A Victorian House in Manchester with Northern Soul

Ella Moore, a biophilic designer, has imbued her colourful home with style, crisp graphic design and, of course, plants!

Words: Alison Gibb | Photography: Douglas Gibb


When Ella and David bought their house in 2017, a two-storey extension at the back had already been added in the 1980s. They just needed to update it and make it their own. They spent the first year thinking about the improvements they wanted and drawing up their plans. ‘We were not looking for more space, rather, we wanted to alter the layout to suit us better as a couple,’ Ella says.

‘We took out a couple of walls, to enlarge the kitchen: three small rooms became one open plan space,’ she explains. The original kitchen, dining-room and a small reception room were knocked into one, a WC and hallway were added at the front along with the porch and a utility room, and planning permission was needed to move the front door from the centre to the side of the house.

‘We both love the circular layout we have achieved, but we have left the living-room as it was, as we did not want the house to be completely open plan,’ Ella explains. The result is a large sociable space at the back of the house strongly connected to the garden and a cosier snug at the front, where you can retreat. ‘Upstairs was originally three bedrooms, but it is now four, we divided a room to create two smaller rooms,’ Ella explains, ‘one is our dressing room, and the other is Dave’s office.’ They installed an ensuite to both the bedrooms as well and moved the bathroom to create a better layout for the guest bedroom.

The work started a year after they moved in and was quite stressful: ‘It felt quite hard working as a designer on other people’s homes and coming home at the end of the day to my own project,’ Ella admits. ‘I was solving other people’s problems all day and then tackling my own design challenges in my spare time!’ It took a while. In fact there are still areas to complete. ‘We have yet to finish the main bathroom. We took our time because we were very particular about some of the details but we had completed most of the work by the end of 2019, so Covid wasn’t an issue, and we are delighted with the results.’

I think displaying your treasures gives a home warmth, and I don’t see the point in having beautiful things in cupboards!

They replaced the modern uPVC windows with traditional style sash ones at the front, and installed elegant, contemporary, aluminium windows at the back. The back garden needed work too and Ella enjoyed designing it and sourcing plants for the interior so much that during lockdown, unable to work in clients’ homes, she started an indoor plants business, called Ella’s Garden. ‘It took off so quickly, and has been a real success, I have never looked back,’ she explains. She runs a crafting business alongside it as well, with a friend, which started in 2022. She’s always been a great crafter and is delighted at how well attended their workshops are.

When it came to the colours Ella made her choices instinctively. ‘I am drawn to warm tones, and I like using complementary colours, so pairing pinks and oranges with dark greens works for me and we searched for warm neutrals as our backdrop, rather than crisp whites,’ she says.

Ella and David have laid engineered wood parquet planks throughout the ground floor for continuity, and she has used rugs to add colour and texture and for zoning. ‘Open plan spaces require delineation,’ Ella explains, ‘plus you do have to keep things tidy. I am not a minimalist though, I like to display my favourite things on open shelves throughout the house and I change the arrangements regularly to keep them fresh. In the kitchen I only have things out that I use a lot though.’

Ella carefully considers every decision, ‘I research everything thoroughly and present David with options’. David is open to her ideas but has firm opinions on the results. She designed the new layout herself, and project managed the build, employing an architectural technician to draw up her plans for planning permission. Important details include the traditional-style radiators, brushed metal light switches and beehive door handles. ‘All quite expensive choices,’ Ella admits, ‘but they really lift an interior.’

Ella is a collector. ‘Not deliberately,’ she claims, ‘I just love old things. Charity shops and vintage stores are my guilty pleasure. Plus, I love to travel, and I always bring back souvenirs.’ She admits to loving a bargain and a shelfie in equal measure. ‘I think displaying your treasures gives a home warmth, and I don’t see the point in having beautiful things in cupboards!’

Find out more about Ella at www.ellasgarden.uk