Second best is never as good, at least that's what we're always told. But there's something to be said for a rebound. Maybe not in your dating life, but it's very much true for your living situation — even if you get stuck with a tiny apartment. This is something content creator and freelance copywriter Lexi has proven. Her uplifting home is a case study on why you shouldn't be disappointed if the first thing on your list doesn't work out.

"This apartment was a total backup choice for us," she says, after living here for a year and a half. "We had our hearts set on another apartment that actually got rented out by someone else while we were still touring it, so we settled for this one. The apartment hunting scene in Boston is super competitive and unfortunately we were looking in October, which is a month later than you want to be looking in this area because of all the colleges here!"

We caught up with Lexi about her space. We also developed some major interior envy (and wildly applaud her for the work she put into her rental). See the pastel-coated home, below.

What's your home like?

I live in an attic apartment of a classic old New England-style house, which means the third floor.

How did it look before you redecorated?

Oh my God, SO rough! When we were touring it, the landlord was actually there repainting and retiling the bathroom floor, which was urgently needed. Luckily, once we actually moved in, the bright primary wall colors were all repainted to a neutral gray-blue, which I don’t love but I don’t hate either. But I will say, it was not a cute apartment when we moved in — it needed a lot of TLC. And still does!

(Editor's note: Lexi shared the Zillow listing with me and talk about magical transformation — we're talking a Mia Thermopolis-level glow-up).

What is your personal interior design style?

My interior design style is kind of all over the place. I feel like the word “eclectic” is totally overused, but I think it is the best word I could use to describe it! I like a mix of mid-century pieces alongside some Danish pastel, and then I find myself really drawn to pieces that I don’t really have a term for — just things that are designed simply, functionally, and beautifully. I’m an aesthetics-first girl, so I don’t bring anything into my home that I don’t think is cute, but a marriage of form and function is ideal. I like a colorful and quirky space!

 How did you choose your color palette and decor?

Total instinct! I know I just went on about taking my time and being choosy, but often I’ll know right away if I’ve stumbled on the right thing for my place. Take my little Wiggle Room side table for example — I knew the moment I saw it that I needed it and that I wouldn’t find one that I liked more, but at the time that I purchased it, I didn’t really have a lot of similar colors in my bedroom. It didn’t matter to me though! In general, I just follow my instincts and operate under the belief that if I feel strongly about a piece, it belongs in my space, even if it’s different from the other stuff I have. I don’t mind having things that don’t match.

What's important to you when it comes to designing your home?

Beauty. It’s kind of a bad answer, really, isn’t it? Because I think in the mind of a rational person, functionality is number one — and it should be! — but I’m just not a rational person, and for me, being surrounded by cute things is always my first priority.

I think the most important thing I’ve learned since moving here is not to rush things; when we first moved in, I was so desperate to cover up the ugly-duckling bones of the apartment that I brought in pieces quickly just for the sake of having them. Now, if I feel like my home is missing something or there’s a specific thing I need, I take my sweet time in finding the perfect version of it for my space so that I’ll love it for a long time (and not Facebook Marketplace it within a few months).

Where did you get all your cute decor and inspo?

So as far as appliances & paint are concerned, both came with the apartment. None of it would be what I would have chosen, but when you’re living in a city apartment, sometimes you have to accept that stuff. The only things that qualify as appliances that I picked out are my Fellow Stagg Kettle and my Smeg milk frother, both of which I’m very obsessed with. 

Where do you get inspo?

Everywhere, but mostly Instagram! I save posts that really inspire me to a folder I have called “home” and I refer to it often to give me direction when I’m looking to bring in a specific something. Some of my favorite accounts for inspo are @anothachoppaand @nella.beljan, both of which curate posts from designers and creators from all over the world. As far as specific people’s homes I adore, I love the relaxing minimalism of @tatiananbodner ‘s home, Kayla Blanks’ sunny Brooklyn apartment, and everything going on at @anotherflat__.  

Biggest challenges with decorating your apartment?

The space itself. Living in a converted attic comes with a LOT of challenges — the ceilings come down at weird angles, the rooms are oddly shaped, and the living area, in general, is very cramped. Another challenge has been the floors. They’re original hardwood from when the house was built, which is so cool, but they haven’t been well maintained at all and the wood has stripped in some places. We’ve gotten splinters just from walking around, and have to wear slippers or thick socks in the apartment at all times!

Were there any obstacles or frustrations when putting it all together?

So many! Where to even start… If I had to boil it down to one major obstacle, it was the shape of the living area. Due to it being a converted attic, there’s a wall that juts out into the living area that shortens the room significantly and makes it really hard to style. For me, a sofa, coffee table, media console, and TV are a must in any living room, and just fitting those basic building blocks into that space was really challenging. I still don’t think it’s a great fit, but we’ve done our best with it and I’m content with how it looks considering the space we’re working with. 

Advice for other apartment dwellers and renters?

My first piece of advice is a total Marie Kondo-ism, but give everything a home. Every object in your place should have a home, and when you’re not using it, it should be in that home if possible! That’s the number one way I keep myself sane while owning a lot of “stuff” in a really small space. I have a specific place for my remote control, my stationery, my extra candles, my teas — literally everything. 

My second piece of advice would be to take it one thing at a time! Like I said earlier, I’ve made the mistake of buying a bunch of cheap, poorly made pieces just to decorate a space and try to make it feel “homey” as quickly as possible, and I really regretted that. And as a result, I ended up having to get rid of a lot of stuff over the course of several months as I replaced those pieces with more thoughtfully chosen ones. Don’t do what I did; if you’re eager to decorate a space quickly, take a deep breath and remind yourself that there’s no point in decorating for decorating’s sake. Choose your pieces carefully, and choose ones you really adore, ones that make you smile. If you do that, you can’t help but love how it turns out!
 

What does home mean to you?

I’ve struggled a lot with both mental illness and chronic illness/chronic pain for most of my life, so for me, home is the ultimate sanctuary. It’s where I recover, it’s where I rest, it’s where I can curl up with a cup of tea and my heating pad and an 800-page fantasy novel. My home is the only place where I know I’ll feel 100% comfortable, both physically and mentally, and that’s everything to me. 

What projects are next?

If I’m being completely honest, the thing I’d like to do most is move! There’s a lot I love about our current apartment, but all of my favorite things about it are things I brought into it, things that would come with me into my next space. I do kind of like the wonky slanted ceilings of our converted attic apartment, as they present some fun design ideas for hanging things, but overall I think this specific space comes with a lot more limitations than it does opportunities, and I think I’d really be able to spread my interior design wings in a different apartment. 

So for now, no future projects planned at the moment for this apartment. I think I’ve done with it what I can, and I’m happy with how far it’s come!

Unpopular opinion: Scandi style and minimalism have had a little too much time in the spotlight. Trends are supposed to come and go, but I'm not afraid to admit that the all-white-and-cream-everything aesthetic has overstayed its welcome. I'm completely guilty of being in love with this look, but even I got burnt out by a neutral color palette. Over the last year, I was itching for a splash of cobalt blue in my apartment and finding *somewhere* to put neon pink. Luckily, things are a-changin' and my feeds are no longer clogged with snow-white homes. 

While you may not want to fully shimmy your way into maximalism, you likely miss having a little saturation here and there. Just look to Ally Doman for help. The interior decorator behind New York-based Doman Decors isn't afraid of color, which is a breath of fresh air. 

While she creates the most playful, gorgeously designed spaces for her clients, it always makes you wonder what the creative's home behind all of this looks like. She was kind enough to give us a tour of her splashy three-bedroom railroad-style apartment that she has shared with her fiancé for the last three years. 

"The apartment is one of those New York gems that are nearly impossible to find based on the square footage and rent," she says. "We felt like it was too good to be true, so we immediately snagged it. Prior to the move, I had been subletting all over Brooklyn for three years, moving from one previously-furnished room to the next, so it felt like the time was right to claim a space that I could treat as my very own."  

The background story

Sometimes apartments can make you feel stuck creatively. But Doman managed to squeeze a dressing room and a music studio into hers, aside from the usual bed, bath, kitchen, living room setup. She also gave each a personality of its own, but it took a lot of work considering the state of the apartment when they showed up.

"When we first saw the apartment, it looked outdated and, to put it nicely, like it could use some TLC," she says. "Between the bare and damaged subfloor, the cracked tiling, and the kitchen’s old appliances, we knew the home needed renovating, especially since we predicted we’d be living in it for quite some time based on the renting situation we so luckily found ourselves in. 

Though it needed some help, there were plusses, including "gorgeous architectural features like built-in cabinets and ornate millwork that had been there since the early 20th century." She also notes that renovating a rental isn't usually a concept landlords and landladies get on board with, but because of this opportunity the rental is "now a space we can proudly call our home."

Doman's design style

As an interior decorator by trade, I was excited to hear more about Doman's personal style. When you're working with other people's thoughts and tastes in your day job, it's fun to hear what an expert really loves.

"My personal style is, bold, bright, colorful, and comfortable with a mix of sophisticated playfulness," says Doman. "At this stage in my practice, my clients mostly live in New York apartments which are usually boxy and the square footage can be limited, so I find myself gravitating towards mid-century shapes, and then, to contrast those angular shapes, I love to tie in curvy pieces such as free-form tables, rounded decor, and lots of pattern play!"

Choosing the colors and decor

With a good chunk of creative freedom and the rare chance to renovate a rental, narrowing down your color palette and style choices can be a difficult decision. Doman managed to do this by allowing meaningful decor and furniture items they already owned to "dictate the direction." 

Sure, there are plenty of hacks and tips for finding your groove, but she prefers a little less structure. "In general, my process is way more organic than the popular '60-30-10' method because I am always on the hunt for vintage and new pieces that speak to me," she says. "Because of this natural progression, I prioritized those discoveries over a pre-planned color scheme. Midway through the design process is when I began honing in on a color story based on my findings, and I looked for decor that could play important roles in the story I wanted to tell throughout my home."

When it comes to sourcing inspiration, Doman looks to iconic Post-Impressionist artists. "I particularly love Matisse’s work of interiors because of his depiction of what a colorful and whimsical space can look like," she explains. Decor mags are also a go-to for her."I'm always ready to get my hands on the next Elle Decor and Architectural Digest," says Doman. "I also adore the Belgium interior design team JP Demeyer & Co for their brilliantly bold pattern play and eclecticism."

What matters most to you in your home?

For Doman, room functionality is the most important aspect of designing a space. She asks several questions, including: "How will I or my client live in the space? Are they the lounging type that requires extra comfy couches and accent chairs, or are they using their space as a place to host parties and events which means practical desks and table spaces that maximize seating?"

She also draws on the feeling of finding solace that comes from escaping a rushed environment. "I also want to design spaces that, as soon as you open the front door, you are transported from the chaotic streets of New York to a color-filled and cozy haven — that element of surprise is always my favorite part!"

Where she found her apartment decor

I'll take tips from an interior expert any day over frantically searching Google for a new sofa or piece of art. Unsurprisingly, Doman hasn't just restricted herself to one place. "I've purchased a few tables from CB2, which are excellent for that sculptural and contemporary feel, my green sectional is from Article (I bought it in 2019 and now I’m seeing it all over Pinterest!), and my true passion lies in vintage sourcing, whether it be online through favorite Instagram shops or IRL shops around Brooklyn." 

She's also scored some enviable finds elsewhere. She discover her vintage coffee table on eBay and the gorgeous lotus lamp sitting in the living room came from "an Instagram seller I regularly stalk." Etsy is another regular haunt for her when it comes to finding unique picks. She also owns a rug she adores from the Ruggable and Jonathan Adler collection. Additionally, going local matters to her, too. "I love using New York-based designers for objects and decor items like BEAM, Cold Picnic, and Coming Soon NY."

If you've got the green light to paint, Doman used Farrow and Ball in her living room and dressing room and Benjamin Moore paints for the pretty blue bedroom and kitchen.

The biggest design challenges

Of course, every home comes with its little idiosyncrasies (and annoyances). In Doman's living space, it's the layout of the railroad apartment. "It’s quite long and narrow, which can be a difficult configuration to decorate," she says. "Also, we literally have zero closets in our home (just a few built-in cabinets), so we’ve had to get creative with hiding our belongings using armoires, trunks, and room dividers."

Another challenge she faced while renovating was the intended timeline versus how long it actually took. "For the first month of living in our home, we could only occupy one room while they finished the rest of the house, so we slept on our mattress surrounded by all our earthly possessions," she says. "Although frustrating, it ended up being quite romantic… lots of pizza in bed!"

A word of advice

Anyone in a similar living space or who has been given their landlord's blessing to renovate may be searching for a little advice, and Doman has a really great pointer. "Be bold when it comes to creating different moods in each room, but be conscious of the fact that all the rooms in the home are visible because of the shotgun layout: it essentially feels like the space is one long hallway as you are moving from one end to the other, so it’s satisfying to find a way to tie in each room’s color palette within the home." 

One way she did this was by hinting at different rooms' color palettes throughout the space. "For example, we opted for white and black tile in the kitchen, so I’ve incorporated black and white objects, textiles, etc. in small ways throughout most of the rooms so there’s a fun pattern repetition happening!"

What does home mean to you?

"To me, home means a comfortable space in which I can be unapologetically myself," says Doman. "It’s a safe space to deep dive into my greatest aesthetic fantasies through design!" 

It's hard to make home sound better than that. Although she's working on an Upper West Side spot and a facial studio in Philadelphia, she's still making time to change and upgrade her own living space, too — sans any strict timelines. 

"There are always a million and one things I am looking to add or redo, like incorporating accent wallpaper in my partner’s studio room and painting my new vanity," she explains. "That’s the best part about your own home: total creative freedom and not a deadline in sight!"

Taking a stroll around Rosie and Innes’ Victorian renovation, it became clear that Rosie has a natural eye for interior design. Her architectural choices, use of color and, as I later found out, savvy money-saving ways, have created a beautiful, contemporary home that gives the couple the bright sociable space they wanted.  

Previously living in a flat just five minutes down the road, Rosie and Innes were desperate for more space and a dog — so a garden was essential, and this house ticked all the boxes. "The property hadn’t been touched since the 1970s and it had a tiny little kitchen," says Rosie. "We initially applied for planning permission for a wraparound extension, which would be squared off at the back, making the space significantly bigger."

Before

After

Unfortunately, planning was initially refused as the house is in a Conservation Area, and the shape of the rear had to remain the same as the original building. However, Rosie used this to her advantage, as the L-shape created by the addition that was allowed left space for an outdoor kitchen.

They also wanted to extend up into the loft, so once planning permission was granted for both, their project manager took the lead on the two areas at once. "We were lucky enough to still be living in our flat while the work was being done," says Rosie. "But we enjoyed popping by, probably more regularly than necessary, to see how the work was coming along."

"The old layout had two reception rooms at the front of the house, which the couple didn’t really need, so they knocked through one of them, allowing them to create a larger kitchen area and one large living room."

"Once the building work was done, we moved in the day before New Year’s Eve. All we had was a dining table, a mattress in the bedroom, and the garden was a mud field. But we invited a couple of friends over to celebrate anyway!"

With a blank canvas to play with, Rosie was excited to decorate. When it came to choosing colors and scrolling through Pinterest, her mum was a huge source of inspiration. "I definitely get my passion for interiors from her," she says. "Our previous flat was very pale, so we wanted to experiment with colour. My mum decorated her living room and bedroom with dark colours, and it worked to create a cosy and cocooning space — that’s what we wanted, too." The dark blue living room walls and deep green of the bedroom contrast strongly with the light walls of the rest of their home "They’re the rooms we go to in the evenings after work —it’s nice to have somewhere to hunker down and escape," Rosie adds. 

When it came to fitting out the kitchen, they thought outside the box to get quality pieces for less. "We called loads of companies asking if they had ex-display models that we could buy. It was a lengthy process, but it meant that we got brand new Miele ovens, a Bora hob, and a BeefEater outdoor fridge for basically half price — we’re so pleased with them!"

While the open-plan kitchen, dining, and living area is a thing of beauty, with ample glazing allowing the space to be flooded with natural light, it’s the outdoor kitchen that Rosie is most proud of. She and Innes had a clear vision of exactly how they wanted their garden to be, so when quotes came in at around £20,000, Innes decided that he would take on a lot of the work himself.

Sharing the load with a laborer, they completed the work within three weeks, for a fraction of the cost. "We love the outdoor kitchen — it’s like the unique selling point of the house, and it has so much wow factor when you look out and see it," says Rosie. "It’s a great social space for all seasons. In summer we use the Green Egg barbecue at least three times a week as you can cook anything on it! But we also use the space in winter; with the festoon lights and lanterns, it’s really cozy and just beckons you to sit outside."

Buying a home with a 37-year-old heating system that was only able to reach a maximum temperature of 53°F degrees in the winter might seem a bad idea. But when Katie and Stuart saw this two-bedroom period property, they were drawn to its character and potential for renovation to become a stunning family home. 

They’d just needed to rip out a few gas fireplaces, add a double-story extension, and figure out the garden all while expecting their second child and organizing a wedding. The 1930s property had high ceilings and beautiful period features worth restoring and having lived in a new-build home for the last three years, the couple craved the charm of a traditional house.

Stuart was experienced in design and Katie in finance, and the couple combined their skills to make savings while creating comfortable and practical spaces. "We wanted to be in keeping with the house, and it still had a lot of period features we wanted to highlight, such as the fireplaces and high ceilings," says Katie. Where they could, the couple tried to upcycle as much furniture as possible. Their new office space features a preloved desk that Stuart drove to Wales to pick up.

Having welcoming spaces where they could spend quality time together as a family and entertain friends was important. "We figured a bigger kitchen-diner would allow one of us to prepare a meal while the children play in the same space. That’s why we chose to create an extension to afford us the room we needed to be able to do this," says Stuart. 

Work on the extension started in the summer of 2019. "It took 12 weeks to build and be watertight," says Stuart. Designing this new addition to complement the original property was crucial. "We chose to use solid wood kitchen doors and solid brass fittings from Perrin & Rowe, as they have a timeless look. We wanted to achieve a classy, sociable open-plan space — this was relatively easy to create as the extension was a large area and blank canvas."

Another money-saving route the couple used was to engage friends to help them transform spaces, including the garden. "We also did all of the outside with Brooklyn Outdoor Living," says Stuart. "The team helped with the front drive — we dug up all the concrete and put sleepers and gravel on the drive."

At the rear, the garden was completely overgrown. Here, the couple wanted to create an area where the children could play, but also a space to entertain and enjoy warm evenings outside with guests."‘It was important to have different spaces a bit further away from the house so that we could entertain friends and not disturb the children if they were sleeping, so down the bottom we have a lounge area where we have built a pergola."

The primary bedroom suite is a luxurious place where Stuart and Katie can escape. "We wanted to create something striking so went for the freestanding bath in copper and Crittall shower screen," says Stuart. "You can see the bathroom from the main bedroom and we wanted to look onto the copper bath from the bedroom through the archway." A "his and hers" shower has been achieved by sacrificing some space in the bedroom area.

Renovating a period property often comes with unforeseen costs and hidden challenges, but Katie and Stuart have successfully navigated all these during a global pandemic to curate considered rooms that complement the age of their home.

"We were very lucky in that we didn’t face any problems with the planning office," says Katie. "Our main challenge was actually juggling childcare."

As Stuart carried out a lot of the work himself, it meant that they spent very little time together as a family. In the end, the sacrifices have paid off, as they have a home that truly reflects them. "Having an interior scheme that mirrored our personalities was important to us and we think we’ve achieved this," says Stuart.

When Emma and Martin bought their forever home — a converted farmhouse in Derbyshire, England — the main bedroom was one of a long list of rooms they needed to tackle to get the property up to scratch. "The room was really tired and run down," Emma says. "It had magnolia walls, peeling wallpaper, a threadbare, faded salmon pink carpet — oh, and woodlice emerging from the walls.

"There was an en suite, too, big enough for a bath, shower, and toilet. One day Martin took a shower in there and water started dripping into the living room. I poked the hole and released a waterfall!"

Emma proved she has a real eye for design with her transformation of the farmhouse’s main bathroom, which was a worthy winner in the Real Homes awards last year. And she’s used all those skills to create a master suite to match. It took a grueling two and a half years, but the couple’s efforts have truly paid off — as Emma explains…

Before

"Designing this room, we thought about how we wanted to live — storage was important, and we wanted a beautiful, functioning en suite. We smashed out the old en suite and took the ceiling up to the beams, opening the room up into one huge, bright space. We took space from the big spare room next door, and what’d been a long corridor leading into the bedroom, to create an en suite and dressing room. It was expensive, but we’re glad we did it for our forever home."

After

"The views from the window are beautiful, so we wanted to position the furniture to take them in. We flipped the bed so that it sits in the center of the room, with three large windows around it and a roll-top bath at the end of it. We use the space as so much more than a bedroom now. We do bath time in here so that the kids can be in the tub while we chill with a glass of wine. Sitting in bed in the morning and looking at the views is just dreamy. We wanted a boutique hotel feel, and it’s hard to find holiday places to match it now!"

Before

After

"I have a thing for blue and pink. The floor tiles around the bath were a bargain from Tile Mountain, and the blue in those really cemented the scheme. The old en suite was daffodil yellow, so I wanted the new one to be crisp and clean. Originally, I painted the main room white, but it was too bright. I toned it down with dark blue paint on the chimney breast, and soft pink furnishings."

"We were so focused on the building work that the décor was a bit of an afterthought. We made it what it is now over time — putting the wallpaper up, painting the chimney breast, changing the bedside tables and the chest of drawers. It took about two-and-a-half-years in all — we were constantly working to make it feel right. Plants were a massive game changer, like the beast of a monstera in the corner of the bedroom. Greenery really completes a space."

There's a reason why so many people obsess over the idea of New York City living. The movies are kinda right. Skyline views, incredible restaurants, and bars on your doorstep, quirky design features — these perks all exist, but so do the cons. You can't forget the sky-high rent prices, bazillion-floor walk-ups, and smelly garbage odor that rocks up when it's summer. 

Still, the 8.4 million people living there gladly embrace it all. And many of them have an unreal ability to decorate their spaces. Ella Cajayon is one of them. She lives in a two-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn with her one-year-old pug Janet (SO cute). It sounds dreamy, though she jokes that it seems "glamorous until you realize you have to climb up five floors to get here." 

As a freelance writer for Marc Jacobs and several other clients, we weren't surprised to find that her home is also super stylish. For starters, she has a curvy green velvet couch in her living room, and that's barely scratching the surface of her interior style.

The background story

Cajayon has been perfecting this place for almost a year but dreaming about it for much longer. "I wasn’t anticipating moving but my friend actually used to rent this apartment, and when I found out she was moving to LA, I jumped on the opportunity to move in as fast as I could because this place is such a gem," she says.

This friend also happened to be impeccably savvy when it came to decorating the apartment. "I had a LOT to live up to," says Cajayon. "She had a stunning gallery wall in the living room, a disco ball planter that caught the sunlight so beautifully, and she had such decadent modern pieces throughout her home that truly belonged in a magazine."

Now that Cajayon (and Janet) had full reign of the design direction, she got to work. 

Cajayon's apartment style

Though it's easy to squeeze people into a "preferred design style" box, for a lot of people it's hard to limit themselves to one look. "You know, not to be *that* person — but I’m not sure I know how to define my interior design style into a singular category," says Cajayon. "I wouldn’t know enough to deem it as 'mid-century modern' or any buzzword to describe an aesthetic, but instead, I truly feel my home is an extension of my own personal style and my evolution as a person."

We have to say that's a much more liberating way to look at your home design style. Rather than stuffing her place with furniture and decor that adheres to trends or a store's limiting and overly curated picks, she went with a blend of items. "It’s filled with hand-me-downs, pieces that have lasted me since my very first year in New York, and momentums of trips and people in my life." 

For her, it was important she had items that are "beautiful, cozy, and reminiscent of where I come from with a dose of humor sprinkled in between since I am someone who will never 100% take myself seriously."

Cajayon's design inspiration and process

Cajayon notes that there are two things she aims for when creating her home, no matter where she lives or moves to. "The space needs to feel peaceful since it’s my very own little cave away from the hustle and bustle of New York," she says. "But it also needs to feel like me, so whatever it would take to create a space that basically feels like one giant hug is exactly what I wanted to achieve."

Trends and hot new home aesthetics may seem appealing at first glance, but Cajayon has proved it's worth ignoring those and looking at what's really you. She still looks to Pinterest, Instagram, and friends for inspiration, but her individuality is front and center. "I truly think everything about my home is rooted in my personal style, so it only was natural for me to gravitate towards a color palette I love to wear," she says.

On choosing the look and color palette

Cajayon is drawn to neutrals, but it doesn't mean her entire place is only covered in beige, black, and white. She mixes things up with extra texture (through wood and rattan) and works in a good range of accent colors, including green, plum, and deep orange. 

Rather than solely plucking looks and colors from the usual sources, she looks to someone incredibly important for inspiration. "My color palette is definitely inspired by how my mother decorated our home growing up," she says. "Similar to her, I loved deep, dramatic hues contrasted with soft neutrals and so much of my mother’s spirit and style I strive to carry with me wherever I go."

Her favorite room

It's an impossible question for a lot of people, but we still like to ask. Cajayon laughs noting "it’s almost like asking who your favorite child is." For her, the living room and dining room tie for first place. "I honestly never thought in my life I would have the space for a dining room in an NYC apartment but here I am," she says. "That room is so special to me because it features a gallery wall of photos I pulled from coffee table books that have been given to me as gifts, and some of the images remind me of moments and people in my life who I treasure so, so much." 

She also installed a projector for an upgraded movie night set-up (can we come over?). Plus, the view of the Manhattan skyline from her window is hard to beat, being in the room "just feels so special and surreal sometimes." 

Her love for her living room comes from similar reasons. It's another special curation of objects that hold special meanings. "It will always be the room with my most cherished memories since it’s housed everything — movie nights, dates, parties, and out-of-town visits," she says.

The tough parts

Designing your home is never easy, even for the pros. Whether it's a creative block when it comes to actually decorating or an issue with your apartment's structure or layout, there are always annoying obstacles. New York apartments in particular tend to have some weird quirks, which Cajayon confirms.

"For me, this apartment is somehow… uneven," she says. "So nailing the gallery wall together and assembling other pieces in my home involved figuring out how to make things look symmetrical when the walls and floors aren’t symmetrical at all." 

Homes in this city also tend to be, well, teeny tiny. "You’ll notice my bathroom isn’t featured and that is because it is literally the size of an airplane bathroom," she says. "I can’t even find a bath mat to fit on the floor because it’s that tiny! So similar to so many aspects of surviving the city, it’s all about being strategic."

A little advice

When it comes to decorating your own apartment space, Cajayon has some helpful hints. Firstly, your decor doesn't have to be perfectly complementary. "Embrace the mismatch when pairing pieces together," she notes. "Find pieces that can serve multiple purposes to make the most of the space. Take advantage of wall space and mirrors — and all hail whoever invented a ladder and command stripes."

Speaking of ladders, another hot tip? Get yourself one. Being 5'0, Cajayon found this was essential — eventually. "I have had the pride to avoid buying [one] for seven years until now, but I will say, embarrassment and humility aside, it was a good purchase."

What does home mean to you?

It's tough to put into words what your home means to you. Cajayon made it look easy with her definition. "It’s a place that should embody who you are and a safe space you can turn to for comfort and ease," she says. "I mentioned this earlier, but home to me really is somewhere to come back to that feels like a giant hug.

We're feeling a li'l teary-eyed now. Home means something different for everyone. But we think anyone can get behind the idea of your home serving as an embrace every time you step through the door, especially when it looks as stylish as this light-filled, homey apartment.

After renovating the rest of their Victorian terrace, Andrea Wilson and Will Saunders turned their attention to the third and final bedroom. It was the room the couple had slept in while the rest of the house was being tackled, so they knew it had the potential to be an ideal guest bedroom. The fact that it was devoid of color and needed completely new décor, carpet, and furniture, didn’t faze Andrea, for whom interior design is a hobby.

"This room was very dated and tired, with wallpaper literally falling off the walls, but that only provided me with even more scope to do just what I liked," she says. The key to getting it right, according to Andrea, was having a clear vision of the feel she wanted to achieve — the main aspect being that it had to be light and inviting — and giving herself lots of time to source items well in advance.

Before

"As you want your guests to relax and feel at home, it’s important not to make the room seem too formal," says Andrea. "One way to achieve this is by adding color through the bedding and cushions. Also, rather than opting for a bed in a contemporary style, I thought a traditional iron bedstead would look comforting — as well as being good and sturdy! It was our biggest outlay, but we saved money elsewhere by recycling and repainting other items."

After

"At first I was intending to paint all the walls the same shade but decided I wanted the back wall to be darker and the rest lighter," Andrea explains. "It’s a combination that we have tried and tested in the rest of the house and feel it works well. Using the darker color — Farrow & Ball’s Plummet — as a backdrop makes anything in front of it stand out. Having similar hues creates a brightness, yet gives it a feeling of calm, which is the main requirement of a bedroom. Using neutral colors also means it’s neither masculine nor feminine, giving it a versatile appeal."

"I’m a great believer in reusing items wherever possible," says Andrea. "I use chalk paint to add color, and with very little money and a bit of time, you can easily transform furniture and accessories. The mirror and the desk here have been painted in different colors over the years. Another important aspect was finding an original Victorian fireplace at a reclamation yard — it instantly brought a feeling of authenticity to the room." 

"The main thing I wanted to achieve with this room was to create a fresh, light, and inviting feel," says Andrea. "I love color, so it was never going to be all white! I think the use of fabrics can be one of the easiest, yet most personal ways to introduce color into a room. With bedding, for example, it’s easily changeable, so not only does it allow you to be as daring as you like, but you can use a selection of different duvet covers and switch up the look every time one is in the wash. I’ve mixed my personal tastes with a bit of what’s on trend, like the dark and terracotta tones."

Nestled in Brooklyn, New York lives furniture designer Sophie Collé with her (very cute) cat. And they reside happily in a veritably uplifting palette of pink. Much like in her work, Collé plays with "familiar colors and forms," paying tribute to her favorite city shades, artists, and designers in her home. This translates into a space that's very much a joyful representation of her skill and personality.

"It's an old loft space, which I have always wanted," says Collé. "The 8-foot-tall windows are what I fell in love with immediately." Those two features may have been the selling points of this rental but it still took a lot of creativity to get it to where it's at today. 

Step into Sophie's World.

Where did your style inspiration come from?

Collé proves how your home can be anything and everything that you want it to be with a little perseverance. "A lot of my inspiration comes from the world around me," she says.

"Colors I see in New York and Miami, movie sets and TV shows from my childhood, toys, the life of Barbie and other characters, really anything that has humor or sparks joy, I try to incorporate into my work. My biggest direct inspirations are groups such as Memphis Milano, Superstudio, Studio 65, Italian radical design at large, and artists such as Joan Miro, Calder, designers such as Nanda Vigo, Jean Royère."

Collé's hand-painted cloud-like squiggles feature throughout her home and plenty of curves make it onto her furniture too. Many of these motifs were made by Collé herself. It allowed her to experiment with her skills but also keep costs down.

"I also love the colors of the Roccoco and Baroque fine art movements," she says. "Those clouds and pastel colors are to die for!"

Collé made the wiggle kitchen island above and then attached it to a pink IKEA Kalax unit, uniquely elevating her cooking space for way less than if she'd had bought it custom-made elsewhere. Collé says it was "the easiest island hack ever!"

How else did you keep costs down?

Aside from cute decorative accents like squiggle mirrors, colorful swirl candles, and houseplants, Sophie made some bigger edits to the space but always with her budget in mind, even if it meant holding out for longer than she wanted.

"I definitely worked in shifts and phases," she explains. "Since I was running my business at the same time, it couldn't happen all at once! Painting the house was relatively cheap, but filling it with all the vintage pieces I have now took time, but it was so worth it!" 

Collé notes that she found her Art Deco couch on Facebook Marketplace for just $125, adding that she "saw the exact same couch for $900 on Instagram the next day." She was adamant about playing the waiting game, too. "I made sure to stick within a certain budget and if the pieces were too expensive, I patiently waited until I found something better," she says. "Doing all the labor myself was also a huge cost benefit, since I didn't have to hire any outside laborers or painters."

Were there any problems you had to face with the space when you moved in?

When you rent, it's pretty rare that your home is completely ready to go, so it's worth having an open conversation with your landlord ahead of moving in. Doing so will ensure you can make the changes you want for your home without any issues down the line. They may even do a lot of the work for you!

Collé had a couple of workarounds to factor in, notably a painted green chalkboard wall, which thankfully left the room when management kindly painted it white for her.

Faux plants were also left by previous tenants, which is an easier swap out for sure. Storage, however, was an issue. Collé says there was virtually none in her apartment, including "no closets!" That and she found there were very few outlets on the walls, pushing her to seek out clever solutions.

Another large design problem on her hands was the bathroom. She was unimpressed by the original state of the space. "The entire bathroom was floor-to-ceiling brown and gray tile," says Collé. "That had to go as soon as possible!" It was replaced with a white foundation and she added a perfect sprinkling of pink accents over top, including a sleek hot pink shower curtain and wavy bath mat.

What was a favorite home decor addition of yours?

As well as the cool column find and wiggle kitchen island creation, Collé chose glass block windows, which she was thrilled about. Though changes like this aren't the first thing that comes to mind when you're renting, they're often completely possible to do — just check with your building manager.

"It was an expansive wall that didn't receive the surplus of light that I have in this loft, and the glass blocks have let it flood through which is amazing," she says. "All my friends thought I was crazy for cutting into my walls but it was so worth it! The windows were even pretty affordable from Lowes."

Bright pops of contrasting color are weaved throughout Collés home. She's done this through artwork, plant pots, her own work on display, and even through little storage crates that are perfect for holding home office supplies or everyday knick-knacks. 

So if you're renting a dull apartment or maybe your bedroom needs a major dose of dopamine, pay homage to Collé's space. Any place inspired by hers will serve up all the happy vibes you could ever want.

Having viewed several properties within a mile radius of Grimsby town centre, first-time buyers Leila and Joe fell for the cheapest and most dated house of all.

‘We rented on and off for years and got travelling out of our systems, so we were ready to buy our first home,’ says Leila. ‘Our previous house was on the rural outskirts, and we wanted to be more central.’ As Leila had always loved her aunty’s spacious London terrace and Joe had grown up in a period home, the couple wanted a characterful house.

Luckily, the three-bedroom Victorian house they fell for had ‘good bones’ with central heating and a new roof, but also bags of potential to give it their own stamp.
‘On the day we moved in, Joe’s nana was ripping up the worn carpets in the dining room,’ says Leila. ‘And the first weekend I started with an easy job by painting
the downstairs toilet. Then we decorated our bedroom in a pale stone grey and painted the floorboards white to create a sanctuary from all the building work we had planned.’

A few months later, the dining room, tiny kitchen and utility were knocked through to create one long kitchen-diner. The ceiling was vaulted and skylights added, while a window and side door were blocked up to give more scope for placing kitchen units and furniture. 

After contacting lots of tradespeople, the couple chose a builder recommended by one of Leila’s best friends. However, there were several challenges during the four-month project. A damp proof course was an unexpected cost, and Joe had to fit the bi-fold doors with his dad because the builder wasn’t comfortable installing an unfamiliar product that Leila had sourced.

With a galley kitchen in the middle, the new space flows so much better. ‘We regularly have family over for Sunday tea and we love games nights with friends,’ says Leila. ‘It’s lovely being able to prep in the kitchen while chatting, and we can shift the table for late-night kitchen discos.’

Shortly afterward, the front living room was knocked through to the dining room by the same team, with structural engineer Joe working out calculations for a new steel beam.

Previously, the room had a dado rail with red and magnolia walls — this was removed, the walls replastered, and the floorboards sanded. A jammed bay window was restored to working order.

Over the years, the couple have honed their daring and bold interior style, which mixes contemporary with traditional. ‘We love the period features and wanted to restore as much as we could while also making our home feel modern,’ says Leila. ‘The living room and bedroom at the front are just for me and Joe to relax in, so we went for dark, cosy colours, whereas the back of the house was kept bright, colourful and fun. I enjoy telling family and friends my decor ideas and waiting for their reactions!’

Now the only pieces of furniture remaining from their previous property are
the brown leather sofa in the living room and Peacock chair in the main bedroom. ‘Most of our furniture is second-hand,’ says Leila. ‘I’ll typically look on various home websites first, then try and find the same thing second-hand or cheaper on eBay.’

While Joe’s favourite space is the living room, where he had the most creative input, Leila’s is the hallway, with its daring black paintwork, fun striped runner, and original floor tiles. ‘It just feels so true to our style and the period of the house,’ she says. ‘It’s an instant wow factor every time we come in.’

With a recent garden makeover completing their renovation journey, Leila
and Joe can’t imagine moving for a very long time. ‘We’ve put our absolute
hearts into this home, there’s been blood, sweat, and tears,’ says Leila.
‘We’ve created our dream home and I’d be absolutely gutted to leave.’

After living in their London flat for over 10 years, and with a second baby on the way, Caroline and Stephen Kilgour felt it was time to return to the North East.

"Although we have family in Darlington, we wanted to be in a city," says communications manager turned interior designer Caroline. "We did a few recces and loved the vibe in Heaton, Newcastle. The main street has some lovely shops and restaurants, which swung it."

After selling their home in Streatham, London, the couple moved into rented accommodation in central London until their daughter was born. Fortunately, they found a four-bedroom Victorian house in their preferred area quite quickly. "Everything felt very spacious and light when we walked into the hallway with lovely high ceilings," says Caroline. "We could move in and put our stamp on it without it being a huge fixer-upper."

Daughter Isabelle was born in London not long after they bought the house. "It was stressful trying to pack up a flat with a newborn, and there was a heatwave the day we moved — that made the drive fun!" recalls Caroline. "I was desperate to nest and make it ours, so we got cracking straight away."

Faced with "wall-to-wall magnolia", son Albie’s bedroom and the main bedroom were decorated first. A woodburning stove was installed in the living room along with alcove bookshelves before the pair jumped headlong into renovating the kitchen-diner and converting the attic into a guest bedroom and en suite.

The five-week project involved adding bi-folds to the dining area and new kitchen, while the top floor needed a new staircase, skylights and steel joists to be classified as a bedroom. The roof was retiled while the scaffolding was up.

"Before the attic was just storage space with a pull-down ladder — you could even see into next door’s attic," says Caroline. A lot of thought went into the new layout. "We initially thought we couldn’t squeeze in an en suite," she explains. "However, the adjustments made to the space to meet building regulations configured the room slightly differently, giving us the space we needed for a shower area."

Rather than snaffle the attic bedroom for themselves, it doubles up as a guest bedroom and Stephen’s office. "We prefer having our bedroom on the same floor as the children," explains Caroline. "It was the best thing  we did as it means we have a whole floor to offer guests."

Although the new kitchen layout is similar, replacing the white uPVC French doors with black bi-folds, updating the back door and replacing the tired cream units with a modern sage green design has made a huge difference. "At first I wanted Crittall windows, but we compromised with black aluminum frames that have a similar vibe and still really maximize the south-west facing light,’ says Caroline. "It’s lovely to have the one main family space where we cook and eat together."

Throughout the house, the key thread has been mixing old and new. "Ultimately I wanted the décor to be sympathetic to the house," says Caroline. "I like clean lines and classic styles with pops of color. Trusting your instincts is one thing, but mood boards can be really helpful to collate all your ideas and see if things look right together."

Having previously been a communications manager, moving home led Caroline to switch careers. During lockdown she started an online interior design business (@room_service_by_caroline). "It satisfies my creative interests and gives me flexibility with a young family," she says. "I love helping other people reimagine their rooms." Caroline admits she’s learned a lot from renovating her home. "Planning is everything," she says. "You need to think of every little thing to avoid any last-minute rash decision making."

She has no regrets about moving north either. "We love the area; the
nearby beaches are beautiful, schools are within walking distance and
the city center is on our doorstep," she says. "My sister’s just moved up
to Newcastle, so I definitely think we’ll be here for a long time."

Ellie and Oliver got lucky with the bathroom they inherited with their two-bed Victorian terrace in Leicester, England. It was a large space, complete with double sinks and a roll-top bath. "It always felt like this space had potential — it was just very beige and a bit bare. We wanted to do more with it," Ellie explains

Central to the project was kitchen and bathroom designer Joel LaRosa, who the couple hired to help them find their feet. "This is our first house — we had a complete lack of experience and no DIY skills," says Ellie. "Joel project-managed the whole thing. He was good at listening to what we needed."

The work took five weeks. Luckily, Ellie and Oliver had a downstairs loo they could use — "and our Spanish friend down the road went back to Spain and left us his keys, so we could shower there," says Ellie. The makeover left her full of ideas for her future project. "We’re looking at a kitchen extension. It’s given me the bug."

Before

After

"Initially, the shower was in the alcove where the toilet is. I’d assumed it would stay there, but Joel came up with the idea of a walk-through shower in the center of the room, which is a much better use of space," says Ellie. "We kept the old bath, which cut costs, and was more sustainable. We both liked it — so there was no need to change."

"My family have always lived abroad, so I have an eclectic mix of trinkets from overseas. I suppose my style is a bit bohemian — as in, nothing matches! My background as a conservator means I appreciate older things, and we try to buy vintage or second hand — we do quite a lot of antiques shopping. But I also like modern style, and with no period features in the room, it was a good opportunity to bring that in."

"My one non-negotiable was keeping two sinks," recalls Ellie. "The whole bathroom theme stemmed from the ceramic sinks, which I found on Pinterest and tracked down to the manufacturer. Joel and I planned everything else from there. I looked at  upcycling a vanity unit, but saw this one on Tikamoon. I didn’t want a straight block of tiles behind it, but something more organic. Joel was on the floor laying them out to get them just right!"

"Joel was brilliant and came up with workarounds for most of the issues that surfaced along the way. The only thing I might have changed is the flooring. We love what we have, and we love the slate shower tray, but we quite like walk-through showers where the tiles blend into the floor, too."

"It seems I always like expensive things I can’t afford, so when I saw Tadelakt (a traditional lime-based plaster from Morocco) while I was browsing the web, I knew I wanted to use something similar. I found a limewash paint on Abigail Ahern’s website that had a similar texture and thought that would work as an alternative. We painted it ourselves to reduce costs."

Before

They say everything happens for a reason, and that certainly applies to the way Emily and Jake Smith found the home that became their first step on the property ladder. "At the time, we weren’t really looking to buy," says Emily. "But in the middle of lockdown, when we saw there were some new houses being built in our area, we thought we’d go and have a look, just to be nosy really."

They’d been saving for a while, but thought they weren’t in a position financially to buy, and they weren’t fully sold on the idea of buying a new build either. "We thought it might be a bit cramped and overlooked," says Emily. 

As soon as they walked through the door, they were welcomed with a large, light and bright hallway that instantly changed their minds. "It was so much more spacious than we’d thought it would be and we immediately realized that this was definitely somewhere we could see ourselves living one day," says Emily.

That one day came around much quicker than expected. While chatting to the estate agents, Emily discovered that, as an NHS worker (England's National Health Service), she was entitled to a discount she hadn’t known about. With the realization that this house was the only one not yet sold, they quickly reconsidered their finances and put in an offer. 

Once that was accepted, Emily and Jake quickly started seeking decorating inspiration. They looked to Pinterest and Instagram to get a feel for what they’d like to do, pinning and saving ideas that made them smile. When they moved in, the nation was still in lockdown, but Emily used this to her advantage. "Doing up the house was a distraction from Covid times," she says. "I sat with floor plans, mapping out exactly what I wanted to do. I had a lot of time on my hands as I couldn’t go out, so I was able to really think about it and play around with different ideas and layouts."

Sometimes the best way to decorate a room is to choose one stand-out piece that you love, and use that as the basis for the rest of your scheme, which is exactly what Emily did. "The yellow sofa was the first thing we bought. As soon as I saw it, it just made me smile," she says. 

"Then it was all about what we could get to go with that. One mistake we made, though, was with choosing the second sofa. As we couldn’t go to look at it in the shop, we ordered online and hoped for the best. But when it arrived we saw it was nowhere near the same height as the other one, so we sent it back."

While Emily’s passion for interiors grew out of being isolated in lockdown, the fruits of her labor resulted in an unexpected means of connection — via Instagram. "After decorating the house, I was so proud of what we’d achieved," she says. "But as lockdown persisted, I couldn’t invite my friends and family round, so I couldn’t share it with anyone. That’s why I started putting pictures on Instagram."

Emily is a huge fan of Christmas, and her new-found love of interiors has lead to a change in the way she decorates for Christmas, too. "I used to just automatically go for the classic reds and silvers," says Emily. "But after putting so much thought and care into ensuring my interior scheme is a reflection of my personality, I realized that my Christmas decorations should show it as well."

Emily now ditches the traditional scheme for a look that ties in with and accentuates her existing interior style. From rainbow trees to multi-colored baubles and handmade pom-poms designed especially to match the sofas, her Christmas style is just as fun and playful as the rest of her space. 

"If I was to offer one piece of advice to someone buying a new build, it would be to be brave," says Emily. "It can feel quite overwhelming at first as you’re faced with a white blank canvas and everything is fresh and new, and you’re worried about ruining what you’ve got. But if you get straight in there and add your stamp to it quickly, you’ll love it even more."

Vikki Savage loves Christmas, and she has redecorated her home so it looks its best when the halls are decked and the sitting room is a sparkling festive fantasy.  

We hear how she and her husband, Will, found their dream house — when it came on sale the day after they picked it as one of their favourites on a street where they wanted to live!

'We were working at the dining table when Will lifted his phone over our screens to show me the listing and we both started squealing,’ remembers Vikki. ‘Amazingly it was in our price bracket, so we viewed it within half an hour and offered the full asking price.’

They'd fully renovated their previous three-bedroom 1930s semi nearby, so the couple was happy to take on a project with a house that hadn’t been updated in over 20 years. ‘I came to the second viewing armed with a notepad and wrote down where the boiler was, which radiators needed moving and what walls had wood chip wallpaper,’ says Vikki.

‘It soon sunk in that every room needed doing. In the old house we’d lived with things we wouldn’t have chosen as there was nothing wrong with them; here it really was a blessing to be able to change everything.’

With boxes still unpacked, the couple began ripping out fireplaces and had an electrician already lined up to rewire the house. ‘I’m an obsessive budgeter and we’d held back some equity from our house sale to give us a decent pot to get started,’ says Vikki. ‘Our first priorities were the bathroom and living room.’

Faced with a long, narrow, carpeted bathroom and a separate toilet with bright yellow walls and no sink, it made sense to remodel and knock the two rooms together. ‘There was a shower over the bath and your elbows touched the walls when you sat on the toilet,’ says Vikki. ‘We were desperate for a separate bath and large walk- in shower, so we moved the door further into the landing and removed a boiler cupboard, fitting a new combi boiler under the stairs.’

While some rooms were skimmed and redecorated, like the living room and guest bedroom, others were given a quick fix with an eye to more significant remodelling in future. ‘Phase one is getting what’s already here up to scratch,’ says Vikki. ‘But phase two — which might take years to save up for — will be knocking through and extending the kitchen and dining room, as well as adding a utility and playroom.’

With that in mind, the 10-year-old white gloss kitchen was repainted yellow, and new LVT flooring was laid to replace the impractical red carpet tiles that had become encrusted with Play-Doh. ‘The wall cupboards were so big that we couldn’t use the work surface properly,’ says Vikki. ‘So we’ve replaced them with shelves and rails, plus a panelled backdrop.'

Although their previous home was from the same era, this house is a little grander with slightly bigger rooms, which has emboldened Vikki’s décor choices. ‘Our former house was very black and white, but here I have a yellow kitchen, a pink bath, and a burgundy guest bedroom,’ she says. ‘I’ve definitely found my style and become more confident.’

Underpinning everything are several threads that create cohesion; namely an off-white base in each room, panelling, gold accents, matching ceiling roses, and lots of plants. ‘Most of my accessories could move to any room, so the styling gives it flow as well,’ Vikki adds.

With the hall, stairs, and dining room still to tackle, Christmas will be spent between their parents’ homes this year. However, they still love dressing up the house for the festivities. ‘I’m obsessed with Christmas and usually get the tree up by the first weekend of December,’ says Vikki. 

‘Helping my mum put up decorations as a child is what got me into interiors in the first place. And when we bought our first house, I realised the room would look even better at Christmas if there was a better backdrop for those decorations. We can’t wait to host here.’

An older house was always on the cards for Esther Pillans. Growing up with parents who renovated homes  — her dad was a builder — when the time came for her and her boyfriend, Lewis, to buy a property of their own, they wanted a period project they could put their stamp on. Living at home while they saved up meant they were in a great position to buy a four-bed Victorian terrace just around the corner from Esther’s family home.

Helping the sale was the fact the house was on for a competitive price — despite the fact it was in relatively good shape. "It had been empty for six months when we bought it, and rented out before, but it was in good condition, with a new roof and boiler," says Esther. "But it looked grotty, so was quite cheap. Everything was done already, so we wouldn’t need to spend much money."

Before

After

Still, the house needed a facelift — starting with the kitchen, which was old and battered with drip marks and peeling wallpaper. The house had been empty over winter and smelt of damp, though there wasn’t any to be seen. Esther and Lewis decided to combine the kitchen with the separate dining room to create an open-plan space, enlisting Esther’s dad and brother — who is also a builder — to take the wall down. They also added two sets of French doors to the rear of the house, but the rest of the work was largely cosmetic — including the dusty job of removing three layers of textured wallpaper from every room.

Before

After

One element Esther was keen to change was the lack of period features. "All the fireplaces had been taken out and the doors replaced with modern ones, so it was a real mismatch of eras," she says. The cornicing was the only original feature remaining. Esther is "obsessed" with fireplaces and spent time tracking down era-appropriate pieces on second-hand sites — including a £200 marble find from a nearby house for the dining room, and a £50 bargain for the bedroom. They also replaced the rotting front door: "We had a frame built and chose an old-style door with stained glass panels."

Before

After

The kitchen and bathroom were reconfigured and Esther and Lewis tackled the big job of sanding the wooden floors upstairs, though they paid someone to do downstairs. "We didn’t have any particular skill — we just hired the machine and gave it a go," says Esther.

This can-do attitude was a theme throughout the project: in fact, the only other outside help the couple enlisted was Wren’s kitchen planning service, to map out the layout of the space. The sun doesn’t reach the room until late afternoon, so Esther toyed with light-coloured units, but ultimately settled on a deep blue shade. "I didn’t want to go too bold in here because it’s our first home and we’re still not decided on our style," she adds. "The neutral colour means I can change the paint or accessories to refresh the space — and I love the greenery against the dark cabinets."

Before

After

Though Esther is still nailing down her style, there’s one look she returns to again and again. "I love French style: oversized mantle mirrors, white marble, the kind of thing you see in big Parisian apartments," she says. There’s certainly a French influence in the living room, with its marble fireplace, dramatic chandelier and big mantle mirror — and in the subtle hallway panelling, too. But there are also touches of Ibiza cool in the white-painted walls of the garden, and a more minimalist approach — warmed by natural textures and colourful accessories — in the bedroom.

Before

After

While this isn’t Esther and Lewis’s forever home, they’ve taken great care to create a warm, inviting and stylish space. "I’m a creative person, especially in my job, and living with my mum and dad while they renovated means I’ve got a good idea of how to bring a feel to a room," says Esther. Seeing her home, that certainly seems to be true — and if this house is anything to go by, we are excited to see what they’ve got up their sleeves when they do decide to move on.

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After

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After

When our homes meet our needs, they can bring us ultimate joy — but when they don’t work for our busy lives, they can bring unwanted stress. This is the lesson that Shazia and Scott Hemmens learned during lockdown, when they realised their house was letting down their family...

Their home felt cramped and claustrophobic, so they rejigged the ground floor layout to transform the kitchen and restore a sense of calm. Shazia reveals how they raced to finish, ready to host a family Christmas. 

Before

"When we moved into our terrace in 2008, we inherited the traditional 1930s layout, including a small kitchen, a separate dining room and front living room. The décor hadn’t been touched since the 1990s and it had mahogany windows and red feature walls, so it felt very gloomy. The floorboards were rotting in places and the house was poorly insulated — we were always freezing.  We were focused on starting a family, so lived with it for 13 years."

After

"During lockdown, the house felt suffocating and it became obvious that we couldn’t live like this anymore. It took us a while to secure a remortgage to pay for renovations, but eventually we managed to secure the funds to create a better home for us all."

Before

"I’m an active member in local community groups and I saw Kate Clare from Loud Architects had posted in one advertising her services. She offered a complete design package, including an interior design service. Kate made her costings transparent and offered to adjust her designs to fit within our means, as we had to stick to a strict budget."

After

"We chatted about our 'must-haves'. We wanted an innovative design but also a practical space that would be child-friendly for our two boys. We wanted a kitchen that opened onto the garden, a social dining area, and a snug area for movie nights. Once Kate had the measurements of our house, she got to work on the plans."

Before

"My neighbours had warned me that planning approval can be tricky to obtain, but after a few tweaks to the original design, it was granted! Kate sent out our plans to tender to several building firms. We couldn’t afford to move out and struggled to find a build team that’d be happy with us living on site. Luckily, Mark Smith from Forma London was cool with this set up."

After

"In July 2021, our site manager set up an office in our garden, and his team made us a temporary kitchen in a corner of the hallway. I was washing dishes in the bath but we saved thousands by staying put. Each week they’d update us on the build progress and submitted monthly financial reports, so we could keep track of the spend."

Before

"Our build went really smoothly; by mid-July, the dining room fireplace was knocked out and flooring ripped up. In late August, they’d dug the external foundations. The only delay we had was when bad weather prevented the poured concrete from drying out."

After

"By the end of September, the bi-fold doors and skylights were fitted, and the electrics installed. In October, the plastering and painting was completed, and the underfloor heating and herringbone flooring fitted. By the end of the month, our bespoke kitchen units were slotted into place over a period of three days."

"I’d ordered our furniture to arrive early November, so for a few weeks we were living among boxes. Buying everything online was stressful because it was difficult to visualise how things would look in an unfinished kitchen. Luckily, we only had to make a small alteration to one of the light fittings."

"Although living on a building site for months on end wasn’t ideal, the end result was worth all the disruption. We got our home back for Christmas, and we had the best time hosting our extended family. The central island is where we all gather during family get-togethers. And during quiet moments, I love nothing more than perching on a bar stool with a cuppa, soaking in the view over the garden."

Priced at the top of their budget and three times bigger than their previous place, Becks and Martin almost didn’t view the Victorian house in Leeds that would become their home. The couple had bought a terraced house in Leeds, renting it out when they moved to London. When their son Sam was born, they returned and lived there temporarily. But a detached house with a garden was the dream.

‘It had to be near good schools and the hospital for Martin being on call as a doctor,’ says Becks. ‘This house ticked all the boxes but had been on the market for over a year and required serious vision. It felt really dark and the skirting boards had been chewed by dogs!’

Ill-thought-out extensions had left the kitchen boxed in. ‘The only thing I liked was the sitting room ceiling,’ admits Becks. ‘But we were happy to get a doer-upper and max out our budget to get the house we wanted.’

The first floor was renovated first, while they saved up to reconfigure the tricky ground floor. ‘It was a blessing in disguise as we changed our minds a few times about the layout,’ she explains. After knocking down a structural wall to double the size of the bathroom, all the flooring was replaced and every bedroom redecorated.

Before

Four and a half years later, two structural walls were knocked down to create an open-plan kitchen, living and dining area. Although the couple didn’t hire an architect, their structural engineer and builder proved invaluable in dealing with the different ceiling heights. ‘Our builder hid all the steels and levelled the ceiling,’ says Becks. ‘This was key to making it all feel like one space.’

After

It took time to plan the kitchen layout as there isn’t a lot of wall space, so the island had to work hard to compensate with ample storage. ‘Using a local independent kitchen company meant we weren’t constrained by standard sizes,’ says Becks. ‘Martin was set on a range cooker, so the kitchen was designed around that, and I wanted deep drawers.'

The pair agonised over the cabinetry style. ‘The old kitchen was so dark that I initially wanted something modern, clean and shiny,’ says Becks. ‘But then I realised it wouldn’t go with the age and style of the house. An in-frame Shaker style seemed more classic and timeless, while green is quite neutral and natural. It can also be re-sprayed in future.’

Before

After

Opening up the dining room – previously accessed via an archway from the living area – has also been a game changer. ‘A window was blocked up here to better zone the space and create a dining nook,’ says Becks. ‘We’d always wanted a built-in seating area that could fit a lot of people around.’

Becks studying for a Diploma in Interior Design during the build also came in handy. ‘I made lots of mood boards and it made me think about the different colours and textures I liked,’ she says. ‘We did loads of travelling before we had kids, and Martin grew up in South Africa, so we’ve always liked rustic styles and pieces from different parts of the world – things that aren’t too matchy matchy.’

Despite a hiccup when the utility room floor had to be dug up and relevelled, the eight-week build went to schedule. However, the joinery took another eight weeks due to Covid and supply shortages. ‘It was horrendous,’ says Becks. ‘We had 14 weeks with no kitchen so we used a hob in the utility, washed up in the bath and kept our food in the living room.'

Before

After

Becks would love to build a pod where she can run workshops on how to approach interiors projects. ‘It pays off to put the hard work in at the beginning and plan the space in detail, down to the colour palette and style of furniture,’ she advises. ‘And you don’t have to extend to get the home you want, either. We have so much more space as the thick stone walls we took out were about half a metre wide.’

Before

After

Accidental renovators Sophie Hannah and her husband, Robin, certainly weren’t looking for a project. "We’d outgrown our little two-bed and wanted somewhere near transport links that had plenty of space, especially as I work from home as a content creator," explains Sophie. "Ideally, we wanted a four-bedroom house in the Colchester area, but couldn’t find one that had more than two double bedrooms."

"When this house came up it was very affordable because it needed renovating,
but it had three double bedrooms and a big single bedroom."

They knew they’d want to decorate, whatever house they bought – but it wasn’t until they got the keys on moving day that they realised how big of a project the house was. "And I had no idea how stressful renovating a house can be," says Sophie. 

Before

After

The couple had no intention of starting the project immediately, but their new home forced their hand — on the day they were handed the keys they discovered rats nesting in the kitchen roof. "Luckily we’d managed to keep our little two-bed house so we lived there while we renovated," Sophie explains. "It was difficult as we hadn’t planned on paying two mortgages at the same time."

"Planning permission for the kitchen extension took three or four months, but it took an excruciating eight months to switch from oil to gas — that was a nightmare and I’d never do it again!" They hired an architect for the extension as they needed planning permission, but Sophie designed the rest of the house herself. "I created mock ups of every room on Photoshop so I could envision exactly how it was all going to come together."

A much-dreamed-about kitchen extension went smoothly and work began on the rest of the house. However, the two bathrooms ended up taking eight months to complete. "The freelancers working on them only came at the weekends — we think because they knew we weren’t living there they took on other jobs and just squeezed us in as and when," says Sophie. "Then we found a wall of asbestos in our bathroom, which paused everything for a few weeks until we could get a specialist in to safely remove it."

"We also didn’t factor in that the house would need a full electrical rewiring, so that cost us more than we had budgeted for — and then we had the holes to fill in," says Sophie. "All of this did delay us being able to move in, but in September 2019, just under a year after we got the keys, we were finally in. So, a few problems — but all worth it."

Sophie and Robin’s personalities are reflected in their colourful décor choices. From the moment you enter the bright and airy panelled hallway, you’re introduced to fun palettes, unexpected accessories and individual quirks that make this Victorian townhouse feel like a modern classic. The rich hues and jewelled tones used throughout feel on-trend yet timeless, especially in the kitchen, with its sleek black cabinets and eye-catching pink tile.

Before

After

As works on the house began to slow down, it was time to tackle the overgrown and uneven garden. Intrusive bushes were ripped out and overgrown trees trimmed and pruned. The couple breathed new life into the garden, furnishing it with a tiki bar, a swing and on-trend outdoor furniture.

Before

Although Sophie had the vision for the majority of the house, Robin was still involved in final decisions. "I actually really enjoyed designing all the rooms," says Sophie. "It allowed me to be super creative and it was amazing seeing each one come to life."

"We love our house now — it’s a space that feels like it’s truly ours. It oozes with our personality and personal style, it’s fun but homely, and we’re still so appreciative of having more room."

Before

After

With the house now complete, would they take on another renovation? "I always said no while we were in the middle of this," Sophie admits. "But now it’s finished, I’ve got the itch again!"

Before

After

When it comes to finding inspiration for decorating and styling your newly renovated home, owning a luxury interiors business is a distinct advantage.

Sam Marlow is the founder and director of online store Lime Lace, which started because she was so frustrated by ‘the lack of unique and creative’ home accessories available on the high street that she began sourcing and selling her own. Sam named it Lime Lace because she sells a mix of ‘fresh contemporary pieces and antique vintage pieces, and that is really the style of my house.’

We chatted with Sam to find out how she took an old-fashioned former farmhouse and transformed it into a relaxing family home that’s also a stunning showcase for her business…

'The building has a lot of history – it used to be part of a big period farm building. It was divided into separate houses and we have one of the centre ones with the original barn door. We’d been looking for a house for over a year.

'When we found this one I liked the age of it: the exposed stone and the beams. We’re in the middle of the countryside with fields to the front and back, but it’s only 10 minutes to Ilkley and 15 minutes to Harrogate. The village we’re in has a school and a pub and that’s about it, but it’s got a lovely feel to it.'

'It’s very rare for properties to come up for sale in the village and we had to fight to get it. In the end there were three of us who had to do silent bids, it was that much in demand. It was stressful because you don’t know what you’re up against. And the farmer selling kept changing his mind. We were really lucky to get it – there were quite a few tears at the end.'

'I’ve got a background in property development, starting in an estate agent’s after university, then designing show apartments and moving into interior design. I’d done projects of my own before the house but for a few years I was looking for something I could put my stamp on. It was in a bit of a state when we bought it; very run down and not a very pretty property. I literally felt like pulling everything out and starting again.'

'When we moved in, I found out I was pregnant, so we needed another bedroom. We did a small side extension and created a downstairs bedroom and toilet. The kitchen space was here but it was very old-fashioned. We ripped the floor out and levelled it to put a new floor and underfloor heating in. We put in bi-folding doors to create the inside/outside look I wanted. I also had the patio decked and raised. It was Yorkshire stone and I know it’s sacrilegious to get rid of it, but it wasn’t the modern look that I wanted.'

'We did the decorating and painting, but the main structural items we did get the professionals in to do, and I sourced the materials. When we moved in, the bathroom was the most important room to get done first because I was pregnant and had two young children. I’m obsessed with baths – when you’re pregnant there’s nothing better – but we just had a toilet and a sink! We’d go to the gym to have a shower while the building work was going on. 

'It was quite difficult when we didn’t have a kitchen for about three months –  we ate, slept and socialised in our master bedroom. We only just finished in 2021. We did the main bits that needed to get done, but then I wanted to take my time with the other rooms, so it’s been a good four or five years.'

'The garden was a fabulous space to have during lockdown. James did a lot of it; he levelled the garden and built the seating area. He’s been working on it for four years because he could only work weekends, but over lockdown he really knuckled down. We like to have a lot of parties, and I love being outdoors, so I wanted a space that pulled you outside. We can fit a good 20 people on the decking area, it’s that large.'

'Though the work is finished, I’m always changing up accessories and artwork; not the big things, just the little things. My husband comes home and goes, "Oh, where’s that gone?"

'But when I walk through the door I do have that sense of relief that I can just close the door and shut away the stresses of the day and just feel really comfortable. It was worth all the stress around buying it and then renovating. This house represents us exactly. We didn’t compromise on our choices or our style, and it’s just a real haven to come back to.'

Who doesn't dream of moving to live by the seaside? Laura and James Simpson seized the chance when a visit to a friend's coastal home changed their minds about relocating up north. The couple were on the verge of moving from Buckinghamshire to Scotland after Laura had given birth to their eldest daughter, Isla. They needed a bigger house – but because Laura had just left her job in product design to set up her own business, they couldn’t afford to buy near London. 

Laura was brought up in Scotland and suggested that the family move back up there to purchase a property. ‘We were considering it when we came down to Bournemouth to visit my best friend from primary school,’ says Laura. ‘It was a gorgeous sunny day in March and we were standing on the beach. My friend said, “Why don’t you move here? It’s accessible to London but more affordable.” ’ 

Laura and James loved the idea and started the hunt for a new house. ‘We were looking for a period property because my style is new with old,’ says Laura. ‘I like period features but I like putting a bit of modern in there, too.’ Also on the wish list was a house that needed renovating so that the couple could put their own stamp on it.

This house was the first one they saw for sale. It ticked all the right boxes, being located in a quiet road close to good schools and the beach, and a 10-minute drive from Bournemouth town centre. It also needed a lot of work. ‘It had been repossessed by the bank and was in a bad state,’ says Laura. ‘It had a lot of damp, the garden was overgrown and the décor was a feast for the eyes – but in a bad way!’ Luckily, despite the red painted doors, pink skirting and architraves and yellow walls, Laura could see past the garish décor. ‘I viewed it on my own and within 10 minutes I knew I wanted it,’ she adds. ‘I loved the proportions of the rooms, the high ceilings, original fireplaces and cornicing.’

She convinced James, and on 11 June 2014 – the same day Laura launched My Bespoke Room, her interior design business – they bought the house. ‘Eleven’s always been a lucky number for me,’ says Laura. ‘I met James on June 11, and we got engaged on June 11 – though not the same year!’

The family couldn’t afford to rent while they updated their new home, so they lodged with James’s gran in London for three months while the main renovation work was carried out. The couple appointed Bridgewater Construction, a local builder recommended by an estate agent. They had a strict budget of £77,000 for the first phase, which Bridgewater project-managed, with Laura paying weekly visits from London. This phase included building a single-storey rear extension, demolishing a wall to create an open-plan kitchen, dining and sitting space, adding a downstairs loo, rewiring the house, repairing the roof, and laying carpet and flooring throughout. The builder appointed a structural engineer for the kitchen extension, and arranged all of the trades.

The work ran smoothly until two unexpected problems arose: the discovery of rotting floor joists, and differing floor heights that had to be levelled. ‘It was an extra expense so we had to scale back on the kitchen I wanted,’ says Laura. Instead of the high-end £20,000 kitchen with a quartz worktop she had set her heart on, she now only had £11,000 to spend, so she bought a cheaper kitchen from Howdens and settled for a marble worktop. 

The family moved into their home in September 2014. ‘We took Isla into her bedroom, then she crawled all over the house and we could tell that she loved it,’ says Laura. ‘We all felt at home straight away – it just felt right. After three months of sharing one room at James’s grandmother’s house, it also felt massive. Now we have three children, it doesn’t feel so big, though – plus James and I work from home, so the house does more for us now.’

After the move, the couple still had a lot of work to do, including painting the walls in every room – which Laura and James did themselves to save money. ‘The house felt very dark when we viewed it so I wanted to make it light and bright,’ says Laura. ‘I like a natural palette because I grew up by the sea, so I’ve chosen cooler shades for the décor: blues, greys and greens, with pops of colour. We’ve applied that palette in different ways throughout the house to keep it cohesive.’

In 2015, they had the front driveway, garden and exterior paintwork done by local contractors. In 2017, they remortgaged to raise the funds for the final phases: creating an en suite shower room,  replacing the family bathroom, and in 2021, overhauling the back garden. Now, finally, Laura says there’s nothing left to do but enjoy their hard work: ‘Renovating is stressful but I’ve loved bringing the charm, love and laughter of a family back into this house.’

Renovating a home is not for the fainthearted. It takes a certain gritty determination, patience and a lot of imagination to see it through, and even emerge with the enthusiasm to do it all over again.

Mary and Paul Walker-Harrod have the true grit of the born renovators. They’d already tackled their own home makeovers when they met, and after they married, they moved to Epping where they found a house to do up together. Four years later, in 2006, they moved back to the town where Mary grew up.

‘The main reason was so the children could go to the school that I went to as it’s a really good school and my mum taught there. And I wanted us to be nearer my family; my brother lives just down the road,’  says Mary.

Inevitably, the home they bought there was livable in, but packed with the potential for improvement in the future: ‘The couple who owned it had done it up quite nicely, extending out to the side. They had permission to extend out the back but hadn’t – so it had a tiny kitchen with a double-sized living room,’ Mary recalls. ‘We really loved the garden, which had been professionally landscaped.’

Rather than starting work immediately, Mary and Paul waited for 16 years before beginning a top-to-bottom transformation. ‘We didn’t have the money to do it before,’ she says.  ‘And I don’t think we could have done what we did with little children.’ Finally, in 2019, they consulted an architect and drew up plans for a loft conversion to create a new master bedroom, and a three-metre rear extension for a large open-plan kitchen-dining-snug room. They also raised the garage floor to make a suitable space for a downstairs toilet and utility.

Their application for a hip-to-gable loft extension was rejected as not being in keeping with the rest of the estate; they compromised with a dormer and Mary regretfully lost her dream dressing area in the master suite. ’The builder did the loft first – it took about two to three months. We were able to live up there while the rest of the work went on.’ 

The builders were with them from April to October, but Mary and Paul realised the contractor was a little out of his depth with the complexities of a large project. ‘He was okay, but he quoted too low. He hadn’t included splitting a bathroom into two, so our daughters had one each. And he made mistakes we had to correct, like getting the floor height right.’

Fortunately, Paul’s DIY skills came to the fore, and when the builders left, the couple were able to complete a lot of the renovation work themselves.  ‘We got the finish we wanted through our own efforts,’ says Mary. ‘We kind of preferred that. I’ve always had that passion for home styling, and when we decided to do this, all the things I’d been dreaming and thinking about came to the forefront.’

The project took two years to complete, with 2021 dedicated to installing the kitchen, doing the garden and decorating. ‘It was an organic process, and because it’s been a big investment financially and in our lives, it took time for us to make the right decisions,’ says Mary.

One of the great successes of the build has been the increased connection with the garden from the kitchen, with slide and pivot windows opening up completely to the outside. Inspired by images she’d seen on instagram, Mary designed a pergola for Paul to build to cover their outdoor lounge area. ‘We have flats at the back and it was about trying to create privacy in that section. People ask if it takes away light from the kitchen, but it teems in through the rooflights.

It is a renovation cliche, but the new open-plan kitchen space, and particularly the island, has helped to bring them all together as a family. ‘As teenagers, the girls lived very much in their rooms,’ says Mary. ‘Since we’ve had the kitchen, they’ve come out and it’s very much more sociable and easier to get that family time.’

All their hard work and financial sacrifice has been worth it to create a home they love and which works for how they live now. However, Mary admits she’d like to do it again! ‘When the girls are at uni it might be too big for us. Doing houses brings Paul and I together; we work well as a team. I said “are we getting too old for this?”, because things do start to hurt. But he said “I think we’ve got another one in us.”.‘

Whenever you renovate a house of a certain age – whether that’s mid-century or more than 100 years ago – you’ll inevitably end up dealing with the legacy of the previous owners’ design decisions.

Some are built to last, like the enduring and colourful tiled hall floors that the Victorians loved. Others look outdated after only a couple of decades. For Bethany Childs and her family, the conservatory that was added to the back of their 1920s house somewhere round the 1980s, and a tacked-on downstairs toilet, had definitely had their day. 

They were sacrificed in pursuit of light and openness, and a fresh green colour scheme that’s a nod to Bethany’s American heritage.

We chatted to her to discover how a clumsily extended space became a showpiece kitchen built for entertaining that’s the apple of her eye…

'My husband and I are both American, and have lived in London since 2005. We bought this house six and half years ago and it was our first proper project. I didn’t anticipate living in a 1920/30s house: they weren’t what I was drawn to. But when we looked at the housing options around here, we really liked the width of them – the rooms feel open and spacious.

‘The kitchen was a hodge-podge of the original old-fashioned galley with a dining room off to the side and a big fireplace. They attached a conservatory in the 1980s/90s, and there was the old loo towards the back that was probably an outhouse. It was a few different spaces squashed together.’

'We lived in the house for three years before starting work in 2019. We wanted to see what worked and how we’d use it. We didn’t increase the footprint as we didn’t want to lose any garden. But we really needed to open it up and make more storage and a better space for entertaining. We hired a local architect who’d done a house a street away that I really liked. In addition to the new kitchen, they carved some space out between it and the front living room to create a utility and loo.

‘I found interior designer Claudia Urvois, who was also local, and approached her to help us lift the design. She and I took on the choices of all the materials and the colours.’

‘I’d always loved green kitchens. It took a while to find the right shade because a lot were coming up grey and not very vibrant. Claudia had the idea of looking at American paint companies, and that’s when we found it. This colour green is really traditional in New England, so I was drawing on my roots. 

‘We worked with local kitchen company Such Designs, but the units were made in Germany. We wanted it to feel modern and fresh, and the flush cabinets struck the right note. 

‘Claudia and I played on the combination of green and natural tones by getting the builder to put oak insets into the window frames and door frames as well.’

‘Work started in February 2019 and it was done by July. We moved out to a rental in the neighbourhood. We have two children and just knew it would be really stressful to live in it, because the building site always extends further than you think it’s going to, and we were essentially doing the entire ground floor.

‘The build went pretty smoothly. At one point we hit some Victorian drains in the ground, which slowed us down a bit, but I don’t think that’s uncommon in London.

‘The units weren’t in when we moved back so we had to set up a temporary kitchen. But we’re so glad that we did it in 2019 instead of 2020.’

‘My favourite part about the kitchen is the colour. People always comment on it, and three years later I’m still really happy with it – it was a good call.

‘I also love the pendant lights over the island. That was a learning curve! We discovered retrofitting vintage lights is challenging to get right – it’s definitely not as simple as buying off the shelf – but it’s worth it because they’re quite unique and beautiful. At night they reflect up into the skylights.

‘Calling in the professionals to help was the best way to go. Using their expert knowledge and taste elevated the design and the finished product, and we had a team who could problem solve. It was a game changer.’

After moving into their 1950s home, Ade and Becky spent the next 12 years extending and renovating it. However, the garden wasn’t lavished with the same attention. It had narrow, unkempt borders of shrubs and weeds, with a weathered grass lawn and a large tree in the middle. ‘It was the same as when we first moved in – apart from the life-sized plastic animals on the lawn that the previous owners tried to sell to us,’ laughs Ade. 

The couple had plenty of ideas, with a garden room at the top of their wish list. ‘I imagined our ideal garden as a meadow with wildflowers and grasses,’ Ade adds. ‘Becky wanted it stripped back with white trees and rocks.’ 

Before

Instead, they added a trampoline and football so Henry could play on the lawn, ‘He outgrew both, so we mostly stopped using the garden as a family,’ says Ade. Post-lockdown, they wanted outdoor space with a view and to be able to use the whole garden. Becky also needed her own office. 

Over four months, the couple reinvented the garden. Local building firm Sanctuary Timber Builds built the outdoor office, and Ade and Becky landscaped, with guidance from their friend, Fiona, who was experienced in garden design. The builders found old cement posts buried in the ground, and the couple had to hire a boring machine to dig holes deep enough for the trees – but the low-maintenance, cat-friendly garden is exactly how they imagined it. The only thing left is to wait for the trees and grasses to grow and the lawn to become wilder to get the rural seascape they envisaged walking in.

After

Formal seating arrangements are perfect in gardens where you need defined areas. Ade and Becky wanted lightweight seating that can be moved around with the light throughout the day. By night, solar lighting creates a gentle ambiance for watching the sun set. Adding colour to your table setting creates a modern alfresco dining experience.

‘As part of the previous extension works, we had planters built into the walls that separated the house from the garden,’ says Becky. ‘They hadn’t been done properly so all the render broke off. They’d been an eyesore for years, so we finally had the chance to explore ways to fix them. Re-rendering the walls wasn’t an option: they can still hold moisture so we could have the same issue again. Our builders came up with a solution to reclad the planters in timber, then paint them grey and black.’

‘After lockdown we yearned to escape to somewhere outdoors and wild,’ says
Becky. ‘We walked through fields and along coastlines whenever we had chance. Our garden combines both our loves.’ Cotswold buff chippings recreate the sound of beach shingles, while weathered grey fencing gives an aged driftwood aesthetic. ‘Fiona helped with planting,’ adds Becky. ’We took the Acer as the starting point, adding greens and white to keep it simple and graphic.’

Positioned in a shaded area, the garden office has patio doors and windows to capture as much natural light as possible. The exterior also had to be low maintenance, so Ade and Becky clad the outside in a hard-wearing cement weatherboard. ‘We looked at other options, but we just don’t have time to maintain and treat wood cladding,’ says Ade. ‘This gives us a natural wood grain finish without the long-term maintenance issues.’  

‘I love colour, but it can dominate small spaces,’ says Becky. ‘I wanted a simple, calming palette in my office, so I used white paint on the walls and a light oak laminate on the floor. We’ve installed underfloor heating and laminate works better to retain heat – plus it won’t get bleached by the sun. I used black and white for the rug and chairs and added pops of colour with my wall art. These prints had been leaning in my hallway for years as I ran out of space to hang them in the house.’

When you're into DIY and have a whole house, ripe for reno work, it's all too easy to focus on every other space or project, leaving the bathroom until last! But as one of the most used places in the home, it's worth giving it an upgrade.

If you're in the market for a bathroom remodel, there is a lot of inspiration out there. But as someone who loves to be hands-on with all of my home improvements, I think taking your own approach to your design is a total must.

As you’ve probably come to realize if you’ve read my previous articles or follow my social media accounts, I can’t get enough wallpaper….in all areas of my home! When we bought our farmhouse and began renovating, I knew that I wanted it to have a traditional, slightly cottage feel. I wanted all of the bathrooms and small spaces to feel like a ‘jewel box’ where you walk in and discover a new color or playful pattern that is entirely unique. But first, here is where we started with this out-of-date bathroom.

The dated bathroom before

Before we get to the wallpaper, much time and planning went into this now, luxury master bathroom space. This is what we did.

Half and half DIY

We gutted the entire room, tearing out the tiled built-in bathtub, shower, and vanity, and tile flooring. Roughly half of the space was DIY’ed including the renovation. The areas we hired out included plumbing and tile work. We had a contractor tile the shower in a herringbone pattern using this beautiful cerulean blue Zelige tile from Floor & Decor. We repeated the herringbone pattern on the flooring with a marble tile. Our plumber installed the shower fixtures, the free-standing soaking tub, and faucets for the vanity. We had a glass shower door measured and installed by a local glass company.

Working with what we had

If you remember a couple months ago, I wrote a piece on how I upcycled a vintage dresser into a vanity unit and it turned out better than I could have hoped! The vanity is unique as we are able to functionally use all the drawers from the dresser except two as we had to make space for the undermount sinks.

We were able to fabricate a piece of remnant quartz left over from our kitchen renovation for the new vanity top. To maximize space around the vanity, I installed brass hooks on each side of the vanity to hang hand towels. 

Being clever with lighting

As a rule of thumb, bathrooms should have two sources of light. This small bathroom does have a tiny window which lets in much-needed natural light. We also installed recessed can lights and these stylish Linea di Liara Forma Gold Wall Sconces  with white fabric that I found on Amazon, on either side of the wall mirrors that I also found online. The attached water closet has a flush-mounted ceiling fixture I actually found at Overstock and that helped perfect the bathroom lighting scheme.

Achieving a bespoke look

To achieve my desired ‘jewel box’ look I really wanted to play with color in this space. The shower tiles add so much character already but I wanted to bring in a complementing color for the walls and find a way to use wallpaper again. I ended up using two types of bathroom wallpaper for the walls. 

I wanted a beadboard look for the bottom half of the walls without using mdf beadboard panels. First, medium-density fiberboard (mdf) should not be used in areas that are likely to have moisture. The wood swells and bows if it gets wet and can lead to mold developing. Second, beadboard panels would have been very difficult to install in this tiny space, going around a bathtub and vanity. (I have installed beadboard panels in my laundry room behind the washer and dryer but used smaller vinyl panels to avoid using mdf.) 

This beadboard wallpaper I bought on Amazon was just the ticket! Looks exactly like beadboard but comes in rolls like wallpaper. The texture feels almost like a foam product. I have to say in all my experience installing wallpaper, this was by far the easiest product to use. I simply cut panels to my wall size (no need to line up a drop pattern here) and dipped the panels in water for a few seconds to activate the glue on the back of the paper. Once on the wall, it was easily repositionable. The only setback was having the paper rip once or twice, but I learned to be a little more gentle. All the same tools for wallpaper installation were used here. Such a win-win! A beadboard look without the effort of installing beadboard.

Once all of the beadboard wallpaper was installed I installed a 1x4 above it and cove molding to make it a little more sophisticated. Above the trim I installed a gorgeous colorful fig leaf vine wallpaper. This was a traditional paper requiring wallpaper paste. 

Another advantage using the beadboard wallpaper is it being paintable! I chose “Nature’s Gift” by Behr  for that and all of the trim and doors in the space. I chose to spray but using a paint roller would also work just fine here as well. 

The finishing touches are the art and the vintage brass hooks and vintage rug.

The results

I love this colorful room. By keeping the floors and vanity neutral I was able to add bold color to the shower and complement it with the green from the wall treatment and vine wallpaper.

I feel like I achieved the jewel box look I was going for in here…what do you think? Would you ever use beadboard wallpaper?

Project cost breakdown:

• Labor (plumbing, electrical, tile) $7500 
• Plumbing fixtures $570 
• Shower glass $600 
• Vintage dresser $100 
• Vanity quart $1000 
• Bathtub $800 
• Lighting $210 
• Mirrors $200 
• Wallpaper $266 
• Trim $75 
• Paint $90 

The cost for the entire bathroom renovation came in at $11,511 but we compared to what we could have paid had we not decided to DIY the majority of the work!

After three major home renovation projects over 12 years, Kate and Adam Lewis finally have the sociable family home they dreamed of. They met in London when Kate was at university, and bought a new-build in Widnes, Cheshire. Then, in 2007, they found a three-bedroom 1930s semi closer to their jobs in Chester. ‘It felt bigger than our old house and we liked the character features like picture rails and parquet flooring,’ says Kate. ‘But it was at the height of the market, so we had to stretch ourselves.’

Before

The previous owner had already gained planning permission for a fourth bedroom, but the couple felt their budget wouldn’t stretch to a two-storey extension. Instead they had the conservatory and coal shed demolished to create a single-storey rear extension. 

‘This enabled us to relocate the galley kitchen to the back of the house and open it up to the dining room with a small sofa area,’ says Kate. ‘The old kitchen was split to become a downstairs toilet and small room that held the washing machine, desk and toys.’

After

Living in the mess wasn’t easy, though. ‘What sticks with me was washing up
in the bath when I was almost nine months pregnant and coming home from hospital with my first child on the day the builders finished,’ remembers Kate.

Five years later, thanks to a bigger than expected windfall from Kate’s company share save scheme, a side extension was suddenly on the cards again. The five-month extension project created two children’s bedrooms upstairs, while the former box room became the couple’s en suite. Below they gained a playroom, utility and a room that could be knocked through to the kitchen at a later date when funds allowed.

‘I used to call it the non-room, but it was handy when we got our kittens, for kids’ parties or for working out.’ At this stage the old windows were replaced to match the new, and the boiler was upgraded along with two hot water tanks in the loft.

Before

After

After three years of intensive saving, it was time to say goodbye to the non-room and remove the original back wall to create a large open-plan kitchen diner come lounge area with bi-fold doors. ‘It was essentially knocking four rooms into one,’ says Kate. ‘We originally wanted the kitchen to be where the sofas are now, but the builders said it would be too expensive to move the services. It still works really well as a sociable space, though, and the sofas get moved around for children’s parties.’

Sadly Kate’s sister passed away a month into the build, but the new space has helped them spend quality time together as a family. ‘It means my parents, my sister’s children and us can be together without it just having to be a day trip, since we live two-and-a-half hours apart,’ she says.

Kate’s interior style has evolved over the years. ‘It was very plain and cream to begin with, but I’ve gradually got bolder with colour, pattern and paper,’ she says. ‘I didn’t get into Instagram until Covid hit, so I’ve been exposed to a lot more design ideas in the last couple of years. Next, I’d like to recover the sofas with patterned velvet fabric and add more wallpaper somewhere.’

Two years later, the family bathroom was replaced, the hallway painted blue and the front sitting room given a fresh look with a new gas fire, refurbished parquet flooring and alcove cupboards. Finally, with the children getting older and the need to work from home during lockdown, the playroom was split into an office and snug with a pocket door in between. ‘It’s used much more now,’ says Kate. ‘My husband works upstairs, so we have our own spaces.’

In retrospect, Kate admits she might have ended up with a different layout if the work had been done all at once. ‘I love it when you walk into a house and you can see right through to the back,’ she explains. ‘But we couldn’t justify moving the downstairs toilet that we’d installed during the first extension to accommodate that.’

Although Adam had a tight rein on the finances and they sold their old kitchen and conservatory on Ebay, the couple admit it wasn’t cost effective to do the work in so many phases. ‘We probably wouldn’t get the money back if we sold it,’ says Kate. ‘But this is our long term home, and we’re happy because we’re enjoying the space.’

When it comes to life’s more stressful events, arranging a wedding and buying a house are both up there. But David and Andrew Harrison-Colley did both in the space of a few weeks, with a spur-of-the-moment offer on their flat just before they flew off to get married.

However, their happy ever after in their new home came under threat when planning restrictions and Covid clampdowns impacted their grand plans for the space. But some creative thinking, a bit of luck and design touches inspired by their wedding venue have given them a beautiful extended home that is perfect for post-lockdown entertaining – and which they’re already filling with memories. David reveals how they did it…

‘We were thinking about moving and saw the flat on Rightmove – it was just around the corner. We took a look and, 15 minutes later, we had put an offer in on it. We thought, “What are we doing?” We were getting married the next month and we had so much going on!

‘We bought it in December 2019 and went into the pandemic not long after. Our previous place was a studio – there’s no way we could have survived both working from home in that space.

‘The flat is the ground floor of a Victorian end terrace. We saw the potential and had quite grand ideas of what we thought we’d be able to do with it, turning it into two bedrooms and adding value to the property.’

‘We didn’t realise we were in a Conservation Area, so there were a lot of restrictions we didn’t know about. The council said we couldn’t extend to the back, and the side-return extension had to be stepped back – not flush.

'We’d had big plans for full glazing across the back, and it meant we had to go for bi-fold doors in the original part and the fixed glazed window in the extension. It’s worked out for the best though – having that break between them, and with the glass roof above, defines the living and kitchen spaces. 

‘Andrew’s a trained chef and his dream was to have a large kitchen island, a range cooker and a dining area. We really had to scale it back.’ 

‘Lockdown was the next biggest challenge. We were working from home, and going back and forth with Lambeth Council because of the restrictions. It wasn’t until the summer that we finally got approval and were able to start reaching out to builders. We couldn’t go out to see work they’d done on other properties and they had to stand down their teams because of Covid. It really delayed things. 

'It was mid-October when our preferred builders started. Luckily our upstairs neighbour moved in with her parents during lockdown and rented her flat to us, so we were able to live and work upstairs and be on site at the same time. The only downside was having to contend with the noise!’

‘To save money, we put the kitchen in ourselves and did final fix stuff. We leaned on Andrew’s dad, who is a decorator, for a bit of support. We now have two bedrooms at the front, a shower room and then the kitchen/lounge/diner at the back.

‘The stone flooring was inspired by our wedding in Italy, in a converted palazzo on a hillside, owned by a Danish family. They had this light terracotta flooring throughout their living and outdoor spaces. We loved the warmth it gave. Andrew hunted around and we found the perfect tile at Ca’ Pietra.

‘Our builders suggested the glazed roof. It transforms the space; even on a cloudy day it feels light and bright.’

‘We shop around using Ebay and Facebook Marketplace to get the best value. We love charity shops as well. If we see something we like we get it straight away, because the risk is it won’t be there in the next half an hour.

‘We wanted the garden to be low maintenance, and to be a continuation of the living space – creating a garden dining room. We’re social people; Andrew loves cooking and we love to entertain friends and family. Having the connected living and garden space has transformed that for us. The two of us are no longer in the kitchen preparing everything, completely disconnected from our friends and family – now it just flows really nicely.’

After knocking through three rooms to create a 30ft kitchen-diner, the last stop in Leila and Joe’s renovation journey was the garden. ‘It was very unloved with an uneven patio, which got even more unsteady after the builders piled their materials on there,’ says Leila. ‘By the end, the lawn was an unsalvageable swamp.’

Before

The couple painted the shed and fence black themselves, before hiring local landscaper Dave Edmondson in May 2020, when tradespeople could work outside. ‘My friend used him a few years ago, so we didn’t get any other quotes,’ says Leila. ‘We were all DIY-ed out, busy with work and didn’t know where to start with laying paving, so we were happy to bring in a professional.’  

Leila researched hardy plants and gathered ideas for urban tropical gardens before planning the space and garden design using a tool on gardena.com. ‘It faces north east, so we get sun in the morning and it’ll creep up the garden until about 6pm in summer,’ she says. ‘I wanted the garden to be based around the sun, and I knew there was room for two patios.'

After

The seating area has been placed in the sunniest spot. ‘We could’ve moved the shed as that area would get even more sun,’ says Leila. ‘But it would’ve cost a fortune and wouldn’t have been practical.’

A contemporary L-shaped sofa and matching coffee table gives ample space for friends and family. As it has a cover, the sofa can stay out all year round, while the outdoor rugs are durable and easy to clean. 

‘A lot of garden furniture was really expensive but this was so affordable,’ says Leila. ‘It doubles up as a sun lounger too, so I jumped on it when it came back in stock. Sourcing garden furniture was one of the biggest challenges, as so much was sold out with everyone staying at home during lockdown.’

Large scale light grey paving slabs were carefully chosen for the patio to mimic a hotel terrace feel. ‘I wanted the garden to feel like an escape, like you’re on holiday,’ says Leila. ‘So I went for smooth, non-slip porcelain tiles. They heat up in the sun and are nice to walk on barefoot.’ 

Because of delays sourcing materials, the work took three months, finishing in July. ‘We missed all the sunny months and then it rained,’ laughs Leila. ‘But I’m proud of the garden and there is nothing I’d change; two years later we still love it.’

The table was purchased the following summer to complete the outdoor dining space. ‘It had to seat eight to 10 people and I wanted a black design to keep things monochrome,’ says Leila. ‘I love the sleek design, and since it has a wipeable glass top, I’ve just left it out all year round.’ 

Lighting was an important finishing touch to make the garden into an outdoor room. ‘I wanted a space we could still enjoy in the evenings, so we put up festoon lights above the seating area,’ says Leila. ‘I also love paper lanterns and often hang them in the trees. They give the garden a bohemian feel and remind me of walking around the Glastonbury festival.’

Although they originally wanted brick planters, Leila and Joe had to re-think their plans to save money. ‘Dave had spoken to a bricklayer and it was going to cost a couple of thousand pounds,’ says Leila. ‘Then we explored breeze blocks and rendering, which we didn’t have the budget for either. In the end, Dave built the planters himself from wood and we painted them in the same black outdoor paint as the shed and fence.’

Having  set their hearts on a popular leafy estate of 1970s and 1980s houses in Whitley Bay, Patsy and Al came across this house in a probate sale that fit the bill. ‘We were first to view and offered the asking price straight away,’ says Patsy. ‘The sunny plot wasn’t overlooked and the trees made it feel like we were in the countryside. There were a lot of small rooms not being used to their full potential; it had the space we needed.’ 

They had extended their former house, a 1930s semi, twice to accommodate their growing family. But for this purchase, the couple decided to find the space they needed by looking internally. Four months after moving in, they had plans drawn up to knock three disconnected rooms together into one large kitchen/diner/living area measuring a generous 44 square metres, with extensive glazing to the garden.

‘Access to the garden was through a utility that was bigger than the kitchen with a stone floor, felt roof and no heating,’ says Patsy. ‘A dining room in the middle of the house – with a serving hatch – had a lovely outlook over the garden, but didn’t lead anywhere, so it just served as a storage room.’

The couple spoke to an architect and several builders to see if their plans were viable. ‘One builder just said, “I don’t like it and I don’t think it’ll work,” while others said we should extend out instead,’ explains Patsy. ‘However, I felt we already had the space we needed – it just wasn’t configured properly, and I didn’t want to lose too much garden.’

Eventually Northern Property Projects agreed to take on the project. The work involved taking out three supporting walls as well as the corner of the house. All beams and structural supports were hidden in the first floor to maintain a seamless ceiling height. 

Part of the double garage was used to square off the kitchen and create a utility area at the rear. ‘Seven steel beams were needed in total, including a large goalpost that spans around the sliding doors,’ explains Patsy. ‘Cost-wise, it wouldn’t have been much more to extend.’

The work was full of challenges. As the first floor joists ran the opposite way to how the builders expected, each one had to be cut to accommodate the steel beam. A soil pipe which was boxed in between the kitchen and dining room also had to be relocated and concealed above the sliding doors.

Elsewhere, the dated conservatory was given a new roof and anthracite window frames. A new boot room was created in the hallway and two new bathrooms were fitted upstairs. ‘We halved our en suite to make space for a desk area in Hannah’s bedroom,’ says Patsy. ‘And the family bathroom felt cramped as the pipes were boxed in around the bottom. Now the pipework is all hidden, the skirting boards have gone and there’s a wall-hung vanity unit – making the room feel bigger.’

Next, Patsy plans to give her spacious hallway a monochrome and rattan makeover, turn the fourth bedroom into a storage cum craft room and possibly redecorate the lounge. ‘When we moved in, the only rooms we could decorate were the lounge, downstairs loo and Ellie’s bedroom as the building work would affect all the other rooms,’ she says. ‘My style is a mix of contemporary-classic with boho and industrial elements, but although I love the blue colour in the lounge, it feels disconnected from the rest of the house now.’

Although the couple may downsize when their children leave home, for now they’re enjoying the new space. ‘The nice thing about buying a house that needs a full renovation is that you end up with something totally your style and taste,’ says Patsy. ‘When builders disagree with your plans, you start doubting yourself, but the kitchen works so well for us now. We’re happy we stuck to our original vision.’

Patience has been a virtue for Kate and Craig Moorhouse, who have waited 15 years to create their dream ground-floor extension. After renting a Victorian terraced house in the bustling but pricey Manchester suburb of Chorlton, they moved five minutes away to the quieter enclave of Firswood, where they’d found an abundance of 1930s semis with driveways and gardens that would’ve fetched a premium where they used to live.

After whittling down their shortlist, they settled on a 1930s house in a quiet location. 'With plans to have a baby, we didn’t think about extending,' says Kate. 'Instead we focused on ripping out the smelly carpets, rewiring, replacing the back boiler, fixing the roof and updating the kitchen and bathroom.'

Their new home had scope for an ambitious remodel, but these plans went on the back burner with the arrival of son Herbie. ‘It was a while before we could afford to really change the layout of our home, and it started with trying to fit in a downstairs loo,' says Craig. 'Other neighbours had installed one under the stairs, but it would’ve been tight. As there was a garage with asbestos roof at the side, it made sense to knock it down and add a side return extension – which would give us an office and utility, too.'

The side extension was finished in six weeks – then lockdown hit. Nine weeks later, the couple finished the hob with a new rear extension, completing their plans for a Scandi-style open-plan kitchen, dining and living area. Below, Kate and Craig explain how they pulled it off.

The kitchen

'After visiting a neighbour’s house and seeing their open-plan living dining and kitchen space, we decided to use the same architect and extend at the back,' says Kate. 'We do a lot of entertaining and cooking but I was tucked away in the tiny galley kitchen, so it really appealed to me, and we could remortgage for the extra funds needed.

‘The design has a pitched roof, which gives us more light, more ceiling height and is more in keeping with the style of the house,' Kate adds. 'As I’m a graphic designer and Craig is a product designer, we could talk about things from a design perspective and justify our reasoning. We’re both trained in colour, so all our paints are mixed using the NCS colour system at Johnstone’s paints, and we both love a pared-back architectural style.'

Black aluminium sliding doors were chosen after much research and advice from an architect friend. ‘Bi-folds running the full width of the house look amazing, but we wanted a window by the sink for an L-shaped kitchen,’ says Kate. ‘With sliding doors this size you see more of the glass compared to three-pane bi-folds, and they’re so handy with pets.'

‘I was keen to create little pockets of spaced out mood lighting,' says Craig. 'There are spotlights for an overall flat light, under counter kitchen lights and a remote control pendant light over the dining table that changes from natural light during the day to warm light in the evening. Kate initially wanted smoked glass island pendants, but I felt something simpler that would shine down onto the quartz worktop would be more dramatic. The lighting and extra sockets put us over budget by around £1,000, but it was worth it as people often comment on the feel of it.'

‘The slat wall in the dining area was my idea as I love natural materials,' says Kate. 'I used two by one inch wooden strips and had a joiner cut them in half lengthways. It was a real challenge angling the top section and tapering it down to the skirting boards. Needless to say the joiner hated me by the end, and hasn’t been back since! We’ve left it bare to see how the wood changes over time. I made the clover-shaped side tables from cardboard tubes, which I painted, then my step-dad made the birch ply tops.’ 

‘Our first choice was a Shaker-style kitchen to suit the front of the house, but we couldn’t find a colour we liked,’ says Kate. ‘Instead we picked more modern units for the colour, which morphed the direction of the whole design.’

‘To save money, we opted for cheaper units in the utility and kept the more impactful handless units for the kitchen,' adds Craig. 'As a flooring designer, I also selected a new light oak LVT, which I’d recently developed for Polyflor. Although we didn’t envisage it would take quite as long to do, the new space has really brought the three of us closer together. Even though you don’t have those sound barriers anymore, it’s such a sociable space and we spend so much time in here.’

The snug

As a member of the DJ Collective ‘Too Many Daves’, Craig ensured the alcove was big enough for his decks and record collection, then had a bespoke unit made. ‘One area I was quite particular about was the alcove in the open-plan living space, as it had to house my decks and records,' he says. 

'When the chimney breast was taken back to brick and replastered, they found some pipes that had to be boxed in. The new wider steel pillar on the other side made the alcove smaller as well. As soon as the plaster was on, I grabbed my decks and mixer and laid them on the floor to make sure everything fit!'

The living room

The front room used to house the dining table and became a dumping ground for toys before transforming into a room for home schooling during Covid. ‘A joiner made the window seat,' says Kate. 'I painted it purple, but it looked awful, so I went for dark grey, which feels cosy.'

‘We painted the wall to match the green sideboard,’ says Kate. ‘Craig’s record collection has been thinned out with his favourites moved to the open-plan space, so he plays them a lot more.’

Herbie's bedroom

With Herbie due to start secondary school, Kate wanted to banish the blue walls and cabin bed before creating a more grown up look. ‘He’s a fan of Fortnite but we didn’t want a theme he might grow out of, so we decided on a monochrome scheme,’ she says. ‘Limiting the mural to behind the bed makes it easier to change in future.’ 

After taking a door off the alcove cupboard, Kate painted the open shelves, ceiling and one wall black. ’Herbie looks at my design work a lot, so he was happy to try a black ceiling,’ says Kate. ‘It’s given the room a cave-like feel, which is great since he spends more time in here now.’

The home office

‘As I’m primarily in the office and Kate works from home, she dealt with the builders’ day-to-day queries, but we spoke on every point,' says Craig. 'Sometimes she’d convince me and sometimes it was the other way around. Fortunately, our tastes are quite similar; we like a mix of traditional, such as picture rails and stained glass, with a contemporary twist.'

‘It wasn’t easy working and home schooling during Covid,' Kate admits. 'I heard every bang and we had to make up a few garden games involving bricks. However, the builder was amazing. He wasn’t the cheapest, but he lives round the corner and was so organised, giving us a breakdown of every payment stage.' Now, she has a home office that makes the upheaval worth it. 'My office was inspired by working in several graphic design studios and coffee shops around Manchester,’ she says. ‘The panelling is great for all my bits and pieces.’

The bathroom

As the bathroom suite is around 12 years old, the couple gave it a mini makeover recently until they can afford to completely change it.

‘We freshened up the tiles with a black grout pen, spray painted the radiator and shower screen, bought a new shower head and laid terrazzo vinyl sheet flooring,’ says Kate. ‘It mirrors the look in the ground-floor cloakroom.’

The master bedroom

Kate made panelling for the bedroom from flexible MDF as a quick fix, but plans to change this area again with a paint effect or 3D panelling. In time we hope to convert the loft into a bedroom suite with freestanding bath and Crittall doors leading into a dressing room,' she says. The old bathroom on the first floor would become a wet room style shower, and the family would have a guest bedroom for Craig’s mum visiting from Devon.

‘When we first moved here, the area was considered a bit twee and not very cool, but there are more and more young professional families moving in,' Kate adds. 'I can’t see us moving as we love the area and our neighbours so much.’ 

Making the decision to hire an architect is often a case of weighing up the pros and cons. On the one hand, it’s an additional expense. On the other hand, if you choose well, you’ll receive guidance on everything from planning restrictions to layout and design, all while taking your own ideas into account. The end result will be a functional, fluid space that works perfectly for your lifestyle.

That’s exactly what Vanessa and Paul found when they hired Paula of Butterfield Architecture to help them design an extension to their Edwardian semi. With a background in design, Vanessa had plenty of ideas for how the space should look, but Paula’s skills were invaluable in making the space work for them and dreaming up solutions the couple had never thought of themselves. As a result, the family have a stunning, sociable kitchen-diner stamped with their unique take on an industrial scheme. Below, Vanessa explains how they created this wonderful space and don't regret hiring an architect, one bit.

A radical change

‘This house was owned previously by two 85-year-old brothers, who’d lived here all their lives,’ says Vanessa. ‘When we moved in, the kitchen was poky, with a small pantry and an outside coal bunker. Our main aim was to make the space more family-friendly; we wanted a sociable kitchen-diner. We live in a very green area and we wanted to take advantage of that by bringing it in through the back of the property. 

‘As there weren’t any particularly interesting features at the rear of the house, we thought it’d be nice to do something completely radical with an extension. Architect Paula Butterfield is local to us; we loved her designs, so we hired her to work with us.’

Professional input

• A DIYer saves thousands giving her dark and dingy kitchen a stunning, textural transformation

‘I’ve always liked wood clapperboard-style extensions and thought it would work well as a mixed-media look along with traditional brickwork and metal door frames. We also knew we wanted Crittall windows and doors in the space. We rented while the work was done – I’ve experienced the dust and dirt that comes with a renovation in the past, so I knew to stay away!

‘Paula’s input in terms of layout was invaluable. We wanted an island, but a chimney stack in the corner took a decent chunk off the back of the wall and made it difficult to run units along. Paula moved the door on the back wall and took the chimney stack out to create the layout we wanted.’

• Before & after: a simple freehand wall stencil design adds character to this entryway

Long-lasting style

‘Back in 2016, the industrial look was just coming through. It was all about dark kitchen units, glass, rattan and metro tiles. It had quite a fresh new feel, and we ended up going down that route for the kitchen. It contrasts with the rest of the house. If I was braver at the time, I might have exposed the beams, but I thought it might be too industrial for an Edwardian home.

‘The style has had longevity, to be honest. Friends who are remodelling their kitchens now will come and say, “Oh, we’re looking at flooring like that” or point out the units. In a way, it’s a bit of a blank canvas – the fixtures and fittings have changed, with more brass and gold than there was at the time.’

Design decisions

‘For the garden, we went for as many tropical plants as we could get away with in Manchester. The wallpaper, which we chose later, ties in with it. Working in design and fashion, you constantly see trends change. I’d seen and liked this paper for a while, though, and I figured that as I hadn’t got sick of it yet, it was a good sign! 

‘There’s always been a bit of a battle of the wills – with Paul being a finance business partner, I’d often have my designer budget reined in by the purse strings. If we could, I’d have created as big a utility room as possible. The one we have is adequate, but I sometimes wish it was three times bigger to fit everything in.’

Outdoor connection

‘My favourite part of the space is definitely the doors. When we came to designing the garden afterwards, I was really glad we’d raised the deck level to be flush with the floor – I love the way it flows seamlessly between the spaces. It’s lovely sitting at the table with the doors wide open. The sun hits the floor and creates all sorts of reflections and shadows.

‘This is such a sociable space; the connection to the garden makes it feel like an extension to the kitchen. It suits the way we live now to a tee. In the winter, we’ll hibernate at the front of the house – but come summer, the garden becomes our lounge and we live in the kitchen-diner.’

When Lisa O’Hagan and her husband, Jonathan, stumbled across their now home in the heart of East London back in 2018, it was the quirky shape and unconventional layout that caught their eye. This end-of-terrace property used to be a Georgian coach house, which had been converted into a large, ground-floor garage and studio, with a two-bedroom property spanning the two floors above. 

‘It seemed to offer more than the average house, with three different outside spaces – a cobbled courtyard, roof terrace and a back garden,’ says Lisa. ‘The end-of-terrace plot was wedge-shaped, narrowing almost to a point at the end of the garden. This gave the layout a unique charm. Rather than extending, we saw the potential to create something very special.’

Between the two of them, they came up with designs that embraced the asymmetrical shape of the house. The obvious thing to do was to move the first-floor kitchen and living rooms downstairs, and reconfigure the upstairs rooms into two more bedrooms, with a guest and family bathroom on each floor. The large garage and studio space lent itself to being a multifunctional, open-plan room; the ceilings were high and by opening up the hallway and the stairs, the room has a real sense of scale.

‘Jon and I love the creative process and feeling of achievement we get when we complete tasks without help,’ says Lisa. ‘Our starting point with any project is deciding if we need to pay a contractor, or whether we can do the work ourselves. Invariably, we end up getting stuck in!’ 

Read on to take the full tour.

Over the next five months, and in the lead-up to the birth of their son, Cillian, Lisa and Jon did the majority of the dirty work, pulling down walls, exposing the brickwork, stripping away interior fittings and creating a blank canvas for the new layout. An important part of the couple’s design was to bring more light into the property. With no windows between the old garage doors at the front and the back of the house, downstairs felt dark and oppressive. The front of the house was opened up, and bespoke floor-to-ceiling glass and steel doors were fitted, which flood the space with light and link to the front courtyard. 

‘We enjoy the space and gallery feel of downstairs and how unconventional it is,’ says Lisa. ‘I love the simplicity and robustness of the materials used. It’s a great space to entertain and perfect for Cillian to whizz round on his scooter.’ It took Jon two weeks to painstaking remove the paint off the back wall to expose the original brickwork underneath. Bits of paint and plaster remain. ‘I love how it adds to the rustic feel of the room,' adds Lisa.

The industrial feel continues with a polished heated concrete floor in the living area, and Jon, a skilled carpenter, built steps up to the kitchen area, along with birch room dividers to define the spaces. ‘We love simple, honest materials and we have tried to apply a simple, robust aesthetic to each area of the house,’ says Lisa.

The kitchen was long enough for a big vintage table with mismatched vintage chairs. ‘The table was a great find,’ says Lisa. ‘We knew the minute we saw it that it’d bring the kitchen to life.’

The couple wanted the kitchen to have a utilitarian feel, so Jon designed a single run of fitted units made from the same birch ply with clean lines that make the most of the unusual angles in the room. ‘Terrazzo and cork tiles on the wall and floor add warmth and texture, and a table made from salvaged roof timbers completes the space,’ says Lisa. ‘It has a beautiful, rustic feel, which contrasts with the simple palette of the kitchen. 

'The cork floor is something we definitely wanted. I love its warmth, how sustainable it is as a material, and how quiet it is underfoot – which is important in an open-plan space. The terrazzo tiles in the kitchen were left over from the bathroom. They were one of the most expensive materials we bought so having the right amount left over for our kitchen was amazing – zero wastage!’

The stylish stair spindles are a safety feature that creates separation without impacting the light, open-plan feel of the living area.

Upstairs, space has been taken from the two top rooms to make a modern  bathroom, with a skylight and a walk-in shower. The mid-century style bathroom has been fitted with a reed glass door, with a vintage sideboard from @vintiquelondon repurposed into a sink unit. Terrazzo tiles and black paint tie the scheme together and a full-length skylight floods the room with light. ‘You can see the sky when you're showering,’ says Lisa.

A simple pine cot and armchair furnish Cillian’s nursery, while a bright green feature wall and vintage aeroplane shelf add interest to the smallest room of the house.

Rooms have been redecorated in a relaxed style and an office/work space has been created in the old first-floor living room for Lisa’s vintage fashion business, @thehackneywardrobe. ‘Luckily, we share a very similar aesthetic and people often remark that it’s a “very Lisa and Jon house”, which we take as a compliment.’

 The house has been furnished with furniture and fabrics that reflect the pair’s love of mid-century design and complement the simple, timeless materials used throughout the renovation.  

‘Most of it is vintage,’ says Lisa. ‘It’s important to us that finding furniture for our home is an organic process – rather than go out and buy a new sofa or a rug, we like to find interesting pieces when we least expect to.’

The bedroom leads to the sun terrace. ‘The floral print of the William Morris duvet feels nostalgic and is a nod to the textile designer’s East London roots,’ says Lisa.

The guest bedroom doubles up as Jon’s office – 'so we wanted the space to feel bright and airy,' says Lisa. The couple have made design decisions that embrace the quirky space and have created a functional and characterful home. ‘It’s been hard work, but our unique family home fills us with pride – we’re delighted with it!’

For Cassie Williams, a well-designed home is all about texture. The interior designer advocates building up a cosy, welcoming space through layering: woods, metallics, linens, sheepskins and dried flowers piled up to create a room that’s pretty, practical and personal to you. It’s a great strategy: whether you own an extended townhouse or rent a flat in the city, you can throw everything at it without breaking the bank (or upsetting your landlord).

And it’s clear from her home that Cassie takes her own advice. Each room is a masterclass in slow, thoughtful design, from the playful floral wallpaper in the cloakroom to the wood and brass accents that bring the kitchen extension to life; it’s a stylish, comfortable and practical family home.

Adding space with an extension was on the to-do list as soon as she and her husband, Jon, bought the house – it just took a while to see it to fruition. ‘When we bought it 12 years ago, we knew we’d convert the loft and extend out the back,’ says Cassie. They completed the loft conversion four or five years in, adding a bathroom and bedroom. Then, in 2020, they embarked on a two-storey extension, expanding the kitchen and adding another bedroom on the first floor. ‘This area is quite expensive, and there’s a big jump between a three- and a four-bedroom house,’ she explains. ‘It made financial sense to create space here instead of looking for somewhere new.’

Key to the entire project was improving the downstairs layout. The couple saw potential in using part of the good-sized garden. ‘The need for more space became obvious when we had Jenson,’ says Cassie. ‘We like to entertain, and you couldn’t see what was going on elsewhere when you were in the old galley kitchen. It felt segregated.’ 

The plan was to open up the living space and turn the lounge at the front of the house into a study. The couple tweaked architectural plans drawn up when they did the loft, and put in for approval. Their builder impressed them with the jobs he’d done in the area. ‘He has a keen interest in older houses, so we had faith he’d do a good job.’

The kitchen is now the home’s hub, framed by a vaulted ceiling, rooflights and Crittall-style doors. ‘I wanted a cosy kitchen that felt warm and homely, and in the end, we went really neutral,’ says Cassie. ‘I picked out the same shade for the tiles, floor, units and worktop, and the designer was like, “Are you sure?”. I wanted a hanging chair from the start, so we added extra support during the build. It’s a lovely corner to sit in and have a glass of prosecco while someone is cooking.’ 

Black plays a part in bringing the scheme to life, from the doors to the bar stools. ‘The reclaimed barn wood on the island has a lovely texture,’ says Cassie. ‘It’s practical, too – kids can sit at it and kick it, but it doesn’t matter.’

A concrete-effect worktop, rustic splashback tiles and reclaimed wood panelling pair with antique brass tones through the lights and cupboard handles. Cassie made a feature of the shelving with wooden boards, metallic textures and plants.

In the dining area, Cassie sourced the reclaimed wood table and matching bench, adding cushions and furs to dress the space and add warmth and texture.

Cassie has zoned the space using rugs, changes in flooring and a screen to divide the lounge from the rest of the room. ‘With open-plan living, you can sometimes get noise crossover, but we’ve found that’s rarely bothersome,’ she says. ‘It’s mostly about being together. I tied the lounge in with the kitchen area by following the look. I’m a fan of texture, more so than colour – I wanted to keep things quite neutral.’

The garden extends the living area, with a comfy corner pallet bench and a barbecue. ‘It’s lovely sitting out here in the summer,’ says Cassie. ‘The garden team fitted the pergola and built the barbecue area.’

‘I love dark rooms, but wasn’t brave enough to try them in the extension,’ says Cassie. ‘I painted the skirting and ceiling the same colour so it feels like a cosy place to be.’

Upstairs, the rustic scheme continues with a roll-top bath and reclaimed vanity unit in the bathroom. 'The feature of the bathroom is the roll-top bath,’ says Cassie. ‘It’s sympathetic to the age of the house.’

In the guest room, the couple added feature wallpaper, touched up the original fireplace, and painted the bed black. ‘A bit of pampas grass, some nice cushions, and boom – we had a lovely bedroom,’ says Cassie. ‘My husband has family in the West Country, and we liked the idea of being able to host them for stays in an attractive spare bedroom.’ The master bedroom, in the loft, is next – the plan is to go cosy and dark. 

Jenson’s room, in contrast, is bright and fun, with painted mountains on the walls and a den-like bed. ‘Jenson loves making dens, and sitting under the bed with his disco light,’ says Cassie. ‘We read there in the evening before he goes to bed.’ Cassie added the bookshelves and black chalk paint.

For Cassie, the key to the project was staying sympathetic to the house’s age. ‘From the reclaimed furniture to the restored fireplace, where we could tie in with the original features, we’ve tried to do so,’ she says. ‘But the main thing was the social space – and we love that we can cook and chat at the breakfast bar while Jenson plays with his toys. It’s perfect.’

Need convincing about the benefits of going bespoke for a kitchen or joinery project? Let Catrin and Jono be your inspiration. Their kitchen extension was the largest part of a full renovation of their coastal home, set in the scenic Mumbles in Swansea Bay. On the wish list? Something bold, spacious and, above all, practical.

Looking for a kitchen that would look and feel easy to use and live in, they enlisted the help of their builders, who constructed a stunning plywood and Formica design with plenty of clever storage solutions woven in. The result is a bold centrepiece at the heart of their extended kitchen-diner, a social hub for the family of four and a creative space to live in. So successful has it been that Catrin plans to start her own interiors consultancy business. We spoke to her to find out how it all came together.

Before: a dated kitchen that was too small

‘We moved here in January 2018 to a very tired house – every room needed a bit of TLC. The kitchen didn’t work for us. There was a tiny island with a small sink, and no place to put a fridge except against a hole in the wall. The ceiling was quite low over the kitchen itself, and the other half was glazed but leaky and draughty. 

‘We knocked the existing walls down, keeping the foundations but extending to the side, and adding a larger island. We built a wall up to the playroom to make a snug, reconfigured the utility, replaced the roof, added a front patio and changed the bathrooms. We didn’t envision doing such a big project, but wanted a space we’d love.’

Living in and designing the space

• A DIYer saves thousands giving her dark and dingy kitchen a stunning, textural transformation

‘We had very strong ideas of our own, so we approached a builder before an architect, visiting some of his projects and speaking to people who’d used him. He was open to ideas and had some of his own. He put us in touch with an architect, who drew up plans.

‘The project took about 18 months – we couldn’t start the extension until the roof was done and the scaffolding taken down. The kitchen took about four months. We lived here throughout. The builders closed off the back and created a temporary kitchen in the snug with hot and cold water. We were on a gas camping stove, but it wasn’t too much of a nightmare – though the kids ate more Pot Noodles than I’d like!’

Style contrast

‘Having opted for a grey Shaker style in our last house, we wanted something different to contrast with the Edwardian features of the property. We loved the look of plywood, but it proved tricky to get someone to make a kitchen like it in Wales. We showed our idea to the builders and, thanks to their joinery background, they were able to mock up a cupboard in plywood with Formica.

‘We were able to go completely bespoke with the design. Above all else, the space needed to be easy to use. We have a corner larder cupboard with ply detail inside, and a spice rack on the door. A breakfast cupboard for the microwave, toaster and blender keeps the surfaces clutter-free.’

Outdoor oasis

‘The garden was old and dirty, with dingy yellow paint. I was born and brought up in the Bahamas, where pink is a popular colour for houses. We tried it out with some tester pots – then the pandemic hit and everything closed. Ordering paint was a nightmare, but we eventually found some online.

‘We looked online at pergola ideas, and Jono said, “I think I can build that.” We visited a timber merchant, sketched out what we thought would work and built it. We created an outdoor kitchen area using an old sink from a neighbour and leftover tiles from our bathroom. The space worked really well, especially when more restrictions were in place.’

Mix and match

‘My style is very mixed. I like to be bold and a bit different, and to create spaces that are quite personal. I source things from Ebay and Facebook Marketplace, but also antique shops I follow on Instagram. I’ll pick up bits from B&M and Homesense occasionally, too. Our builders made the dining table for us – we sent them the dimensions and they came up with the design. It was so lovely to work with them, and I think they enjoyed it, too. It was a nice experience – much more personal than going to a showroom. As much as possible, we like to reuse and recycle, which fits in well with our style as we tend to like an older, mid-century modern look anyway.

‘My favourite part of the kitchen is the island, with the induction hob and seating for four. We haven’t had friends around as much as we’d have liked over the past couple of years, but when we have, it feels much more like a social hub. It’s a very easy space to live in.’

Every yard, back or front, needs gorgeous patio furniture to go with it, right? But if your favorite outdoor furniture stores have all sold out, or if they are all beyond budget, you might feel stuck and a little like that idyllic entertainment space is a distant dream. 

When Jessica Nickerson of House Homemade wanted to spruce up her front yard space, she wanted a simple edit that wasn't going to be costly or time-consuming. 

Nickerson says 'I’ve been picturing a table and chairs in the mulch, under our live oak out front for a while. I wanted somewhere for more people to gather. Somewhere my two girls could have a snack with friends or we could sit with paperwork or a book.'

Project detail

• DIY level: Novice
• Time: Weekend
• Budget: Low

Finding the patio set to upgrade

Nickerson started by scouring Facebook Marketplace and found the perfect contender for a cheap DIY project that was going to deliver both aesthetically and functionally.

'I had been looking on and off for a few months. I wanted a simple style but something heavy and long lasting with a decent price tag and relatively close to home.'

I found the perfect set on Facebook Marketplace for $150, and bonus – the people happened to live IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD!!' A rare case I'm sure many of us agree.

Nickerson adds 'I didn't want to make this patio space fussy. It's a table sitting in mulch. I don’t want to buy cushions or bring out throw blankets or pillows. I want it to be an easy, unstyled but beautiful spot that adds to our life, not our workload. It'll withstand the elements and need paint touch-ups every now and then; that amount of maintenance sounds like a breath of fresh air.'

Prep and spray painting

As when you're painting any type of metal outdoor furniture, prep is key for a good finish. Try to remove any visible flakes and scrub/hose down the pieces as Nickerson did. If your set is particularly dirty, use a little detergent with hot water and ensure they dry off before you start your paint job.

Selecting the right tools

As Nickerson says, using spray paint will make this so simple and the colors and finishes available now will help you create a patio set sure to compete with even the best metal garden furniture picks out there... Nickerson used Fusion all in one paint in gray, but there are alternatives also to suit your preference.

'I bought four cans of paint' says Nickerson. 'A good estimate is to buy one can per chair. You can always return the extra.'

Spray painting technique

Nickerson adds 'This is a great kind of spray paint project for beginners. With exception to the frames, there aren’t any solid surfaces so you don’t have to worry as much about an uneven finish. Just make sure you spray the lattice mesh parts from all sides and the bottom. This way bits of the old color don't peek through from certain angles.'

Nickerson went for a warm gray color. 'I wanted them to be neutral next to our light colored house and green shutters.' She adds.

The results: 

'As soon as they were dry I hauled them around front and enjoyed the cottagey charm they add to the yard. I'll list the chairs that were previously there on Facebook Marketplace, so the whole project will have cost about $125 including the spray paint.' Says Nickerson.

A super simple project sure to finish off a front or even side yard space perfectly.

Extending on a budget is tricky if you want to create something special from your space. You have to find interesting ways to make room. 

For Cat and her husband, Wayne, their idea came after a few years of weighing up their options. With two young children, they’d debated whether to extend upstairs – but decided the living area downstairs was where they spent most of their time, and, therefore, could do with the extra space. ‘We needed a toy area, more seating, and we wanted as much natural light as we could get,’ says Cat.

Opting for a glass-heavy extension proved a cost-effective option, and gave the couple the light they were after, from large sliding doors across the back and a glazed roof above. Cat enlisted the help of her sister, a structural engineer, for the nitty-gritty of the build. 

‘It was quite a challenge thinking about space versus cost, and how to fit in everything we needed,’ adds Cat. ‘I didn’t want it to feel like a conservatory, so I made sure there was space between the glass doors and the ceiling. There was a bit of to and fro with the builders, too – we needed a column in the corner and the ceiling had to be lowered from my plans to meet a specific pitch.’ 

The work was held up by a neighbour consultation, but the couple avoided further delays by ensuring the project came under permitted development.

With the extension underway, the rest of the house followed suit. Below, Cat talks us through her design choices for each room – and reveals tricks for making your money go further in a family home makeover.

Kitchen

The kitchen the couple inherited with the house was in good condition, with its cream gloss doors and granite worktops, but it needed an update – and the layout wasn't quite right for the family's needs.

To avoid waste, Cat kept the kitchen and made a feature of it. ‘I wanted to keep the structure as it was, so we took out a window to create a hatch, and opened up the side wall into a breakfast bar,’ she says.

The breakfast bar features an ash-effect worktop to tie in with the rest of the house. ‘We brought in black bar chairs to pull the space together,’ adds Cat. ‘We thought a lot about how we use the space in a social way, but also for day-to-day life – and the idea of sitting the kids at the breakfast bar really appealed.’

Family room

With openings out to all but one side, the kitchen looks onto an open-plan space made up of family, dining and seating areas, plus large sliding doors leading out to the garden.

The family area at the back of the extension features built-in toy storage made from Ikea kitchen units and a sofa so the kids can sit and watch TV. ‘Everything is contained there and the lounge is toy-free,’ says Cat.

‘Initially we wanted a patio by the house where we could put the hot tub, but we had quotes of £3,000 for a four-metre-square space!’ says Cat. ‘Instead, we have this raised seating area in the shade, which we’ve designed to feel like a holiday.’

Living room

The lounge – the first room you enter from the front door – was a blank canvas for Cat, though she decided to make a small structural change by cutting the room down in size to make space for a hallway.

The space is now warm and cosy, with a casual mix of furniture. Cat transformed the generic fire surround with MDF and brick slips: ‘It’s now the focal point of the room.’

‘The panelling helps divide this room from the new hallway but also brightens it up,’ says Cat. ‘We put down hard flooring through to the kitchen and kept the lounge carpeted, which divides the space.'

Master bedroom

Cat’s feel for design comes into play again in the bedrooms. The master has slatted panelling up to a shelf above the bed, for the illusion of an expanded headboard; similar panelling opposite – in a different colour – adds a feeling of height. Painting over and around the bed creates a cocooning feel, while a mirror opposite means you can see the carefully-arranged shelf from the bed.

Travis's room

Youngest son Travis’ room – ‘a tiny box room we could barely fit anything into’ – presented a design challenge for Cat. ‘When we moved Travis to a full-sized bed, we knew we needed a clever solution – we still had a chest of drawers and a wardrobe to fit in,’ she says. 

Cat designed a treehouse-style den over the bed with climbing wall blocks instead of a ladder. ‘It’s a small space, so we made use of the height,’ she says. ‘Painting up the wall and over the coving makes it cosier up in the trees. The treehouse den has a frame to stop him toppling out, and we made a wardrobe by cutting down one from Ikea.’

Bathroom

With enough money saved up, the bathroom was the last room to be renovated. ‘We did so many designs for this,’ says Cat. ‘It’s a big bathroom for the house. We wanted a bath and a separate shower, and it needed to be easy to clean.’ 

The couple’s vision was for a wetroom-style space, complete with a walk-in shower without a shower tray, but without actually being a wetroom. ‘The bathroom fitter suggested having a step up, which still creates the same feel but is practical, too.’

A large vanity unit introduces plenty of worktop space and enough storage for toiletries and bath toys. ‘I love the light concrete in here but wanted to create impact with colour,’ says Cat. ‘I painted the ceiling the same colour as the walls and it feels like a big cuddle. It’s lovely to look up to from the bath.’

Garden

The garden is still a work in progress, but it’s come a long way from the blank canvas it once was. ‘We did it bit by bit, mostly during the lockdown,’ says Cat. ‘We got rid of a vegetable patch at the bottom of the garden and made it more social with a seating area and a built-in barbecue, adding a pergola to provide shade.'

Next to that is a wildlife pond – 'shallow, with stones going gradually into it and a bridge over the deepest part,' says Cat. 'The kids love pond dipping there and seeing what they can find.’

A hot tub sits under another structure closer to the house, and a trampoline is hidden in a shaded part of the garden, with plants around it to hide it from view. ‘We did the garden in bits and planned it based on where the sun and the shade is,’ says Cat. ‘I designed the pergola and Wayne built it. The roof is made from plastic material from my mum and dad’s old conservatory – we reused where we could to keep costs low.’

The extension, along with the seating area outside of it, is Cat’s favourite part of the house. There are things she’d do differently now, like arranging the garden with the seated area in a more shaded spot, but in general, she feels things have gone to plan with the outdoor space: ‘Sitting outside in summer feels like a holiday!’

When Sharon and Garry Lomas moved to the Lake District in March 2020, it was the second time they’d upped sticks for a complete change of lifestyle. In 2015, Sharon left her job as an advertising manager in Manchester and the couple started an interiors store and gallery in the Derbyshire village of Hayfield, renting an apartment above. ‘I’d had enough of my job and it was something I’d always wanted to do,’ says Sharon. ‘Although we had an amazing five years there, we were working constantly and wanted to slow down.’

After a three-month search across the Lake District, a former brewery manager’s house came up for rent in the village of Caldbeck. ‘It was love at first sight,’ says Sharon. ‘The rooms had great proportions and we were completely seduced by the original floorboards, high ceilings and fireplaces. In the agent’s details, every room was painted magnolia, but as we walked round, it was clear the previous tenants had done some painting since then. The dining room had a red chimney breast and the living room had a red shagpile carpet, while the office and master bedroom both had pink and purple walls – so we knew the landlord would be open to us making changes.’

Enchanted by the house, the pair were happy to rent instead of buying. With lockdown looming, their moving date was brought forward to 18 March and new kitchen appliances hurriedly ordered in anticipation. ‘I was determined not to do anything for nine months and just live there to get a feel for the place, but I only lasted a couple of months,’ says Sharon. ‘And of course we had more time on our hands than anticipated during lockdown.’

Over the next year, the couple gradually added their own touches to the house, from repainting and installing new handles in the kitchen to revamping the master bedroom and en suite with clever temporary touches. Scroll down to see the transformation – and pick up some inspiration for your own home, rented or not.

Living room

The pair began by decorating the living and dining rooms, which are connected by glazed double doors. ‘It was crying out for period colours,’ says Sharon. ‘The Victorians really embrace dark, rich colours, and the artwork I chose was also a nod to that period with bird illustrations and pineapples. I wanted a palette that reflected my favourite seasons – spring and autumn – as well as the natural landscapes of the Lakes.’

As Sharon and Garry used to live in a first floor flat, their furniture options were limited. ‘Everything had to be small enough to go up two flights of stairs,’ says Sharon. ‘Now I can have the corner sofa I’d been dreaming about for two years.’

The shelved alcove used to be the front entrance, and was blocked up about 15 years ago when part of the hallway was incorporated into the living room. The decks belong to Garry, who used to be a DJ.

• A DIYer saves thousands giving her dark and dingy kitchen a stunning, textural transformation

Kitchen

After buying a puppy, Max, the couple turned their attention to the magnolia kitchen. ‘As far as rentals go, it’s pretty inoffensive but as we were getting up early with Max, I couldn’t take the cold starkness any longer,’ she says. ‘I used green paint leftover from the living room on the walls, replaced the chrome handles with black ones and bought some vinyl rugs that look like tiles.’

Sharon and Garry’s landlord was happy for them to repaint the magnolia kitchen walls in green. ‘I painted a line two thirds of the way up the wall, so when you look out the door it’s level with the woodland ridge on the horizon,’ says Sharon. She’s also repurposed her gran’s 1940s light pendant as a planter.

Dining room

Having taken a screen printing course, taught herself to sew and completed a diploma in interior design, Sharon was adept at putting together a scheme, upcycling furniture and achieving a high-end look on a budget. ‘I’m definitely a serial decorator and I’d describe my style as contained maximalist,’ says Sharon. ‘But these days I try to consider what I buy and consume more.’

Sharon wanted the living and dining rooms to work together as one space, but also feel different when the connecting doors were shut, so she picked a darker green paint to make the dining room feel cosy. ‘Although radiator covers look nice, I think they block a lot of heat,’ say Sharon. ‘I’ve used two old console tables and covered them in plants and canvases to stop them standing out against the dark walls.’ 

Home office/guest room

This ground-floor room wasn’t even mentioned on the agent’s details when Sharon and Garry viewed the house. ‘It felt like a bonus room,’ says Sharon. ‘I claimed it as my study, as it had built-in shelves, a window and door onto the garden.’

After painting the walls green, Sharon created a little reading nook on the other side of the room with a daybed opposite her desk – perfect for guests coming up to stay.

Bathroom

The existing bathroom was basic, with panelling across the walls and a grey lino floor, plus white sanitaryware.

Although the wall cladding is practical, it’s not to Sharon’s taste. ‘Once I’d added plants, bamboo shelving and vintage decanters full of bath salts, it detracted from how boring the bathroom is,’ she says.

Bedrooms

With four bedrooms upstairs, Garry was able to take the biggest as his work space while Sharon has an office on the ground floor. Naturally they picked the room with an en suite shower and fitted wardrobes as their master, leaving two double bedrooms for frequent guests. 

With windows on two sides, the main bedroom gets both the morning and afternoon light. ‘I couldn’t not have any green in here,’ laughs Sharon. ‘But I kept the existing pale pink and opted for a pale green on the chimney breast.’

The chimney breast in the guest room was already painted blue, luckily matching the pretty bedspread Sharon was gifted by her mum. ‘I never had anywhere for it to go before, so the scheme has been built around it,’ she says. ‘I plan to paint an arch behind the bed in a different shade of blue.’ 

The couple have no regrets about closing their shop and moving to the Lake District. It’s enabled Sharon to start an interior design consultancy, A Story of Home. ‘We love it here and feel very connected to the community in a short space of time,’ says Sharon. ‘We have no plans to move any time soon, but hope to eventually find the perfect piece of land on the edge of a wood to build our own modern lodge-style house.’

Given the choice of keeping four poky rooms or having one huge open-plan space, Emma and Graeme didn’t have to think twice when renovating their four-bedroom character cottage in the Nottinghamshire village of Hucknall. With ample space to play with, they were able to turn a warren of dark and dated rooms into a light, bright Scandi-inspired kitchen-diner and living space.

Below, they've shared their house renovation story – plus some tips on how to save money with a bit of DIY savvy.

It was the potential for space that drew the couple to the property. ‘Having lived in our 300-year-old Grade II-listed cottage for eight years, Graeme and I wanted to start a family and move up the property ladder,’ says Emma. ‘Within days we noticed a detached house for sale a stone’s throw away with almost half an acre of land.’

The house had been well looked after by an older couple but was dated, with dusky pink carpets, patterned curtains and a dark pine kitchen. ‘Despite there being lots of poky rooms, the footprint was large and the location was perfect.’ 

With Emma being pregnant at the time, the couple’s aim was to knock together four rooms to create an open-plan kitchen, diner and living room before they moved in, as well as revamping the bathroom and master bedroom. ‘It would’ve been too stressful doing everything with a new baby, so my due date was our deadline,’ Emma adds.

With interior stylist Emma as the creative powerhouse and taskmaster, and Graeme being a dab hand at DIY, the couple were able to save a fortune. Graeme spent the first eight weeks working on the house while Emma lived with her mum. ‘He used the Room Sketcher app to draw the layout and a builder friend, Dennis, knocked down the walls and installed a steel beam,’ says Emma. ‘I moved back in just two days before Arla was born!’ 

Having seen an image of a Humphrey Munson kitchen with denim blue island and neutral units around the edge, Emma tried to recreate the look on a budget. 

‘I visited a few showrooms for layout ideas before finding a local company called Inspirational Interiors, who were brilliant,’ she says. ‘We’d planned to box in the boiler in the corner but our kitchen fitter said he could build us a double larder there instead. I’m so glad he did as we use it every day. Graeme’s obsessed with freeing up worktop space, so we opted for a wall-mounted cooker hood with corbels to conceal the extractor instead of a full surround, and a built-in microwave hidden in the island.’

‘The centrepiece in here is our bespoke reclaimed wood dining table,’ says Emma. ‘I got a furniture maker from Sheffield to replicate a design I loved on Pinterest. The rope on the glass pendants over the island echoes the rattan cage lights over the dining table. Sam at Inspirational Interiors suggested the Camaro LVT flooring as its wood finish and grey/blue tint complement the island.’

‘The staircase in the middle was a bit of a DIY job,’ says Emma. ‘Having knocked the wall out, we couldn’t have a normal bannister and spindles. We considered glass but with kids it would’ve meant dirty hand prints. In the end, Graeme spent £50 on timber and made and painted the simple spindles.’

'In the living room I really wanted to go dark to create a more formal luxurious evening room as everywhere else was so light,’ says Emma. Graeme updated the dated gas fire with a 1970s brick surround, creating a new fireplace with reclaimed brick, a wood mantle made by an Ebay seller and York stone from a reclamation yard. ‘It looks much more expensive than it is,’ Emma adds.

‘The plan was to panel this room but we didn’t get round to it,’ says Emma. ‘Gloss paint gives the illusion of wood instead. Painting the dark wood window frames white made a huge difference, too. Graeme watches sport in here.’

In the bedroom, Graeme panelled the back wall by attaching timber to batons. ‘We didn’t paint the wall behind and you could see plaster, so the decorator filled in the spaces with a small artist’s brush.’

The bathroom, with its dated corner bath, was also due an upgrade. Emma’s starting point was a striking image of a navy blue bath. ‘Having seen lots of expensive vanity units, we saved money by having one made by the same furniture maker who created our dining table,’ she adds. ‘Graeme sent him the sink in the post and he made it to fit for £400.’ The patterned floor tiles make a statement, so Emma kept the rest of the space simple.

Most rooms received the DIY treatment, including Arla’s. ‘I was obsessed with having a wooden painted floor in there, which was the bane of Graeme’s life!’ adds Emma. ‘He spent about four days sanding it and adding rope between the gaps as the floorboards weren’t really good enough. It’s since got scratched to hell, so in hindsight, I’d advise going for a carpet as it’s more practical when babies start to crawl.’ 

The couple’s next project is to make the higgledy piggledy rear garden feel more open and modern. ‘Graeme also fancies turning an outbuilding into an office and gym before eventually converting the double garage into a guest annexe,’ says Emma. ‘The property is big enough to be our forever house – though Graeme has different ideas and would one day love to build an American-style oak-framed house.’

Until the wall comes down, it’s difficult to visualise how a knock-through and extension will look. Having spent over three years saving for their building project, Katy and Tony Middleton didn’t want to take any chances and hired interior designer Liz Ennis to ensure the new open-plan kitchen diner and family room in their Victorian house was perfectly planned.

The couple sold their modern three-bedroom house in 2017 and bought a run-down four-bedroom detached property on their favourite street, just three weeks before their second son, George, was born. Extending out by three metres, the project fell within permitted development rules, and knocking together the kitchen and rear reception room gave them space to include a utility and cloakroom, too. 

Katy tells us how the countless hours spent sourcing their two-tone kitchen, Crittall-look windows, LVT flooring and space-saving furniture have finally paid off.  

Awkward layout

‘Our long galley kitchen was cold and dark, with an arch through to the boys’ playroom-cum-dining room,' says Katy. 'It was hard to cook and entertain them at the same time. I’ve always loved to bake and cook, but felt I lost that part of me. 

‘We wanted to raise the ceiling back up and have a huge open-plan space. We got four quotes to knock through and extend, but there was £30,000 difference between them. Our builder was the second cheapest. Since he had two boys of a similar age, we felt he’d understand the upheaval and work around us. The project started weeks after the first lockdown. Thankfully he finished the utility first, so we used that instead of washing pots in the bath!’

Wish list

‘As well as a child-friendly space, I wanted an island for entertaining friends and no wall cupboards that might enclose the room. We used to have a huge American fridge-freezer covered in magnets, so an integrated one was a must, while a larder cupboard hides the small appliances. My husband’s stipulations were a drinks cabinet, hot water tap and sink moulded from the worktop. Designer Kieron at Concept Interiors was very helpful, happy to work with our ideas

‘Our interior designer, Liz Ennis, was also invaluable. She suggested moving the toilet and utility on the plan, and helped with the lighting, radiator positions, layout and colours.’

Let there be light

‘I wanted glass across the whole of the rear as it’s a private garden, but I didn’t want bi-fold doors as we’d rarely have them fully open and I didn’t want flies coming in. I was quite keen on sliding doors and considered Crittall doors too, but they were so expensive. 

‘On a trip to the Ideal Home Show in Birmingham, I found a company that did an aluminium version of Crittall doors. The two middle doors open out so we still have a good-sized two-metre opening. They also created a skylight for our pitched roof instead of four Velux windows. The only issue was
not having any windows for ventilation, but they solved this by making the top panes of the doors openable.’

Finishing touches

‘White tiles aren’t usually me – I prefer things to be loud! But the shape and pattern makes it look different and the light grey grout matches the wall colour. 

‘Choosing the right furniture took time. It looks like a big room, but once you put a dining table and sofa in there, it quickly eats up the space. Having a concrete table made to the perfect size was a game changer. I love the quirky rounded edges and we picked the stone colours for the terrazzo ourselves.

‘Liz suggested wishbone dining chairs, which I loved, but they couldn’t be pushed right under; instead I found some with industrial-look legs that match the Crittall-style doors.’

Balancing the budget

‘Inevitably the project went over budget. The build cost more as an old  extension had to be knocked down and rebuilt in reclaimed bricks. As it’s our forever home, we also spent more on the doors, skylight and kitchen. But we saved money by shopping around for the dining table, pendant light and chairs, reusing our original oven and picking LVT flooring over wood, which still gave us the look we wanted. 

‘I feel so happy with the space now; it’s the hub of the home. The kids do homework or craft at the table while I’m cooking and we live in here most of the time. I kept in touch with Liz and now I work as her assistant – so the project gave me a new career, too.’

During the 26 years they’ve lived here, Karen and Kevin have seen significant changes to their two-bedroom maisonette. After buying the ground floor of the beautiful Victorian building in 1996, the couple set about creating a home for the two of them until their son, Monty, came along. In need of more space – they’d sacrificed a second bedroom to create a larger kitchen – they bought the basement, then a communal area for the five apartments in the building, from their neighbours, and began a renovation.

Restoring this part of the building to its former glory – the couple found the original, blocked-off entrance to the basement in their own apartment – was the start of an ongoing journey to add charm and personality to their family home, from paneling their bedroom to restoring character to the living room with coving.

It’s clear that Karen's merchandising background and foray into styling have played a huge part in how the home looks today. She’s carefully crafted a beautiful and cohesive scheme across two floors, contrasting strong color palettes with natural textures that soften each room. We asked Karen to talk us through the space.

The kitchen

'We bought the property as a ground floor flat within this Victorian building and, 10 years later, purchased the basement, so it now feels more like a house,' says Karen. 

'We’ve knocked down walls (the kitchen was originally two rooms), ripped out the kitchen and bathroom to put in new ones; it’s seen a fair few changes. Whenever we start thinking about moving, we just end up redecorating again instead.

'The kitchen was neutral with a dark wood worktop, and we decided we wanted more contrast, so we sprayed the units just as the first lockdown came into force. Everything suddenly looked very black – we questioned what we’d done for a minute!'

'We did the color first to try and draw the eye up from the units, and it works: it makes you more aware of the height of the room. The glazed wall units are a great frame for our collection of ceramics – I love artisan pottery so wanted to draw attention to them here. I love Wattle & Daub for vases, cushions, and vintage finds, and Design Vintage for plates and bowls. 

'I find it really interesting to look back and see how we moved forward with the color – something got our gut and we decided to go very black and white. We also painted the table legs and looked for some cane furniture to add textural interest.'

The living room

Originally, the living room was painted grey with white skirting, but Karen repainted everything in the same color for added elegance. 

'In the lounge, we wanted something more breathable, and have added a couple of new pieces of furniture to give it a new lease of life,' says Karen. 'All of the period features were removed in the 1980s, so we made it a priority to reinstate what we could.'

'We added the coving in the living room to complement the fireplace, which was already here – it’s one of my favorite things about the whole house. That room, in particular, felt much more period in style until the recent update, actually; we got rid of the curtains and some of the more floral accents.'

The space is clutter-free, but Karen admits objects find their way into her home. ‘I see so many lovely things every day and I want all of them,’ she says. ‘I’m always trying to be more minimal but things keep creeping back in! Some people are eclectic and some minimal; I’m in between.’

The bedroom

Warm rugs and a wooden floor offset the cool grey paneling in the bedroom. Set in the basement, it fits with the downstairs scheme of dark grey, ash blue, and rust. 

'We’ve always gone very light in the bedroom, but as soon as we painted it darker, the transformation was amazing – it felt restful, more cocooning. The same thing happened with the small bathroom. Whenever we paint it light, it doesn’t seem to expand it – so we’ve embraced the darkness in there, too.'

A light well in the bedroom makes for the perfect home office design. ‘I’ve always had a love of putting things on display,’ Karen says of the curios on open shelving. 

‘I remember putting things out in my bedroom when I was about four years old – and later on, I had a career in merchandising.’

The bathroom

'We decided we wanted the same color in the bedroom and bathroom for continuity,' says Karen. 

'We had paneling in the bathroom before but we took it a lot higher this time, which gives more of a feeling of space. We traced the flooring supplier after we spotted it in Cote in Guildford.'

The teen's room

The couple's teenage son, Monty, had a hand in styling his room. ‘He chose the wall color – guided by me,’ Karen laughs. 

The herringbone wood floor is from a Harvey Nichols room set. 'Monty’s room is due an update imminently, so I think that will be my next project.'

The garden

A vintage table and chair set make the perfect spot for enjoying the spring sun in the garden. Karen has a hand from her husband when it comes to DIY. 'Kevin was an aircraft engineer until about eight years ago, but he’s always been handy – and now he’s a brilliant carpenter and can do everything.'

'Plumbing, plastering, decorating: the works. I love looking for ideas, which isn’t his thing – but he’s the doer, and I help him do. He definitely has his own opinions but luckily he always seems to like my ideas. He also relishes the challenge of figuring out how to do things, which is very handy.'

Of the house, Karen isn't finished yet. 'We’re always making little tweaks. Plus, once we think we’re done, we end up going back around all of the rooms again – it’s a never-ending project!'

That historians Alison and Mark wanted a home with a story to tell comes as no surprise. At the same time, the couple wanted something that could be transformed into a place where they could create their own memories with their two young children. ‘We originally wanted a Victorian terrace, but they were a bit more expensive in this area,’ says Alison. ‘It worked out perfectly, though. This house was built in the 1920s, so it still has high ceilings and a sense of spaciousness – but it’s also a bit squarer and not as narrow as some period properties, so we didn’t have the problem of dark rooms.’ 

Having originally lived in north-east London, the couple wanted something closer to work, so moved north west, looking for a property offering more space for their growing family, and that had a lot of appealing original features. This one ticked those boxes, but required some renovation. 

'It had been owned by a couple who had lived here for more than 40 years,’ says Alison. ‘They tried to do a few things to improve it, but there was a lot to be done. The living room was to the right of the front door, with a dining room next to the small galley kitchen. At the back were a couple of buildings, marketed as a utility and conservatory. Everything leaked through plastic sheet roofing and the structures stopped loads of light coming into the house.’

However, the property had the proportions they needed and they discovered that the garden backs onto a park. ‘On our second viewing we came towards evening and we saw the sun set,’ says Alison. ‘The sky was filled with beautiful colours; the setting was wonderful.’ 

Settling in

The young family lived in the property before the renovation began and didn’t unpack items such as their generous book collection because they didn’t think they’d be there for long. ‘We met the architects before we completed the purchase and they came to look at the house, so it felt like things were moving really quickly,’ says Alison. ‘In the end, though, because we needed planning permission, we lived here for seven months before construction started.’

Saving money

With a tight budget but plans in hand, the family lived with several issues, including a boiler that would never come on. ‘It seemed to only work on a Sunday morning for three hours – it was set to a weird pattern,’ says Alison. ‘Then all of the lights stopped working on the ground floor, and we put off fixing them as we wanted to save all of our money for the renovations. At Christmas it was festive cooking by candlelight; by February the novelty had worn off.’ 

The couple managed to save money by stripping back their wish list and avoiding some structural changes, such as removing a chimney breast and keeping the old first-floor layout. Mark painted the entire house, which helped the couple stay within budget but took up a lot of the summer of 2019.

Planning the space

When work finally began to install an extension with a utility and a pantry, plus a downstairs WC, Alison and Mark couldn’t have imagined such an amazing result. Their architects, Ester Corti and Andrew Mitchell, completely reworked the couple’s initial idea. ‘We wanted a big light extension with bi-folds across the back because that’s what we’d seen in other kitchens,’ explains Alison. ‘However, Ester and Andrew suggested that bi-fold doors can make a west-facing room very hot – they recommended something that would still frame the views of the park, yet allow for a gradual transition to the outside as the original layout was very disjointed.'

The architects’ design solution was a step to enter the kitchen, two steps down within the kitchen to create the extra-height bookcase area, and then two further steps from the decking down into the garden. The kitchen units were fitted by their joiner and though they look high-end, they were fairly inexpensive and have been finished with unique handles from Etsy.

Smart storage

The impressive library wall accommodates all the books the couple still had in boxes. ‘We had nowhere to put them, so it triggered the concept for their design with the bespoke bookcase and high ceiling with skylight,’ says Alison. ‘We talked about keeping as many Art Deco features as we could, so that also influenced the circular skylight and bookcase design.’

The bookshelf hides the boiler and provides storage for the children’s toys. The blue wall is actually old plaster that formed part of the original kitchen. When the floor-to-ceiling tiles were removed, the unusual colour was exposed. ‘The architect called us on holiday to tell us about it, suggesting we keep it,’ says Alison. ‘We’re very glad that we did.’

Indoor-outdoor link

Stepping out onto a decked area, the garden is now perfect for everyday life as well as entertaining. 'There was a really big drop of over a metre from the house to the garden, and our little boy was 18 months old when we moved in,' says Alison. 'We wanted something that would allow him to move between house and garden safely, while bringing the house together.’

'Love at first sight’ isn’t exactly the phrase Alex and her husband, J, would use to describe their initial reaction to this 1970s house in a village near Leeds. Having sold their previous home, and with Alex pregnant with their second child, they were under pressure to find a new place to live – quickly. ‘We ultimately bought this house for the location,’ says Alex. ‘The village has a good school and we have a really big garden – but really, the area we live in was the nicest thing about the place. Sometimes I’m not sure why we took it on!’

Considering the state of the property when the couple bought it, it’s not surprising that it felt a little overwhelming. The house needed a complete renovation. ‘The last owner was the only person ever to have lived here, and you could tell,’ says Alex. ‘There wasn’t even central heating – just warm air heating, no radiators. That’s how dated it was!’

By Alex’s own admission, she and J set about ‘messing it up’ pretty quickly. ‘We knocked out all of the internal walls downstairs, leaving it unlivable,’ she says. ‘Our renovation story is more like an example of what not to do!’ The entire ground floor was opened up into one big space with the help of steel beams. ‘The intention was always to extend out the back, so we did the initial renovation work with that plan in mind,’ Alex adds. ‘In fact, we got planning permission for the extension this January, so we’re pretty much ready to go now.’

The house feels considered and pulled-together, but Alex isn’t one to mood board. ‘I don’t use Pinterest and I’m not a planner,’ she says. ‘I’ve always just had a strong idea of what I like. I’ve started using Instagram more recently and have found inspiration for our extension there, but I largely go by what I love.’ For now, until the extension gets underway, she says her favourite place is the sofa spot by the doors. ‘The girls play with their toys and games here,’ she says,’ and I love sitting here in the morning, looking out to the garden.’

1. Make your kitchen design flexible (so you don't have to do it all again later on)

If, like Alex, you know you'll be extending later on, it doesn't mean you can't create the kitchen of your dreams right now: you'll just need to make sure it works for the present and the future. Alex's kitchen is a simple Ikea job: her husband J planned it using the online planner, ordered in store and fitted it himself. It’s been designed with the future extension in mind. ‘The island is huge because it ties into those plans, so it will become more proportionate,’ says Alex. ‘When we have friends over, they crowd around here – it’s very sociable.’

Can't afford to add a kitchen island or not sure how it's going to fit with your future plans? Check out our portable kitchen island ideas for something even more flexible. In addition, make sure you choose a colour that'll go with a change in scheme later on, or opt for a kitchen you can repaint. ‘We were under a lot of time pressure when we chose the kitchen, and in hindsight I might not have picked grey,’ says Alex. ‘I did think it would be timeless, though.’

2. Create budget-friendly Crittall-style doors with electrical tape

Opposite Alex's kitchen, a sofa set next to glazed doors provides a nice spot for a morning coffee. ‘The doors are actually the original white uPVC doors,’ says Alex. ‘Eventually the extension will go here, so we didn’t want to replace them. Instead, we painted them black with Rust-Oleum paint and used electrical tape to create a Crittall-style look.’ It’s a simple update that’s incredibly effective. ‘The difference it made was amazing.’

To get the look, first paint the frame of your door using a specialist uPVC paint. Then, use a tape measure and a Sharpie to mark the sections you want to tape. Hold the tape taut while you apply it, and then warm the glue up with a hairdryer and smooth out any air bubbles.

3. Use panelling to add character to a featureless home (we're looking at you, new builds)

On the other side of the room, the living area is decorated with the panelling that’s characteristic of Alex’s home. ‘There are no period features in this house, so the panelling adds character,’ she says. ‘We did it ourselves with MDF and No More Nails. It makes every room feel less boxy.’

If you're handy or fancy giving DIY wall panelling a go, it's a great project to help you get started and build skill.

4. Improve your home's health and inject some mood-boosting greenery with houseplants

Anyone who has greenery in their home will tell you all about the benefits of houseplants: they help purify the air, increase productivity and even aid sleep. ‘Everyone always asks, “Have you really got that many plants?”' says Alex. 'I have! I hang them to get more in.’

If you want to add more houseplants to your home, take a leaf out of Alex's book and think outside the box to make space. If you don't have many surfaces to place them on, try one of our DIY plant stands – it's a great weekend project. Additionally, put hooks in your ceiling or walls and use macrame hangers for added texture.

5. Don't make this key mistake with your bathroom flooring

‘The room above the garage – now our family bathroom – was dilapidated: bare brick walls and filthy,’ says Alex. ‘When the owner gave us the tour, he actually didn’t want to show it to us initially because it was where he stored his collection of guns!’ Transforming it into a family bathroom was one of the trickier tasks of the renovation. ‘The garage has an apex roof, so we had to build stud walls to create a more sensible space,’ says Alex. ‘It was difficult to manage – we had to get the shower in the highest point of the room, and the bath is tucked under the eaves.'

The couple had a bit of a disaster with the flooring, too. 'It’s luxury vinyl tile, and we had it fitted on the hottest day of the year, so when the temperature returned to normal, it shrank,' says Alex. 'If you took up the flooring there now, you’d find the remains of our first try underneath.’ The moral of the story? Never attempt a new floor fitting on the hottest day of the year.

6. Use wall decals to create an on-trend scalloped effect without the faff

Spotted the scalloped trend and fancy having a go yourself? You could painstakingly paint it on by hand – or take a leaf out of Alex's book and take a savvy shortcut. ‘Everyone was doing half-painted walls and scalloping,’ she says. ‘These are gold decals cut in half – I think they’re really effective.’

To recreate the look, simply paint your wall up to your desired height (dado height is a good idea), then buy circle or half-circle decals, cut the former in half, and place along the top of the painted section, using a measure to make sure they're aligned.

7. Include a daybed in your spare room for bedtime reads and sleepover fun

The daybed in the spare room pulls out into a double bed when the family has guests. ‘Sometimes we’ll read to the girls in here,’ Alex says. ‘The panelling was a lockdown project – when I told J I wanted to do it, he was like, “Oh, for God’s sake!”’

Multifunctional furniture like a daybed or sofa bed is perfect for a small spare room where you don't want to take up valuable space with a full-sized bed. Opt for furniture that can fold away when not in use, or try investing in pieces that come with built-in storage – like a side table or ottoman that hides away spare throws.

Neil and Will Harman had always loved the popular town of Bridge of Allan in Scotland, so when a three-bed apartment above a shop came on the market, they were eager to view it. Although the configuration of two bedrooms at the front and a small kitchen at the rear didn’t work, knocking the bedrooms together to create a kitchen-diner and turning the old kitchen into an office/guest bedroom unlocked the property’s potential. And with a huge attic, there was scope to create two more en suite bedrooms. 

‘Nine months after buying the apartment, we sold our five-bedroom house quicker than expected, so moved in with my mum for three months while the work was finished,' says Neil. 'In Scotland there’s an additional dwellings tax when buying a second home, but since we sold our previous house within 18 months and made this our main residence, we were able to claim it back. 

Having remodelled several Glasgow tenements and a Victorian villa, the couple had ample experience of renovating. Although Bridge of Allen is definitely the right place for the couple, they've recently made an offer on a house with a good-sized garden on a lovely street nearby. 'I’m a little bit gutted about leaving, but it feels like the right place at the right time,' says Neil. Here, he and Will talk us through the trials and tribulations of their project…

The kitchen

‘We bought this three-bedroom apartment on a whim as a second home or perhaps an Airbnb, but later we discovered the amazing attic space,' says Neil. 'We realised it was ripe for conversion and could be our main home. The previous owner had passed away and the décor was poor with nicotine stained walls, but it had good bones with grand period cornicing.'

The kitchen is drastically different from its previous iteration – but it's taken some inspiration from the couple's last home. ‘Our previous kitchen had two islands,’ says Neil. ‘I basically replicated the exact size of the more sociable one with the hob, where we would congregate around.’

‘A round sociable table works best here, as a square or oblong design would’ve felt like another barrier with the island,’ says Neil. ‘Getting the right size was a big challenge – but by pure luck, a friend was getting rid of this table and it fits perfectly.’

The living room

‘When it came to the décor, our travels to New Zealand, the States and South East Asia inspired the maximalist look,' says Neil. 'I love bright pops of colour and pattern with an eclectic mix of textured items – but it still has to flow. For instance, the living room, with its matt brass fittings and moody, elegant pink walls, is a more grown-up version of the kitchen, which features a vibrant bubblegum pink on the island and shiny brass fittings.'

‘The grey memory foam sofa was a random ex-display purchase from Ikea’s premium range, with Airbnb in mind,’ says Neil. ‘But I actually love it as it’s washable and so comfortable.’

The attic

‘After renovating the main floor, we had plans drawn up to convert the attic, making it a 2,000 square foot four-bedroom maisonette,' says Neil. 'By removing a second WC and taking some space from a bedroom, there was scope for a new kite winder staircase. It was a leap of faith, though, as we could have ended up with a two-bedroom flat if planning permission hadn’t been granted.'

‘Our architect drew up five different schemes for the attic,' says Neil. 'One had three bedrooms, but we felt two bigger en suite bedrooms would suit us better. Another had a ‘wow factor’ balcony overlooking the two flights of stairs, but would’ve taken up too much floor space, so we opted for the tiniest of landings instead. 

'Being in a Conservation Area there were some extra costs, such as special Velux windows that are meant to resemble the old school metal attic skylights. However, we saved money by organising the scaffolding ourselves. I wanted a show sofa for this spot under the sloping ceiling. I’m constantly stroking the velvet into the right direction, but I didn’t care how practical it was – it just had to look good!’

‘My role during the project was primarily labourer and chief internet searcher,' says Will. 'It can be frustrating when you have a clear idea of what you want but you just can’t find the product anywhere. There are only so many internet pages you can look at until you give up, so I try and help out to source as much as possible.

'It’s always an adventure working with Neil. I take quite a hands-off approach (he might call it something different!) but his design skill and approach to décor is so much more advanced than mine. Although I often think his ideas are odd, he always proves me wrong with the finished product and I know he’ll always make the right decision for our family and the property.'

This room has been influenced by the couple’s travels across South East Asia, including a print bought at the famous White Temple in Chiang Rai, Thailand. ‘I wanted a luxe boutique style bedroom with a grey, monochrome backdrop and coral accents,’ says Neil. 

‘I wanted Crittall-style doors with frosted glass for the en suite and dressing room, but couldn’t find anything,' says Neil. 'Instead I bought timber doors with clear glass and got a company that tints car windows to do the job for about £200.'

‘The bathroom is  a grown-up antidote to the more vibrant bedroom,’ says Neil. ‘I picked real terrazzo as the starting point, as the colours work well with the bedroom, as well as the maroon unit.’ 

‘My favourite place in the house is probably Hugo’s bedroom and en suite,' says Will. 'It just makes me so happy that we can have such a fun space for him. Now that we’ve found our next home, I feel a mixture of sadness, a lot of excitement and a little bit of dread. We put so much into this property, but the new place is perfect for us.’

‘I saw the vintage carousel lights on Instagram and loved them,’ says Neil. ‘They were meant to be along the eaves wall, but at four feet high, they were too tall. The black backdrop really makes the letters pop.’

‘I love living in this property,' says Will. 'It’s so comfortable and cosy and I’m not ashamed to say that it makes us feel so proud when people come over and their jaws hit the floor. The thing about this place is it’s so us. People get it when they walk in. We’ve done and seen so much collectively in our lives and this really presents itself in our property.'

This was the laundry room in our farmhouse before we started demolition. Before we officially moved in, we replaced the flooring and baseboards and that’s about it. 

We have been using the existing cabinets and making them work for the past few months. But even after some TLC with the best paint for kitchen cabinets, they weren’t really looking that great, and I knew that I could make them more functional and beautiful.

The laundry room space to start:

Skill Level: Intermediate

Cost: $111

Time Spent: A weekend

Supplies used:

• ½”mdf 
• Beadboard 
• ⅝” trim 
• Crown molding 
• Square clamps 
• Jigsaw 
• Nail gun/brad nails 
• Caulk 
• Spackle 
• Hammer 
• Screwdriver/screws 
• Paint sprayer/paint 
• Tape 
• Plastic tarp

We removed the existing cabinets from the wall as well as the 1x4 cleat below them. We then rehung the cabinets about 6 inches lower. This will make them more accessible when reaching over the washer and dryer. 

Adding the 'faux' upper cabinets

I originally thought that painting the now lower cabinets would be enough but after DIY painting kitchen cabinets I discovered something that I should have done from the beginning. The gap between the cabinet and ceiling was too jarring and just didn't look right. I wanted to extend the cabinets to the ceiling. To do this, I needed to add a “faux cabinet” above the existing cabinet.  

I bought a piece of 2x4 ½” mdf from Home Depot and ripped it in half with my table saw. I cut the pieces to size in order to create a box to place above the cabinet. Actually, it was just a front and side piece secured together using wood glue and a few brad nails.

I also put a couple of pocket holes in the box where the studs in the ceiling joists would be.

I placed the box on top of the existing cabinets and secured using screws into the pocket holes and a piece of wood I attached to the box beforehand in order to secure it to the cabinet frame.

When the box was secure I got busy cutting beadboard to cover the box frame. I used brad nails to attach the beadboard. I used a ⅝” piece of trim on the cabinet to hide to gap between the new box and the existing cabinet. 

Installing the crown molding

This is the part where I got intimidated! I knew I wanted to attach crown molding to the top of the upper portion of the cabinet… The problem was, that I’ve never cut or installed crown molding. I actually watched quite a few YouTube videos and even bought a crown pro jig made by Kreg from Amazon to help me cut the molding. This was a lifesaver. It ensures that the molding is cut at the precise degree for the best possible fit. 

The most important part of all of this is filling nail holes and caulking all the edges and seams to make everything look clean and finished.

Spray painting the upper cabinets

With all the trim attached and caulked and nail holes filled, I taped off the existing cabinets (that I’d already painted) as well as the ceiling in order to spray the upper portion of cabinets. I used the Emerald urethane trim enamel from Sherwin Williams for the cabinets and this paint sprayer. I would definitely recommend not skimping on this step. Good paint will make all the difference and will be sure to last for a long time!

Adding finer decorative and functional detail

Another thing I’ll note is that I added small brass cabinet knobs and soft-close cabinet hinges to the cabinet doors.

I absolutely love these updated cabinets!! Adding the upper cabinet was definitely the right call and I’m glad I spent the extra time to do it. Not only are these more beautiful but I now have fully functional cabinets in this laundry room. 

The finished laundry room:

Project Cost Breakdown:

• MDF $20
• Trim/Molding $24
• Beadboard $22
• Paint $33
• Tape/plastic $12 (other misc.)

Total: $111

Transforming your bathroom on the cheap has never been easier and who knew that painting bathroom tiles could transform a space so quickly?

Geri Alessi of @overatno18’s incredible en suite is proof. She managed to transform the space for less than £350 thanks to her incredible DIY skills and a stroke of creative genius. 

From covering the old brown floor with patterned adhesive tiles, to creating a Crittall-effect shower screen with electrical tape, there are plenty of handy budget bathroom ideas to steal from this makeover – but it’s the green tiles we fell instantly in love with when we saw them. We quizzed her to find out just how to recreate the look. 

• DIY level: Novice
• Time: Weekend
• Budget: low

You will need: 

• Rust-Oleum Tile Transformations kit available on Amazon
• Rust-Oleum Universal Paint in your color of choice (Geri used Gloss Emerald Green mixed with Satin White)

In a few straightforward steps, Geri completely transformed her bathroom into a bright and colorful small bathroom idea.

Before:

• Before & after: a simple freehand wall stencil design adds character to this entryway

Step 1: Clean and prep tiles for painting

Give your tiles a wipe down to remove any dust or spills – this will ensure a smooth finish.

Following the instructions on the pack to mix the solution, use the Rust-Oleum Tile Transformations kit to paint the tiles in one layer.

Leave to dry before applying a second layer. Because the formula hardens in 90 minutes, Geri mixed half the solution on day one and the remainder on day two, when she was ready for the second coat.

Step 2: Paint the tiles

When the solution has hardened, you can apply your color. Place strips of Frog Tape vertically down your tiles, leaving gaps the same width as the frog tape between each strip.

Paint between the gaps of the frog tape with your chosen color. Wait to dry, then remove the tape.

Top tip: For a hand-painted finish, use an artist’s brush to paint the remainder of the white gaps, leaving enough white to give the illusion of grouting.

James Brett was brought up near the cottage where he now lives, on the beautiful Northumberland coast. His parents still live in the village, and once he graduated and became established in his career, which involves a lot of international travel, he realised he wanted a base near home. His mother had worked with interior designer Cathy Dean, of Studio Dean, on some projects and introduced James to her.

‘I’d bought a dated cottage and wanted to revamp it into something a bit more unique’, he explains. ‘It was pine lined with lowered ceilings and lino on the floors. An architect had come up with a solution that gave me the three bedrooms I wanted, but it didn’t quite work for me; it was filled with lots of corridors and very little storage. I wanted the house to flow better, and when I met Cathy, her ideas sounded as if they had a lot more potential, so I was delighted to engage her.’

The resulting house renovation is a masterclass in dark and moody design that's cosy and welcoming all year round. Scroll on to take the tour.

The kitchen

Cathy came up with a simple solution to the unsatisfactory layout of the cottage – adding a porch and extending the kitchen. ‘Immediately I could see the benefit of having somewhere you could take off muddy boots and store coats,’ says James. ‘We rearranged the parking outside so that you enter the house through a welcoming porch and step into the dining area of the kitchen.

The kitchen is beautifully laid out so James can enjoy the views while cooking at the peninsula. Studio Dean added scorched reclaimed wooden doors to the Ikea cabinetry for an industrial edge. Through a sliding barn door, you reach what was originally the old kitchen and some lean-to outhouses. These have all been fully incorporated into the property and turned into a third bedroom and a utility room, with a useful adjoining linen store and a boiler room.

The dining area

Suspended ceilings were removed, beams and rafters were exposed, and original features reinstated but with a contemporary twist. ‘I didn’t want to go all-out country cottage,’ says James. ‘I wanted my home to be a masculine space, but comfortable. Cathy totally got that and removed all fake, pastiche-y, non-original details, added lots of industrial contemporary elements, and chose colours that I really like, letting light into the kitchen-diner but otherwise keeping the palette relatively monochrome.’

'The extension includes a wall of glass that leads out onto a raised patio and the views, which you can enjoy inside while cooking or from the new outside balcony, are stunning,' says James. He tackled the landscaping himself. ‘I love gardening in my spare time, so it was a joy – and beyond the garden, there are views of fields for miles around,’ he says. ‘The interior, however, was completed by Cathy and her team, over a period of 12 months. It passed very quickly, though. I travel a lot and the progress whenever I came home was amazing!’

The living room

The living room is at the front of the house and only has a couple of small windows, so Cathy and James agreed that this should be a dark, evening space where you could enjoy the fire and withdraw at the end of the day. 

James wanted to add drama to this naturally dark room, creating an evening space with the focus on the fireplace. Natural materials, warm paint colours and cosy fabrics are a soft contrast to the bold black elements.

The bedroom

James chose his own builder, electrician and plumber, but used Cathy’s team of specialists for the tiling and joinery. She installed timber latting in a few places and embraced the history of the building, using sharp contemporary joinery to add a modern interpretation.

The bedrooms have a deliberately moody palette and, again, are places where you want to retreat. 'Cathy introduced me to Benjamin Moore paints, which include a number of rich, warm shades – perfect for the setting of the north Northumbrian countryside,’ says James.

The guest rooms

Simple timber latting behind the bed in one of the guest rooms sets off the gorgeous Feather wallpaper by Woodchip & Magnolia. In another room (below), Cathy painted the wood of the bunk beds charcoal, to match the monochrome scheme, but left some exposed as a trim to add interest.

Though James was happy to splash out on a few items, in general, the renovation was done on quite a tight budget. James was keen to maximise the space rather than overextend the house and resisted adding extra rooms. ‘I didn’t want to over-capitalise,’ he says. Materials were kept simple: for example, the same dark engineered wooden floor was laid throughout the house for continuity.

The bathroom

The bathrooms are small. ‘I really wanted an en suite for myself and a separate bathroom for guests,’ James explains, ‘so one large bathroom wasn’t going to work. I presented Cathy with a bit of a challenge here, but she rose to it brilliantly. Her solutions are ingenious: both bathrooms honestly feel like a miniature but luxurious spa.’ The bath in this compact space, below, is tucked away behind a corner and doubles as a shower.

‘With Cathy’s help, I’ve managed to achieve exactly what I wanted – a convivial, comfortable base from which to explore and enjoy the amazing Northumberland countryside,’ says James. ‘There are stunning beaches minutes away and it’s just a short drive to the Cheviot Hills. The cottage is a wonderful haven to share with family and friends.’

With their first baby on the way, Elise and Michael Dodds felt it was time to leave their small rented flat in North London and buy a more affordable property further north near their families. ‘Although we’d met in London, our families only lived a mile away from each other in the North East, so it was the perfect time to move back,’ says Elise. They bought a new-build house off-plan in Whitley Bay. ‘We loved the old terraces in nearby Tynemouth but they weren’t as practical with a young family,’ she says. ‘They lacked parking and we didn’t think we’d have time for a renovation. This was just so much easier.’

The couple had daughter Elodie and, a year later, son Huxley before they started renovation work on the house. Once the children started to walk, Elise and Michael’s priorities were converting the garage into a playroom and landscaping the garden with raised beds and lots of grasses to draw the eye away from the walls and fence. Two years later, the corridor-like utility room was knocked through to create a bigger dining area with four-metre wide bi-fold doors replacing the double patio doors. ‘We’d spent all that money  on the garden but couldn’t really see it,’ says Elise. 

However, with family life taking precedence, decorating was on the back-burner. ‘We always felt like it was a temporary home, so it stayed in its white basic state for nearly five years,’ admits Elise. ‘One day I said to Michael, “I can’t live with it like this any more.” It wasn’t joyful to come home as it didn’t feel cosy or reflect our personalities.’

Having read a tip from Mad About the House author Kate Watson-Smyth about taking cues from your clothes, Elise opened her wardrobe to reveal an array of pinks, greens, yellows, blues and lots of prints. ‘It was full of colour but my house wasn’t. I was determined to add personality to our home and smash the stereotype of the new-build white box.’

The kitchen

To make up for losing the utility room during the initial renovation, the couple installed floor-to-ceiling kitchen cabinets in the dining area to conceal a washing machine and dryer alongside additional storage. At the same time, the white gloss kitchen was given an overhaul. ‘It felt criminal to pull out something out that had only been in five years,’ says Elise. ‘So we replaced the base unit doors, added an island and changed the handles, lighting, sink, tap and worktops.’

New matt navy base cabinets with gold handles have added depth to the kitchen, while the existing gloss wall cabinets have remained in place and blend into the wall. ‘We would’ve probably just painted the existing doors if they hadn’t been gloss,’ says Elise. 

‘The neon light was on my Pinterest board for four or five years,’ says Elise. ‘It was quite a splurge and felt like buying a piece of art. We treated ourselves when we knocked out the utility, and it meant we could hide the wires in the wall. It’ll come with us from house to house as I can’t imagine not living by the sea now.’

• Before & after: a simple freehand wall stencil design adds character to this entryway

‘It was only when we created this space that we could get all our prints down from the loft and make a gallery wall,’ says Elise. ‘I particularly love the picture of the Rendez-Vous Cafe on Whitley Bay seafront, which means a lot – I used to go there with my mum and dad. The opening hours picture is actually a framed tea towel.’

The garden

‘This is a great little spot for having friends round for drinks and was a lifesaver in lockdown,’ says Elise. ‘We turned the shed around so the door leads onto the lawn to create more space.’

The living room

The living room was one of the last rooms to be transformed. ‘There was too much furniture, including a massive grey settee that made the room feel small. I replaced it with a neater yellow velvet design; by that time, I felt there was a thread running around the house and knew what colours would work.'

'I loved Farrow & Ball’s Hague Blue,' says Elise. 'Because it’s not a massive room, I painted the bottom two-thirds and it immediately felt cosier. I’d always wanted a yellow sofa and this fits much better, stands out against the dark blue walls and ties in with other pops of yellow throughout the house. The coffee table was bought when I was living in New York.’

‘I’ve seen this Ikea unit styled in lots of different ways on Instagram and it looks different in everyone’s house,’ says Elise. ‘I’ve taken my time to fill it with things that mean a lot to me.’

Home office

Elise managed to fit an office onto the landing when both were working from home during lockdown. ‘I used the colours from the striped wallpaper to colour match the yellow and pink in the striped wallpaper. The photograph was from New York where I lived for two years.’ 

Elodie's room

Formerly a nursery with grey stars, Eloise’s bedroom was upgraded as she got older. ‘She really wanted rainbows so when I saw this wallpaper on @eli_at_home’s Instagram account, it was perfect,’ says Elise. ‘I painted the scalloped edge by using a dinner plate to cut out a cardboard template.’ 

The bathroom

When the couple moved in, the rooms, including the bathrooms, had basic fittings from the developer’s limited options. The family bathroom was white and soulless, so Elise set about transforming it by adding colour, though kept the layout the same.

Elise gave the space a new lease of life with new tiles and a shower. ‘This was going to be a fun bright kids’ bathroom, but I fell in love with these green and pink tiles so it didn’t quite end up that way!’ she says.

Elise and Michael's bedroom

During lockdown, the couple started by painting their bedroom walls green. ‘It felt much warmer,’ says Elise. Before long, she was experimenting with wallpaper and adding neon lights. ‘I painted two opposite walls to begin with, but after decorating the rest of the house I came back and did the whole room,’ says Elise. ‘The rustic shelf above looks much better against the green than the previous white one, and I can change up the display.’

Now Elise is glad she took her time with the transformation and would love a new project in the next few years. ‘You have to live in the house for a while, otherwise you’ll make mistakes by buying things too quickly,’ she says. ‘I’ve loved making the best of what we’ve got and adding unique touches that reflect us as a family and where we live. As much as we love it now, we haven’t lost our passion for period properties, so it’s a case of waiting for a house we can turn into our forever home.’    

Laura’s house is one of those where there’s something beautiful to look at from every angle. And that doesn’t happen accidentally. As a fashion buyer, Laura is very much used to considering textures, fabric weights, colours, and how all of these things sit together. So when turning her hand to interior design, she was armed and ready with a lot of the essential skills. ‘Choosing an outfit is quite a small scale, but choosing a room scheme is much larger and kind of a more scary feat,’ says Laura. ‘But that doesn’t mean that playing it safe is necessarily the best idea.’

For her budget kitchen renovation, Laura thought carefully about where to spend money and where to save – opting, for example, to respray the existing units, but investing in a concrete island to bring the space to life. Check out the transformation below.

The before

After years of living in London and then Cardiff, Laura and her husband, Jonny, relocated to Ballyhackamore, Northern Ireland. Because they were living in a different country at the time, they called on the help of Laura’s parents to speed things along. ‘My mom and dad viewed the property and sent us a video. My mum’s videoing wasn’t the best, but we could see the house had good bones, so we put an offer in,’ says Laura.

The couple were excited to put their own stamp on the space. The existing layout included a large front room, and small snug leading into the kitchen. ‘We’re very sociable people and we wanted to be able to use our home to gather friends and family, but with the smaller separate rooms, the layout seemed quite old fashioned,’ says Laura.

Modern living space

The couple decided to knock down the wall between the snug and kitchen – which, unfortunately, was load bearing. ‘We had to get architectural and engineering drawings done to make sure we didn’t make the house fall down.’ 

They had an RSJ beam installed to support the ceiling and laid down plywood to even out the floor levels. ‘It works so much better for us now,’ Laura adds. ‘It’s more of a modern living space.’ 

Laura added a strip of terracotta paint to help zone the dining area in the kitchen. Taking it right up to the ceiling gives an almost canopy-like feel. ‘I plan to hang a pendant light above the table, too,’ she says.

Framing the view

Laura’s approach to her kitchen design was all about sightlines. She separated them into three distinct views – from the dining room, the door, and looking directly at the back wall with the cooker. This gave her three clear canvases, of sorts, to work with. ‘I was learning as I went along,’ she explains. ‘I don’t even know how many mood boards I made, but the more I did, the more I kept changing my mind, as I tried to figure out what colours and textures would work best. My job in fashion definitely influences my décor.'

Spend and save

The solid oak kitchen cabinets were in good condition, so the couple had them resprayed in a statement dark blue. They did invest in a new pink concrete island. ‘That was a bone of contention with Jonny at first,’ says Laura, ‘but now we both really love it. It was too big to fit through the front door so had to go through the neighbour’s fence, which we paid a joiner to fix.’ 

One of the most striking elements in the kitchen is the tiling, inspired by Pinterest. ‘I saw a picture of a bar in New York with these vertical metro tiles, and I thought it was so cool – I knew I wanted them somewhere in my home.’ 

Colour and texture

Laura took the property’s original exterior window and repurposed it as an interior window into the dining area. She’s hung planters for a quirky design feature, which maintains privacy while allowing light to pass through.

While this beautiful home may look complete, Laura has even more up her sleeve. With plans to update the windows and swap the rear French doors for wider bi-folds, this space is very much a work in progress – and we’re excited to see how it evolves. 

The kitchen brings Laura’s love of colour and texture to life. ‘I’m over the moon with it,’ says Laura. ‘It’s just a really cool space to be in and we spend most of our time in here.’ From the pink island to the neon sign, the space is bursting with personality. ‘Jonny loves cooking on a Friday night,’ says Laura. ‘I’ll be drinking a cocktail and we’ll have the neon light on. I just love it.’

Against a constant tide of new trends, a home with its own unique character is pretty special. As tempting as it is to get on board with what’s hot on Instagram – from dark blue kitchens (arguably closer to a classic these days) to boucle sofas (soft, but not red wine friendly) – the best homes are those that reflect their inhabitants’ personalities, and are filled with treasures and knick knacks from years of memories. 

It’s the quirky, one-of-a-kind style that makes Charlotte and Sam’s house renovation so special. They’ve transformed a cramped and dated bungalow, taking an empty shell and adding their stamp to it. 'The actual property looked a little bit like a cottage, and it just wasn’t big enough for us,' Charlotte says. 'I was keen to reconfigure from the start – I love American Hampton-style homes and the rest of the street looks a bit like a scene from Desperate Housewives, so my vision fitted in quite well! 

'Ours was the only small house in the road. It was a dormer bungalow with two bedrooms in the attic, built in 1952. The layout was strange – there was a small kitchen in the middle of the house with no room for a table; the dining room was at the back and there was a bedroom downstairs, plus a shared bathroom. Oh, and there was a shower room in the attic, which you couldn’t stand up in!'

Filled with theatrical flair and Charlotte’s love of Art Deco, the couple's renovation is a tribute to designing a house for you, not for a trend – and Charlotte told us how they did it.

1. Go all-out and scale back later

'Sam had worked on a few houses before with his mum and stepdad, but when we bought this house – the first one we’ve bought together – we were looking for a project. I’m quite picky and wanted to make my mark on a property. My dad is a wheelchair user, so we also wanted to make sure we could create something accessible. If we were doing our own renovation, we could make sure all those amenities were there for him.

'We have a friend who’s an architect, so we worked with him to get some designs drawn up, then we gathered loads of quotes from builders. We had to get planning permission, so we scaled our plans back in size before putting them in – which, in hindsight, was a mistake. You should just go for it and scale back if they get rejected instead!'

2. Take on the work yourself to save money

'Because it was an extensive renovation – we had to take the roof off to add a storey – everything was gutted first. We decided to project manage the build ourselves: I’d source items and Sam would be there on site to make decisions day-to-day. To save money, we asked the builders to take us up to the shell – literally just walls and a roof – and we’d do the rest. We worked on the bedroom and en suite first, temporarily moving back to my parents’ house until it was in a liveable state. That was our little den while the rest of the work was done. We lived off a microwave in the corner for the rest of the build.'

3. Inspiration can come from anywhere

'We mostly worked within the footprint of the original house, so the kitchen is the only bit with a new foundation – we added about 4x2m. Our architect advised us on the layout and told us to put the actual kitchen under skylights; it makes a huge difference when you’re cooking or sitting at the island. We got the kitchen from Ikea, which saved us money but took three long weekends of planning with the in-house planner. The goal was a sociable space where we can host parties and gather around the island. There’s also a study/dining/bedroom off this room, which we keep as a flexible space; there’s a sofa bed so Dad can stay.

'It was a scene from the TV show Doctor Foster that inspired the brick wall. I found the still online and added it to my Pinterest board. I was set on having one, so when I saw the builders putting in breeze blocks, I was like, “Where’s the brick?” We used brick slips in the end, which are about two centimetres thick and go on like tiles, except you have to be more careful with the grouting. I like the fact that it ties in with the original brick-built house.'

4. Use a colour wheel to nail your scheme…

'I’m a massive fan of Pinterest and had a mood board for each room. Being quite arty, I tend to pick contrasting hues on a colour wheel for a scheme, like the pink in the lounge against the teal walls. I do a lot of theatre as an actress, which I think influences my home. And a lot of the artwork in our house was donated by one of our friends, who’s South African and uses a lot of colour in their work.'

5. … but don't be afraid to bend the rules!

'The spare bedroom is nice to have, especially as we have a lot of friends who stay over. The wallpaper is actually adhesive – we wanted a bit of a quirky, bold print and this fit the bill. I love the look of the whale pictures, too.

'I love the 1920s, so there’s a lot of Art Deco in each room, but I wanted a different theme for each space. The living room at the front of the house, for example, doesn’t get much sunlight. I disagree with the idea that you have to use light colours in dark rooms. I went for Farrow & Ball’s Inchyra Blue as I love teal, and got the wallpaper from there to match.'

6. Your home doesn't have to be unified

'The bathrooms all have a different feel. There’s a wet room downstairs, which is handy for Dad and also for the hot tub in the garden. Our en suite (pictured) has lots of gold and duck egg blue, while the main bathroom has a botanical/jungle theme – wood-effect tiles, bamboo, lots of plants and a leaf-print blind.'

7. Take it room by room to avoid overwhelm

'The project was overwhelming at times because you're making every single choice. It got to the point where the electrician was asking what height we wanted the plug sockets, and my answer to everything was just ‘a normal height’! My advice to anyone taking on a renovation is to take it one room at a time. It might feel slow-going, but it feels like a real accomplishment when you've finished.'

A commitment to colour takes confidence. A self-assurance about every bright brush stroke that will realise your vision of a look that is pleasing and totally unique to you. Karen Clough and her husband Joe’s punchy palette was honed in their first house, where they tested combinations of shades to discover how bold they dared go. When their oldest daughter, Luna, asked for a yellow room, just like mummy’s bedroom ceiling, in their new house, Karen was delighted to spread the love of colour. The result is simply joyous, and a bargain to complete as Karen used leftover paint to do it. We quizzed Karen for artistic tips, and to hear how much Luna loved her gift of a creative wall paint idea.

1. Start with a blank slate

‘The bones of the house are Victorian, however, the previous owner had done extensive alterations. They had gone up into the loft, which is where Luna’s bedroom is. However, they were also childminders so the downstairs had been extended to the side to create a nursery playroom. We were told not many people would want to take on transforming it back into a home because it would be such a big job, but we thought while we still have small children and we are saving up to renovate, they might as well enjoy it. The rest of the house was very neutral – they’d decorated to sell so it was all magnolia.’

2. Plan a cohesive palette

‘We’ve always decorated quite colourfully. We often joke that our first house, which we renovated, was our experimental house. We learned what our tastes were and knew exactly what we wanted when we came here. We have our own colour palette that we are comfortable with and that is going to continue to run throughout the house – it’s lots of pinks, yellows and blues mostly.’

3. Consult your ‘client’

‘Luna’s bedroom is up in the loft space. The previous owner’s teenage son used it as a kind of den up there. It had damask wallpaper that was sort of falling half. When we moved in we actually painted the whole room black – which was quite drastic for a child’s room. Luna never slept and we were recommended to use blackout blinds, but we went a stage further and just painted the whole room black and had multicoloured furniture instead. During lockdown we renovated our bedroom and painted the ceiling yellow. When Luna turned six, she said “Mummy, I want a yellow bedroom”. Can I have it for my birthday?” So that was the trigger for us to go for it. We have a guest room so we moved Luna in there for about a week. Obviously she requested the yellow, and that it was rainbow-themed, but that was all she knew – the rest was a birthday surprise.’ 

4. Work with your room’s angles

‘The bedroom is under quite a steep pitch and the only part that is full height is actually a curved ceiling – I thought that would be the best place to put the rainbow. It was quite simple to do. I used tape to keep the lines straight and then free painted some raindrops at the end, which was a spur of the moment thing. Then I felt like I wanted some rainbow near the bed as well so I just added it in. There is an alcove in the room which used to have a sofa pushed in there. Luna’s like any six or seven year old now with all these trinkets and small toys and little certificates that she’s really proud of and doesn’t want to hide away. We moved the couch under the window and used some wood to create shelves in the alcove, painting them yellow to blend in with the walls. She makes good use of that space for all her stuff and she has autonomy over that. She can see it when she is in bed and reorganise it if she wants to.’

5. Recycle and reuse to save money

‘The whole bedroom cost us less than £100 to do. The yellow pain was B&Q’s own range and I think it was two tins for £24, and the wood for the shelves was less than £20. The rainbow was done with tester pots I already had. I’d painted the skirting pink when the room was black so I had the pink paint, which I continued onto the door and the wardrobe doors. I also used a tin of Zinzer paint primer which I’d already got.  i don’t like waste so I wanted to use what we had in – that’s also the benefit of using the same colours throughout. We didn’t buy any new furniture – we had the sofa from when she was a baby and used to read stories to her on it. We got it from Ikea and it was leftover stock so it was really cheap, but it has held up really well.  I got some bedding that was on sale and cost £9.99, and a few rainbow cushions that were from B&M and The Range. That was all that was new – everything else was stuff we already had.’

6. A personalised room makes the perfect present

‘Luna was thrilled with it. She had wanted to help, and on the last day of us painting she came and did a few touch ups with me. But most of it was a surprise. She really loved it – she was a bit speechless at first, which is unlike her. She Zoomed the whole family to show it off to everyone as it was in November last year and we were in a sort of lockdown so no one could come round. She’d outgrown not sleeping, so didn’t need the black anymore. We have  put blackout blinds up though. There is a skylight over her bed and she loves looking at the stars – her name is Luna so she likes that kind of stuff – and she has her own telescope up there. But obviously in summer you need something to keep out the light.’

Planning a family bathroom can feel like a constant push and pull between practicality and style. Can you have wallpaper when you've got kids who just love splashing about in the bath? Is it possible to ever control the sheer amount of stuff that finds its way into the room, from body lotions to bath toys?

Emma Coulthurst's bathroom remodel is proof that yes, you can have a space that looks good and works for adults and children alike – with a bit of planning. Together with her husband Martin, she's turned a dated '80s-style room into a beautiful sanctuary with hidden functionality, like the splash-proof panelling and easy-access storage. We spoke to her to find out how she pulled the space together.

The before

‘There were layers of tiles and wallpaper on top of each other in this room and it was even carpeted! The property used to be a B&B back in the 1980s and the bathroom and toilet were in separate rooms. We were downstairs getting a drink when we noticed water coming through the ceiling into the kitchen, where the fuse board is. It went through the side wall into our son’s bedroom, too, which we’d just had plastered and painted. The entire house was a bit of a disaster!’

Bold ideas

‘We took on a few other rooms before the bathroom, so we’d fallen into a good system by that point and I felt really sure about what I was after. I’d never really gone “out there” with colour before, but since this is our forever home, I felt I could be a bit braver. Instagram gave me loads of inspiration. I wanted it to be a bright and bold room – it’s small, so why not go for it? We don’t spend all day in here anyway, so I felt it could take a more confident design.’

Adding colour

‘I saw a pink bathroom online, which sparked the idea for this. My husband thinks it’s hilarious how much I deliberate over shades of pink. The room width was a worry, but I was adamant I’d have a roll-top bath and found a space-saving design that fit, spray-painting the legs to work with the brass fittings. We planned the space meticulously – I had five different mood boards on PowerPoint.’

Cutting the cost

‘Instagram was a huge help when it came to keeping costs down. I got a discount on the bath, and the vanity too because I was a repeat customer. I won a voucher for the wallpaper and colour-matched the paint using Valspar. A friend of Martin’s tiled the shower. He was like an artist: at one point he took them off and started again because they weren’t perfect. He questioned the combination of pink and herringbone at first, but thought it was amazing once he saw the result.’

Family planning

‘To be honest, we threw practicality out of the window with this room. But the wallpaper’s high enough that it doesn’t get splashed too often, the panelling is coated with a water-resistant sealant and the room is well ventilated. The kids love it – they call it the pink bathroom. I really care about our home and it’s rubbed off on them. There were probably many times when Martin questioned my design choices, but he’s learned to go with it. He knows he’ll like it in the end! My advice to anyone taking on a bathroom renovation is to plan, plan, plan, and be sure of what you want – then don’t hold back.’

After renting out their two-bedroom house in Walthamstow, which they’d purchased in 2008, Laura and Chris Sabogal spent two years in Suffolk where their twin girls were born and help was on hand from nearby grandparents. ‘We loved our house in Walthamstow with its close proximity to historic Lloyd Park and were very reluctant to sell it, so while we lived in Suffolk, renting it out was a great option,’ says Laura. ‘Suffolk is a beautiful place and we overlooked fields of purple flowers, but once I returned to work, commuting to London became too much for both of us and we decided to move back to the city.’

With many years’ experience working as a freelance interior designer and stylist, Laura was keen to find a bigger house, in the same area, to renovate herself. ‘We just couldn’t find the right property,’  says Laura. ‘It didn’t take us long to realise we wanted to stay and that’s when we decided we could extend outwards at the back and upwards into the loft.’

Although Laura and Chris loved the open-plan layout of the house, they recognised it would be too noisy with young children as they both work freelance from home. ‘Unusually, and against today’s trend for open-plan layouts, our first mission was to extend the back to accommodate the kitchen and put in a wall to create a separate sitting room,’ says Laura.

 ‘By adding a pitched ceiling in the extension, we created more height, and Fabco metal frame doors with large windows on the back brought in much-needed light. A slight hiccup with the size of one of the steels did hold up the work for a while, but it was soon resolved by our very experienced builders. The idea for the vertical timber panels for cladding both the inside kitchen wall and the outside extension came from my love of all things Scandi. I’d seen something similar in Denmark. They draw your eye upwards and create a feeling of height.’

A micro cement floor – a cheaper version of a concrete floor – with underfloor heating adds an air of simplicity to Laura’s unfussy scheme, while floor-to-ceiling cabinets offer maximum storage potential. ‘That all-important question of where to put everything?’ laughs Laura. ‘It’s crucial to have great storage in a home and we wrote a list of everything we needed in our kitchen cupboards. One side is for storing food and drink and is very narrow at only 34cm deep. It’s the perfect size for a larder as you can get your hands on anything you need without having to rummage around at the back. In the last two cupboards we’ve installed sockets for the coffee machine, kettle and toaster, which are on a pull out tray so the steam escapes the cupboard. It’s such a clever design and keeps the kitchen tidy and uncluttered.’

Next door, the cosy sitting room has a woodburning stove and Laura has renovated the original door using reeded glass and a Victorian brass door handle. Laura stripped back and varnished the floors, changing them from a glossy orange finish to a much paler pine. As Victorian houses can be draughty, she insisted on a woodburning stove to add extra warmth in winter. ‘They bring a room alive when they’re lit.’ Her treasures have been collected over the years from car boot sales or antiques auctions. The old radio belonged to Chris’ grandfather.

Another outstanding feature throughout the house is the thoughtful lighting, thanks to Laura’s husband, Chris, who works in photography. ‘Chris and I are both particular about lighting as it makes such a difference to the mood in your home,’ says Laura. ‘In the kitchen there are lots of circuits to accommodate the pendants, the wall lights and the spotlights and we always choose bone china or glass shades as the light glows through them, creating a softer ambience.’

However, it’s the loft conversion that’s made the most difference. ‘We needed two more bedrooms for Poppy and Suki as well as a bathroom, but we didn’t want to squeeze in a tiny space. You often see loft bathrooms in the eaves but we put ours in the middle of the extension so that the ceiling has full height.’ Soft colours and furnishings have given Poppy a bright and playful bedroom and the bathroom picks up the colours in the grey/green floor tiles. 

The bathroom was originally split into two tiny rooms to house a desk in one and cot in the other, but Laura renovated the space to create a generously sized room. Her unfussy scheme has practical yet stylish touches with dark chevron tiles over the bath and much lighter tiles on the floor and in the shower.

Upstairs on the first floor, she’s reinstated an original fireplace in the main bedroom, stripped and varnished floors in a pale pine and commissioned floor to ceiling wardrobes in a similar style to the downstairs vertical wall cladding. 

It’s hard to believe that this spacious family home with four bedrooms, two bathrooms and a stylish kitchen diner was once Laura and Chris’ first two-up, two-down house. ‘We’re so pleased we made the decision to stay,’ Laura concludes. ‘We’re benefiting from the extra space and still enjoying this lovely area where we feel most at home.’