hoMe | real living
a
s with most
house purchases,
the process for
gemma and
kyle had plenty
of twists and turns along the
way. ‘at the time it felt a bit
like a nightmare with all the
setbacks, but it just goes to
show how things can work
out for the best in the end.
this house, it turned out,
had everything we were
looking for,’ says gemma.
Having reserved a townhouse
on a nearby new-build
development, the sale of the
couple’s flat fell through, which
meant they lost the property
that they had their hearts set
on. Back to square one, Kyle
and Gemma managed to secure
another buyer for the flat and
in the meantime this three-
bedroom house on the same
development had come on the
market. Gemma wasted no
time in booking a viewing and
actually ended up putting in an
offer the very same day. ‘There
was something about it that
just felt right and I’ve not looked
back since,’ she says.ADDINg
THEIR OWN
STYLEKyle and Gemma had just
returned from 14 months of
travelling and couldn’t wait to
move in and put their stamp on
the property to make it feel like
home. Luckily they were able to
liaise with the developer about
the flooring as this part of the
house wasn’t yet finished and
it worked out much cheaper
to source and fit it themselves.
Kyle installed the laminate
downstairs and they used a
local carpet fitter to tackle the
upstairs. ‘We then decided to
focus our energy on decorating
the living room, as this is the
hub of the house, so our priority
was to turn it into our cosy
sanctuary,’ says Gemma.Metallic touches such as gold fixtures
add extra texture for interest. Gemma
picked up the bar cart from a local home
store, and it fits in perfectly with the
room’s boho feel. Her collection of maps
and trinkets from across the world
influenced how she decorated her home.
idea to steaL
instantly lift a dull
corner by painting on
a geometric design