Sophie's Home Renovation
Written by Sophie Clemson
Wow! A lot has changed since I wrote my blog ‘Living with Sophie’ last year. I am now officially a homeowner with my boyfriend Liam! We have purchased a two bed terrace house built in 1875. I have always loved older properties and this was the first house we viewed after looking at a few apartments. We knew straight away this was the one for us. We rushed down to the estate agents before anyone else could beat us to it and made our offer… six very long months later we had the keys!!
Little did we know when we put our offer in that we would be working on a full scale renovation. Unfortunately the survey brought up many hidden issues due to the age of the house and certain things not being changed over time. However, this didn’t put us off and 9 months later we will finally be moving in - very very soon!
Knowing there was so much to do it did feel quite overwhelming especially with all the different trades needed to get the house up to standard. The list included damp proofing, replacing the roof, rendering the outside of the house and fitting a brand new kitchen. The list went on and on! We have been very fortunate and lucky to have the help of my uncle with the trades part and would have been lost without him and his knowledge and help.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed and not sure where to start, you’re not alone and may find another one of our blogs helpful - ‘Feeling overwhelmed? - Here's how to get your project started’
Looking back now I am so happy we did buy a house that needed this much work as we have been able to make it completely our own. From where the plug sockets are placed, to the built in alcove units in the living room (which I cannot wait to style!), and the new beautiful navy Shaker style kitchen, to replacing lost features with reclaimed fireplaces - it’s all how I want it to be.
Now that we are near the end and set to move in hopefully next week, I thought what better time to share my renovation story with you all.
Let's start with the living room. I will be honest, I am not a purple fan and couldn’t wait to strip the wallpaper! As all of the plaster had to come off due to new damp proofing, the purple was gone in the first week. One of the things I loved about this room was the chimney breast as I knew I wanted alcove units and a traditional cast iron fireplace. I could instantly imagine the room and the built-in shelves and units that would not only add storage but give the room a much needed focal point.
I knew I wanted the living room to be warm and cosy, somewhere we could relax in the evening. I went back and forth a few times between Farrow and Ball Green Smoke and Card Room Green. Even as an interior designer it can be hard to make decisions when it's your own home! I decided to go with the beautiful Card Room Green which is a lovely dark grey green shade. I’m so pleased with the outcome. It's such a beautiful paint colour and is going to work so well with the other elements in the room. The colour palette of the room will be earthy tones of greens, terracottas, warm beige neutrals paired with black and brass.
A top tip when painting a room in a darker paint colour is to paint the radiators. Radiators can be quite ugly and by painting them the same colour as the room, they blend in and almost become invisible. This is exactly what we have done in the living room and it looks a thousand times better!
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Before
Work in progress…
After
I love a bargain and I love older pieces of furniture that can add character to the room, so when I came across an old cast iron fireplace with a wooden surround on Facebook for less than £200 I knew I had to get it. Within a few days it was collected and ours. Facebook Marketplace is quite addictive and you never know what you will find - after all they do say one man's trash is another one's treasure! I managed to find one of my favourite features in the room, the fireplace hearth tiles from there too, all for only £36. When designing for our customers we love to find an older vintage piece or pre loved item too, so it was so much fun looking for myself! Here is the end result so far. The shelves will soon be styled with all my accessories that have been boxed up waiting to be on display.
We have also fitted a small fireplace in the bedroom, which has been a labour of love. Four layers of paint later, it is finally looking like an original black cast iron fireplace. Adding pieces like this in your home can add character, something that was needed desperately in our house.
Of course I had to put all my thoughts and ideas for the living room onto a moodboard. It helps so much when you have lots of ideas flowing through your mind. A moodboard helps to see the overall look and what does and doesn’t work very well together. Here is mine (accessories pending!).
When doing a renovation project there are so many decisions to make even from simple things such as the style of the skirting board or whether to box the radiator pipes in. They all make such a difference to how the room comes together. We have focused more on the downstairs to begin with. I would advise breaking it down where you can and trying not to focus on too many rooms at once. It can also be even harder to make decisions when you haven’t lived in the space before you start renovating.
Here is the moodboard for the living room. It really helps to see everything together:
Do you struggle to visualise how your room could look? Let us help you, click here.
The dining room is a very similar size to the living room. One of my favourite neutral paint colours is Little Greene Slaked Lime Mid, so I had to choose this for our dining room. It is such a beautiful warm white neutral and works with so many colours. We have actually chosen this not only for the dining room but the stairs and office too, with the hope to add colour blocking in the office at a later date. If you love warm white paints like me, take a read of our favourite white paints blog here.
It is so lovely to have a separate dining room and we want this to be a sociable space. I love round dining tables and definitely wanted this shape for the room. I particularly love a mid century style such as G Plan. Of course, I was back to scouring through Facebook Marketplace and a free, YES FREE!! round extendable G Plan style dining table was listed. I of course had to get it. As I said, finding a true bargain on Marketplace can become quite addictive! To add an eclectic feel I have chosen the Hanna black dining chairs with a natural woven seat from Habitat to be paired with the table. When adding older pieces of furniture to your home it can look great to have a mix of old and new to create an interesting look that no one else will have. It really can add personality to your home.
Here is my moodboard so far for the dining room:
One of the biggest renovations in many homes is the kitchen. It can be tricky to decide on colours and style as it will need to last for many years to come. We are always helping our customers with the finishing touches or the colour decisions in their kitchens but this time it was for me to decide on my own! Much harder!!
We opted for a Shaker style from Howdens as I wanted to add character to the house and a Shaker kitchen is a timeless design which can have a contemporary feel using different colours. After going back and forth between green and navy we decided on navy, a colour Liam and I both love.
Here is the visual that Howdens designed for us:
We have many customers who are couples or families and it can be tricky to make a decision on colours, furniture or anything really when you both have opinions and want to get involved. At The Living House, we can be the happy medium and design a scheme that works for the whole family. Catherine and Becky have been a great sounding board for me when it comes to all the thoughts I had for our home - it's always great to talk it through with someone no matter how many great ideas you may already have. Especially when it is help from the experts!
To add a modern look we have chosen a marble style worktop which looks really fresh against the richness of the navy and brass handles. The brass also adds warmth against the navy finish. With recent kitchen designs, we are seeing wall cupboards becoming less popular with people opting for a more open feel instead. Using shelves to break up the wall units works really well and gives your kitchen a modern twist. This is exactly what we have added in the corner section of our kitchen, using scaffolding boards, cut to fit neatly into the corner by our carpenter. These shelves are of course another area I’m itching to style. There will be trailing plants, prints and a few other things that I have my eye on!
To add interest and a contrast against the navy blue, I knew exactly what the wall colour would be - Farrow and Ball Setting Plaster - yes pink for a kitchen, but a beautiful soft pink! (Liam now loves it too after not being entirely conceived at first). I’m so glad we opted for this gorgeous shade. It is definitely one of my favourite F&B colours, one that I have always wanted to use. It works so well with the units and really gives the kitchen some personality. Again in this room we have painted the radiator the same colour as the walls, and the ceiling too! All of the ceilings apart from the living room are painted the same colour as the walls. It helps to blur the edges and adds height as you don’t have the sharp white line/box of the ceiling above. When working on customers' schemes, we often recommend painting the ceiling the same colour if it works for the room - try it!
Have a chat with us and find out how we can help you. Book a discovery call with us today!
Before - due to damp the kitchen had to be removed.
Work in progress photo… After photo pending!
Here are my top tips and things I have learnt during this project that you may find useful
Always know your budget, not only for the building work but for everything, such as the sofas, furniture and paint as it all adds up pretty quickly. It even helps if you know how much you would ideally feel comfortable spending on certain items such as sofas (when working on customers schemes, having a budget is essential so that we can find the best items and create a beautiful scheme that works with their budget)
Samples! Always order samples. I looked at so many sofa fabrics and always carried my paint chart around with me. Fabrics and paints can look very different depending on the light, so always test before committing
Try not to see everything individually. This is where a moodboard is key! As parts of the work are done in stages such as the flooring, try not to see it in isolation and as a singular piece. When I first saw the flooring fitted in my living room I wasn’t completely sure. It looked too grey. But when I looked back at my moodboard I could see that once everything was together in the room, I was going to love it- and sure enough, I do! Once you have more of the elements together in the room, it soon builds up a cohesive look
If you are looking for a vintage or reclaimed piece for your home like the fireplaces I found, try Facebook Marketplace or see what antique places you have around your area. The bedroom fireplace was only £45 from an independent antiques store - you never know what you may find. And the greatest thing is that it will make your home original and unique!
I’m sure there will be another update of my home renovation in a couple of months with all the exciting styling elements of the soft furnishings, accessories and much more! You can see more about my home renovation journey on my Instagram account @the1875terrace.
If you are renovating your home and feeling overwhelmed by all the decisions you need to make, or perhaps you’re not sure where to begin and how to pull the room together then our affordable online interior design packages are the perfect solution. Book a call with us today. We can chat about your project and discuss how we can help you create a home you’ll love!
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