Style at Home

SHABBY CHIC‘In here, we’vemixed up the lookwith rustic detailsand a luxury roll top’``````FRENCH FINESSE‘I’d always wanted aProvencal-style bed andthis one has been a reallabour of love – I’vecompletely restored it’STYLE TIP‘Hang sheer curtains solight can filter throughduring the day, and fitroller blinds for nighttime’room, so I’d had plenty of time to thinkabout how I wanted it to look. As the layoutisn’t huge, everything had to be carefullyplanned, but I made sure there was spacefor everything I wanted. This included apale blue 1950s-style Smeg fridge freezerand matching toaster that I’d had my heartset on from the start – they quickly becamethe whole inspiration for the room.``````Sense of satisfactionOur final job was the small courtyard at theback of the house, which we’d been usingas a bit of a dumping ground. Once we’dfinally cleared everything out and everypiece of furniture was where it wassupposed to be – rather than outsidehidden away under a tarpaulin – we gaveit a quick makeover in time for summer.Getting in the last little pieces offurniture and making the house look likewe’d always hoped was so much fun, and``````I’m delighted that we’ve managed to stickto our budget and only spent around£2,000 on labour. We had to call in anelectrician, plasterer and building surveyorfor the more complicated jobs, but otherthan that, we’ve done everything ourselves.Looking back, it’s been two years of hardwork, and there were times when the lastthing we wanted to do was get out thepaintbrush, but now that it’s complete, itreally feels like we’ve achieved something.And if we’d had to pay other people to doall the work, it would have cost us at least10 times more, so it’s been worthwhile.We’ve now got a solid, well-built andwell-finished home that’s exactly to ourtaste, so we’re going to relax and enjoy itfor a while. However, I wouldn’t say no totaking on another renovation in the futureas it’s been a very satisfying project – I’djust like to have a little bit of a rest firstand appreciate what we’ve created here.’20 |SEPTEMBER 2016 housetohome.co.uk/styleathome