How did you get on the property ladder?
I bought my first home with my ex-husband in 1987, for £87,500. It was a small, three-bedroom terraced new-build in Henley-on-Thames, at the end of a cul-de-sac, with a postage stamp-sized garden. My husband’s family lived in the area, and we decided it would be the perfect place to bring up a family. I’d coveted a ‘character property’ to renovate, but at the time we bought, house prices were skyrocketing, and we just needed to buy something before we were priced out of the market.
Best and worst features?
I always hated the house! As it was a first home, I shouldn’t grumble, as it was light, the rooms were reasonably well-proportioned and the garden had lovely views over a common. On the downside, it had zero personality and energy.
Did your career start here?
My interiors career started when I was 15, working as a Saturday girl in a soft-furnishings showroom in Eastcote, Hillingdon. By the time I moved to Henley I was the manager of the showroom. A year later, my passion for kitchen design started. I trained at John Lewis of Hungerford in Henley and haven’t looked back.
Did you have any DIY disasters?
I was intent on creating a beautiful home for myself and my husband. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the budget to match, but I didn’t let that dampen my enthusiasm. I set about teaching myself how to decorate, wallpaper, install dado rails and put up shelving. I even tiled the kitchen – very badly, if I recall. It took three nasty electric shocks, which threw me across the room, before I learnt not to drill directly above sockets.
How did you furnish it?
The late 1980s were a time of frills, piping and chintz – ludicrous in a three-bed terrace! We purchased a couple of grey leather sofas, which at the time seemed very posh, and the bedroom furniture was vintage pine. Every conceivable surface was hand-stencilled with fleur-de-lis.
Did you eventually fall in love with the house?
Not really! I did my best, but sadly my relationship wasn’t good, and no matter how pretty I made the interior, the energy was never right. The DIY ‘learns’ were very useful, though.
What do you love about Henley-on-Thames?
It’s unchangingly beautiful. The river provides a stunning backdrop to summertime activities, and the surrounding countryside provides the perfect antidote to a hectic work schedule. Local restaurants are fantastic, and there is something very special about the people here. I have an amazing group of local friends who have stuck with me through the ups and downs of my life.
What came next?
We sold up in 1992 for £98,500 and bought a semi-detached Victorian cottage for £130,000. It was in woodland just outside Henley, and it was my dream renovation dream, as it was quite rundown.
I refurbished it completely from top to bottom, with the toughest job removing 100 years-worth of lead-based paint from an enclosed staircase, which made me sick for days after.
There was, however, a poltergeist, which was definitely an unexpected addition to the household! It seemed we would have ‘activity’ every time I did some DIY, as if it didn’t like the change.
On several occasions I would find all the toy mobiles in my daughter’s bedroom spinning madly from the ceiling; at other times, things had been moved around, and there were the sounds of heavy breathing. We stayed for three-and-a-half years, and while I loved the property, I was quite happy to leave the strange goings-on behind.
Advice for first-time buyers?
There are a lot of harsh financial challenges facing first-time buyers, but as house prices will always increase over time, it’s well worth the initial push. Invest in parts of the home that will most enhance your own lifestyle, rather than worrying about what decorative scheme might suit future owners.
Is your current pad your dream home?
In the ’snakes and ladders’ of life, I have unfortunately placed my trust in a few ’snakes’ and have spent the past few years getting back on my feet, so I’ve been renting for some time. I am excited about buying a new home later this year.
Where once my dream project would have been a sprawling property with a large garden, I would now be very content with a tiny barn conversion. As long as the home has character, and somewhere to grow vegetables, I’ll be happy.
Installing a new kitchen? Try Julia’s Ultimate Kitchen Guide online course kendellco.com/book-online
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