Second-hand Jo’s

Jo Sutcliffe’s partner barely batted an eyelid when she staggered in from a walk dragging the grubby carcasses of two old chairs.

She pulled them out of a skip and is planning to give them a lick of paint and new life as garden seating. The other week she “rescued” a mangled bicycle wheel and, instead of being buried in landfill, it is now polished and hangs on her bedroom wall adorned with jewellery.

“Pete’s used to it, though I must admit he was surprised at the bike wheel,” says Jo, whose other shopping haunts include charity shops, car boot sales, eBay and vintage emporiums. “Everything I have is cheap,” she declares proudly and it is, but her Victorian semi in Sheffield looks a million dollars and is a shining example of style on a miniscule budget.

Eighteen months ago, the six-bedroom property was in need of complete renovation but its sorry state brought it within Jo and Pete’s price range. Seduced by the space, potential and period features, the couple bought it and have managed to transform it thanks to a thrifty and creative approach.

They started at the top, making a second-floor flat that they could live in while they renovated the rest of the house. They now let the apartment to a lodger, which gives them extra income and still leaves three bedrooms on the first floor.

“It has been a big job not least because we had to lower and reinforce the floor in the flat,” says Jo, a teacher. She and Pete, a musician and lead singer of The Payroll Union, cut costs by tackling some of the work themselves, including re-pointing, plasterboarding and decorating. Though they had to employ builders to knock the kitchen and dining room into one open-plan space and to swap the bay window for French doors.

“We’re really pleased with it but it was the most stressful area. The 1960s fireplace was made of reinforced concrete and it took four men to lift it out and at one point the bay window collapsed because someone had stolen the lead off its roof,” says Jo, who cheered herself up hunting out bargains.

Her easy chairs were £5 each from a charity shop, the Fired Earth tiles were seconds from a tile outlet, while the granite worktops are off-cuts from a memorial stonemason who specialises in gravestones. She mixed this with African walnut from Wood and Beyond.

“It cost £500 for the wood and granite worktops, which was cheaper than laminate,” she says .

The sitting room has a fireplace that was £50 from eBay and a shagpile carpet that was almost a disaster.

“It should’ve been £100 per metre but we bought it as end of roll for £20. When we came to lay it we realised we’d measured wrong and so there’s a gap round the edge. Thankfully it looks OK and we’re planning to put a border of green carpet round it,” says Jo.

The main bedroom features built -in wardrobes with doors from eBay, a wrought iron bed that was found buried in a relative’s garden and shelving made from scaffolding planks. The bathroom has an ex-display suite. There are also lots of family pieces, including cutlery that belonged to her granny and a blue rug made by her parents for their first house.

“My parents were always doing houses up and I was brought up spending my weekends in charity shops and at car boot sales. I developed an eye for spotting a bargain,” she says.

“As a child, I was always surprising my parents by decorating rooms when they went out. Thankfully, they were very understanding about this and encouraged my passion.”

Letting her creativity run riot has paid off and Jo isn’t afraid to experiment. Her dining room wall is covered in maps from junk shops and eBay

The ceiling in the study will soon be covered with hundreds of brightly-coloured buttons.

“I stick them on with Blu tac and it looks really effective, It’s a copy of the button wall I did at my previous house,” she explains.

Another wall in the study is decorated with a collection of mirrors. Others are brightened with prints, postcards, paintings and book illustrations all on black mounting card, which is effective and cheaper than frames. Her clever ideas are being put to good use in her new business, Freedom of Birds, which sources inexpensive and unusual vintage items for clients. She also offers advice and a full interior design service.

“It’s for people who want this kind of look and price range but who don’t have the time or inclination to trudge round junk shops and antique shops every weekend,” says Jo, who also has a team of trusted decorators and tradesmen.

Her favourite finds include antique deed boxes that are stacked up on top of each other and used as shoes storage and her light fittings.

“I worked out that I only spent £120 in total for every single light fitting in the house,” she says.

“Though I did splash out on paint. It’s all Farrow and Ball. I love it and it’s something I won’t scrimp on.”

The Freedom of Birds, tel: 07968869732, email [email protected], www.thefreedomofbirds.co.uk