Although I actually quite liked the original colour of our cupboards (some by John Lewis of Hungerford, some by IKEA), they were chipped and looking pretty sorry for themselves after we’d made improvements elsewhere. Once our new flooring was finally in, I decided it was time to give them a refresh.

First up, this jobs takes a while. You need a good block of time to do this properly, and it really helped me that my husband took the kids away for three days to his parents. I did three 18 hour DIY shifts in a row (I had time off in between whilst the paint was drying to do other stuff like eat, wash and work) but even then they weren’t completely finished.

Read More

Cushions are great for bringing new life to an old sofa and a pop of colour or pattern to your room on a smaller, more manageable scale. I love mixing high street finds with covers from independent sellers, and when I have the time, I’ll even make my own, using fabric from old dresses, bedlinen or spare scraps I have saved in my fabric stash.

If making your own isn’t for you, here are some of my recent cushion finds under £20:

Read More

This is an idea I have wanted to try out for ages. I love a naturally wooden floor, but in some circumstances where the original floorboards have already been painted, or aren’t in the best condition, painting them may actually be a better option.

It’s worth noting that this look does require more maintenance than oiled floors but it can really transform a room. Rather than going with a block colour for our summerhouse makeover, I decided to paint a checkerboard pattern to bring a bit more interest and fun into the space. I’m also hoping the pattern will detract slightly from the scuffs and marks that an outdoor playhouse will inevitably attain over time.

Read More

Our recent project is without a doubt the smallest but potentially the most trickiest area of our home. The room is part of the original house which dates back about 400 years. It has a low ceiling, exposed beams and extremely uneven walls to go with the two doors coming off it, plus an ugly loft hatch to add into the mix. It does have a very small window, but being north-facing (and with the deep overhang from the thatch) the room gets minimal daylight even on the sunniest of days.

To add to the rooms limitations, in one corner it has rather large pipeworks which protrude from the floor and go up the wall, as well as an electric meter on the wall which are always a bit of an eyesore, aren’t they?

Read More

Obviously it goes without saying that I would happily sleep on a sofa with a blanket if that was required, and I would never expect anyone to have the perfect guest room set up ready when hosting me. In fact, nearly all my family and friends do not have a guest room readily available and that is, I expect, more the norm than the exception!

However, for those lucky enough to have a spare room that they can keep as a guest room, here are a few ideas on how you can make it a welcoming space for all.

Read More

Our third renovation and it’s definitely the most curated set of colours I’ve used yet. The more you make a home for yourself, the more you realise which colours you love time and time again and the tones or hues you’re naturally drawn to.

I don’t see any reason in changing things for changing sake so I’ve also used colours we had in our previous homes too. There’s nothing more satisfying than using up an old pot of paint for a cheap DIY project!

Read More

We’re on our third house renovation but I’d definitely still call myself a beginner when it comes to DIY. It doesn’t come naturally to me, and whilst I do it a lot, I still find it intimidating and often overwhelming. No question is too silly so do let me know if there’s any other DIY questions you’d like covered.

One of the questions I get asked most on Instagram is which electric sander do I recommend for someone starting out? Here are the three that I use:

Read More

Like many of you in a similar season of life with young kids, sleep often gets pushed down the pecking order of priorities. We’ve been the parents lying on a cold wooden floor next to the cot, willing our child to sleep in the middle of the night, we’ve been the parent relegated to the tiny toddler bed, whilst they starfish in the king size bed, and of course, we’ve been the parent who wakes up in the morning with a little foot in their face which you daren’t move because otherwise, the game is over, and the day begins well before the seven on the clock has a chance to show it’s lofty, taunting digits.

Read More

It feels scary to put pen to paper and admit how naïve we were starting this project. We’ve renovated two projects before this – a 2 bed Victorian mid-terrace and a 3 bed 1930’s semi – but whilst we learnt a lot transforming those, neither one compares to the scale of the 4 bed, 400 year old thatched cottage we live in now.

Read More