from the bay window, too,” Antonia says.
Simple off-white kitchen units and quick fixes like
changing the bland cupboard handles and putting leaf-
print stick-on wallpaper into the alcoves, brought colour
and personality without costing much. Friends helped
her add contrasting rustic wood finishes, with a
reclaimed wooden frame around the range cooker and
chunky open shelves made from scaffolding planks.
Brightly coloured Mexican tiles run along the
splashback below the shelves. Antonia and Sam also
splashed out on a long, narrow dining table to maximise
the space and one of Sam’s many surf boards has pride
of place on the wall, alongside a classic nautical map
of the Cornish coastline, where the couple got married.
“Travel has always been our passion, and almost
everything here is either second-hand or a souvenir
from one of our trips,” she explains.SECOND-HAND STEALS
Antonia’s love of bargain hunting has delivered some
impressive finds and none more so than their bath which
had been left abandoned in a friend’s garden for years.“I cleaned and touched up the enamel and painted the
outside. We bought everything else in the bathroom
new, and Sam made the washstand from a bit of leftover
kitchen work top,” Antonia explains.
“This is the only room where I’ve gone for dark walls.
It was a bit of a gamble, but I’m really happy with the
result because it feels so relaxing.”
After her first round of decorating, Antonia revamped
the main bedroom a couple of years ago, changing the
dusky lilac walls to white and replacing curtains with
minimal roller blinds and voiles, to give the room a more
airy, tranquil feel.
From second-hand bargains to quick and simple
DIYs, Antonia has crafted a home that truly ref lects
her laid-back style. Whether it's updating an old chest
of drawers with new handles, packing the house with
colourful cushions and macramé hangers or turning
a scavenged wooden branch, picked up on a walk with
her husband, into a nifty necklace hanger, it's the small
touches that make their house a home. She enthuses,
“Our home truly ref lects us, and the things that we
love, and that’s what makes it so special.”Much-loved items of
furniture all find their own
place here. The couple
have had their L-shaped
sofa for donkey's years
but it fits in the bay
window like it was made
for the space and any
marks are easily covered
with stacks of patterned
cushions and throwsHOME TOURfrom the bay window, too,” Antonia says.
Simple off-white kitchen units and quick fixes like
changing the bland cupboard handles and putting leaf-
print stick-on wallpaper into the alcoves, brought colour
and personality without costing much. Friends helped
her add contrasting rustic wood finishes, with a
reclaimed wooden frame around the range cooker and
chunky open shelves made from scaffolding planks.
Brightly coloured Mexican tiles run along the
splashback below the shelves. Antonia and Sam also
splashed out on a long, narrow dining table to maximise
the space and one of Sam’s many surf boards has pride
of place on the wall, alongside a classic nautical map
of the Cornish coastline, where the couple got married.
“Travel has always been our passion, and almost
everything here is either second-hand or a souvenir
from one of our trips,” she explains.
SECOND-HAND STEALS
Antonia’s love of bargain hunting has delivered some
impressive finds and none more so than their bath which
had been left abandoned in a friend’s garden for years.
“I cleaned and touched up the enamel and painted the
outside. We bought everything else in the bathroom
new, and Sam made the washstand from a bit of leftover
kitchen work top,” Antonia explains.
“This is the only room where I’ve gone for dark walls.
It was a bit of a gamble, but I’m really happy with the
result because it feels so relaxing.”
After her first round of decorating, Antonia revamped
the main bedroom a couple of years ago, changing the
dusky lilac walls to white and replacing curtains with
minimal roller blinds and voiles, to give the room a more
airy, tranquil feel.
From second-hand bargains to quick and simple
DIYs, Antonia has crafted a home that truly ref lects
her laid-back style. Whether it's updating an old chest
of drawers with new handles, packing the house with
colourful cushions and macramé hangers or turning
a scavenged wooden branch, picked up on a walk with
her husband, into a nifty necklace hanger, it's the small
touches that make their house a home. She enthuses,
“Our home truly ref lects us, and the things that we
love, and that’s what makes it so special.”Much-loved items of
furniture all find their own
place here. The couple
have had their L-shaped
sofa for donkey's years
but it fits in the bay
window like it was made
for the space and any
marks are easily covered
with stacks of patterned
cushions and throws