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Renovation Diaries

fitting out the shell of our new kitchen extension

 
 
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Fitting out the shell of our new kitchen extension
Fitting out the shell of our new kitchen extension
Why we chose shutters for our 1930s bay windows
Renovation Diaries
Why we chose shutters for our 1930s bay windows
Renovation Diaries
Renovation Diaries
Form Follows Food - new kitchen trends by Li Edelkoort for Caesarstone
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Form Follows Food - new kitchen trends by Li Edelkoort for Caesarstone
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Design
Giveaway | Win an Anglepoise 90 Mini Mini Lamp
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Giveaway | Win an Anglepoise 90 Mini Mini Lamp
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10 of the best... rugs for under £500
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10 of the best... rugs for under £500
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Bathroom Inspiration | The ivory Medici Collection from Burlington
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Bathroom Inspiration | The ivory Medici Collection from Burlington
Interiors
Interiors
Planning our kitchen extension
Renovation Diaries
Planning our kitchen extension
Renovation Diaries
Renovation Diaries
Choosing the right glazing for your renovation project
Renovation Diaries
Choosing the right glazing for your renovation project
Renovation Diaries
Renovation Diaries
10 of the best... lighting buys for under £100
Design
10 of the best... lighting buys for under £100
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Design
5 style hacks for small spaces
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5 style hacks for small spaces
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Interiors
Installing a wood burning stove - a step by step guide
Renovation Diaries
Installing a wood burning stove - a step by step guide
Renovation Diaries
Renovation Diaries
Updating your home for the new year | affordable accessories from H&M
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Updating your home for the new year | affordable accessories from H&M
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Design
Contemporary handmade quilts by Louise Gray
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Contemporary handmade quilts by Louise Gray
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10 things to add to your spare room to make it guest ready this Christmas
10 things to add to your spare room to make it guest ready this Christmas
My styling for British Design Shop and a Q&A with founder Nick Powell
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My styling for British Design Shop and a Q&A with founder Nick Powell
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Design
Poetic Minimalism: a serene Parisian apartment by Guillaume Alan
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Poetic Minimalism: a serene Parisian apartment by Guillaume Alan
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10 of the best... compact & space saving basins for small bathrooms
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10 of the best... compact & space saving basins for small bathrooms
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The Rado Star Prize
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The Rado Star Prize
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Design
Choosing a wood burning stove for our living room
Renovation Diaries
Choosing a wood burning stove for our living room
Renovation Diaries
Renovation Diaries
Autumn cashmere updates from The White Company
Fashion, Lifestyle
Autumn cashmere updates from The White Company
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Fashion, Lifestyle
Styling my new home office with Houseology
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Styling my new home office with Houseology
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We deliberated for a long time before deciding upon the kitchen units. In the end we opted for base units from @ikeauk and are having the doors, plinths and drawers custom made. The IKEA units were relatively straightforward to fit and we managed to install them in a weekend without too much difficulty. We’re not having wall cabinets - we want to keep the space feeling really open - but will fit some shelves to store and display our favourite tableware pieces. We’re doing the entire internal fit out of the extension ourself and I’ve shared the journey so far over on the blog today. There’s also a sneak peek of the look we are aiming for if you’re curious to see what we’ve chosen. There’s still a lot to do but after months of hard work it finally feels as if we are on the home straight. Yay! 🙌🏻
[ad] Bay windows are great for drawing lots of light into a room, but they also allow neighbours or passers by to look in on you from several different directions, and they can leave you feeling slightly on show. They are also quite tricky to dress. We spent ages deliberating over window treatments before having our shutters fitted by @apollo.blinds . If you’re curious to find out why I think they are the best solution for bay windows in general, and for 1930s style windows like ours in particular, I’ve shared a whole heap of thoughts about why I love them so much over on the blog. [Disclosure - Our shutters were gifted by @apollo.blinds but we paid for an additional set ourselves because we liked them so much.]
It’s still very much a work in progress but I’ve loved spending time in our little garden over the past few weeks. It was just bare lawn when we moved in (swipe for before pic) and the ‘quick fix’ approach would have been to simply paint the fence and gravel the whole thing over, but I wanted to create a plant lovers garden, so I’ve set aside as much space as possible for shrubs and flowers. I’ve been growing lots of things from seed and many of them won’t really make an impact until they start to mature next year, but gardening is all about being patient from one season to the next. Introducing different plants into the garden is something I also wanted to do for environmental reasons. If we all made just a small effort to ‘green’ our gardens then collectively we could make a positive difference, so I’m trying to do my bit with our little plot. Phase two will involve replacing the fencing and building a deck leading out from the kitchen, but that can wait. For now I’m just enjoying it as it is.
Along with the kitchen, I’m working on the hallway this month. We still need to strip and repaint the staircase and put the new floor down, but the plastering is finished and I painted the walls yesterday, so it felt like a good time to get these new hooks up so that we have somewhere to hang our stuff. All good progress but I’m really itching to complete this space and finally be able to come home to a dust free, finished home. ——————————————— Wooden hooks & string bag @arketofficial [gifted], basket @violetandpercy.co.uk , bamboo broom @niwaki.hq
Unintentionally matching my outfit to the surroundings at @kiftsgategardens .
We’re hard at work on the kitchen here this week. Graham is laying the floor and I’ve got a production line going out in the garden where I’m painting the boards. We’ve gone for unfinished larch and I’m using lye and oil to create the same pale look we achieved on the floor upstairs in the bedrooms. It’s a labour intensive process but it’s going to look really good.
The light from the window on the landing is one of the things I most liked about the house when we moved in. It would have been a shame to lose it if we’d decided to build a double height extension so I’m glad we went for a single story build in the end. We’ve made good progress on the landing this month, although painting this space was a little tricky and took me longer than I anticipated. I’ve gone for @farrowandball Strong White, which I used in the bedrooms as well. I’ve also started stripping the layers of old paint from the staircase which is a pretty grim job. I know most sensible people would probably argue that life is too short, but what can I tell you? I’m a detail freak. It’s a bit of a pet hate of mine when people just paint over layers of old gloss. Any advice from those who have also been brave / foolish enough to take on this thankless task (and made it out the other side) gratefully received.
Well this is a bit of a departure. A rare close up of me and a picture that will probably bomb, but who cares? It’s all too tempting to hide on your feed when you are a woman ‘over a certain age’ but you know what, I think we should make an effort to show up a bit more sometimes. There are plenty of people out there who would have us be invisible once we hit 40 without us aiding and abetting them. 😂 I may be giving it my best bitchy resting face here but I actually quite like this picture. I’m feeling relaxed, happy in my own skin, unapologetic about my age and have just spent the most perfect afternoon watching Barty, Nadal and Federer on Centre Court at Wimbledon followed by Andy Murray and Serena Williams in the mixed doubles. Plus I am wearing a really great dress. So yeah, the algorithm can just go and do one! #designhunterwears #arket Dress @arketofficial | Watch @cateandnelson | Bag @shinola [gifted]
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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