Finally, the reason I started a blog is almost upon us: the contracts have been exchanged and we’re now awaiting confirmation of the moving-in date. AND I’M SO EXCITED! Partly because its bigger than our current abode, partly because it’ll be our very own home rather than a rented house, but mostly because I can finally get my teeth into refurbishing the damn place to my liking (something very frustrating about renting).
So, is it a complete fixer upper I hear you ask? Erm, no, not exactly. In fact, we’ve been very lucky in finding a place which is good enough to move straight into (high priority with a little baby in tow) but it’s not going to feature in any home-design magazines anytime soon. The current owners are in their late 60’s, so that should give you a good idea of the décor. And guess what? I’ve already drawn up the whole house in sketchup and have gone through at least 5 different designs and layouts for each room already. Did I mention I’m fickle? Yup, I get fed up of styles/colours/patterns very quickly, so really need to be happy with something before I make the plunge and decorate.
So here you are, as I’m sure you’re desperate to take a peek, a few teasers of the house. To preserve the current occupiers privacy, I am just showing the fixed decoration elements which I will be replacing on a rolling programme.
Living room
A nice size with extension at the back, solid wood floor in Oak and currently a feature wallpaper around the chimney breast. A basic electric fire and mantle will be remaining.
Kitchen
Not my favourite space: It’s long and thin and the unit doors are a Beech vinyl, with a red granite-effect laminate worktop. Tiles are beige and carcasses are white so a facelift will be the cheapest solution in here. The oven is staying but all other appliances must be acquired.
Master Bedroom
I quite like this space: it’s got duel aspect windows so the room will bet both the morning and evening sunlight. A floral wallpaper currently dominates the space but all other walls remain white. No quirky features apart from the new ensuite which has pebble flooring (!)
Other rooms…
My main concern is the Hallway which is the first impression people will get when they enter the house, so this really needs to represent the style running throughout: All rooms lead off from this so it needs to compliment without appearing cluttered or themed. It’s ultimately going to set the trend for all the rooms so I want it to be fairly neutral and tasteful. Also, the Nursery is a must do. The little’un will be staying in our room for a few more months until she sleeps right through the night, so it would be best to tackle this first. Also, I’ve not even thought about the gardens – as we’re looking at and Autumn/Winter move, its not really a concern until Spring but there are a few things which we’ll need to do as general maintenance eg. Protecting the Decking.
Stay tuned for the Refurbishment posts. I intend to keep a record of the improvements and will be including useful hints and tips alongside a few tutorials on home-made elements. Oooh, can't wait!
