Good renovation advice is almost always retrospective. You have to make the mistakes first. Room by Room is Glassette's series in which we ask designers and homeowners to walk us through their spaces: what wasn't working, what they spent too much on (and whether it was worth it), and what they'd tell you before you pick up a sledgehammer.

For the latest instalment of Room by Room, we spoke to Patricia Rodi, founder of interior design studio Rodi Cécile, about the renovation of her 1860 Victorian villa. Previous owners had over-modernised it, with lowered ceilings hiding the original cornicing, blocked-up fireplaces, and open-plan spaces that left rooms darker rather than brighter. Since then the house has slowly been returned to itself: fourteen rooms reworked to hold family life and two working studios under one roof.

Three years in, with four rooms still to go, the project has had its share of surprises. There were builders' bills inflated by a remote location, fireplaces that cost far more than expected, and a boiler that gave up five days after moving in. Along the way, she learned to live with an old house before making big decisions and to protect original character wherever possible, because, in her words, "you can destroy a century of work in a few seconds".

From reinstated fireplaces and warm pools of lamplight to a kitchen repainted from muted green to brown-red, Patricia takes us through the decisions, splurges and lessons behind a home designed to feel as though it evolved over generations.