Property: Amazing before and after pictures reveal transformation of Sheffield home dubbed the city's own Flatiron building

It earned its Flatiron Building nickname after the iconic triangular 22-story landmark structure in Manhattan, New York City and started life as family grocer HS Clarke at the corner of Hunter House Road and Roach Road in the Hunters Bar area of Sheffield.

Fast forward a couple of hundred years and the property had been divided into two residential flats in need of updating.

Owner Matt Sorby called in the help of Sheffield interior design firm Rebel Interior Design to help with the renovation – both inside and out.

The budget of £45,000 needed to include a new damp proof course, rewire, re-plaster as well a new kitchen and bathroom for each flat and to be fully decorated and furnished.

Rebecca Kerry, from Broomhall-based Rebel, said she had to get creative with the interior. “We bought two nearly new kitchens from ebay and had our joiner re-purpose them. Farrow and Ball paint was colour matched and the two flats were given an overall industrial theme.

“Even if you’re working to a tight budget, you can still make your home look fantastic. We bought a couple of decent quality Ikea sofas but changed the covers – there’s a lot of small businesses on websites like Etsy who sell products that completely overhaul your existing furniture. It saves you money and stops furniture going to landfill.”

Great value art on the walls from online poster shops like Desenio and Iamfy add the finishing touches.

But the biggest transformation was to the outside of the property. The original brick and stone had been painted over with red paint, while the UPVC windows were looking tatty. “The windows were in good condition but the white plastic really didn’t sit well on the old building,” said Rebecca. “The front door had seen better days and a lack of railings meant cars parked right up to the front of the property.”

Sandblasting off the paint revealed the original brick and stonework, and Rebecca suggested painting the UPVC windows a charcoal grey. “Many people don’t realise you can paint UPVC windows – its really easy with the proper paint.” A new front door and metal railings were added (both picked up from ebay) to smarten the whole place up.

Owner Matt is thrilled. He said: “One of the neighbours on the street came across when we removed all the scaffolding and congratulate us. He said it’d gone from the worst house on the street to the best.”

The whole process took around four months with Matt doing a lot of the paintwork himself at evenings and weekends to save money.

The flats were put on the rental market with Spencer estate agent. Managing director Nicola Spencer dubbed it Sheffield’s very own Flatiron building.

“I’d given it a valuation of £180,000 before the work. After the renovations, I’d say we’d be looking at £265,000,” she said. Not surprisingly it flew off the rental market. No doubt something the original grocer HS Clarke would be happy with.

To contact Rebel Interior Design visit the website http://rebelinteriordesign.co.uk