‘We had to make savvy choices with our small budget’
After lots of renovation work, the Jaulins put together a simple, modern look on a shoestring
Keep it consistent
Emma and Hendrik laid grey floor tiles throughout the ground floor and painted the walls white. ‘White is flexible and inexpensive,’ says Emma. ‘We chose low-maintenance things in a mix of old and new. This is an easy home to live in.’
BUY THE KEY PIECES
Dwell tiles, £44.88sq m, Tileflair. Ypperlig bench, £35; Hektar floor lamp, £39, both Ikea. Hipster dining chair, £79, Cult Furniture. The Circular mirror with shelf is similar, £35, Tesco Direct
“With an entire house to furnish, I’ve had to shop around and reuse whatever I could”
Make it yourself
‘If we can’t find exactly what we want, Hendrik and I will have a go at making it ourselves,’ says Emma. ‘He made this lovely corner bench in the sitting room. I wanted this to be an inviting little area.’
BUY THE KEY PIECES
Customised pendant light, £30, Dowsing & Reynolds. Woven hanging plant holder, from a selection, No Guts No Glory
Choose basic key pieces
Simple, square-lined corner sofas zone the seating area and are easy to push together or move apart when the couple want to rearrange the furniture. In off-white, they’ll go with any accent colour, too.
BUY THE KEY PIECES
Soderhamn corner sofas, £280 each; Frosta stool (painted pink), £9, both Ikea. Karla armchair, £549, Swoon
Mix in lots of interesting details
Reclaimed wood and clusters of houseplants add natural texture, colour and character to the simple sitting room scheme.
BUY THE KEY PIECES
The Axel media unit is a similar design, £329, Swoon
“We didn’t want to spend a fortune on the kitchen, as we might change the whole lot in time”
Refresh old fittings
We couldn’t afford to replace the kitchen,’ says Emma, ‘so I upgraded the worksurfaces, bought a new cooker and tiled the splashback with leftover bathroom tiles. The existing cabinets were made-to-measure and still solid, so I spent about £900 on a professional spray paint to extend their life until we’re ready for a redo.’
BUY THE KEY PIECES
Brick Blanco tiles, £51.62sq m, Tileflair. Rangemaster Classic 100 cooker, £1,839, John Lewis
Works both ways
The guest room bed can be arranged either way around. With the higher rail at the foot, it doubles as a hanging rail. Lack of space for two bedside tables inspired Emma to make the hanging tray.
BUY THE KEY PIECES
Gjora bed, £199; Bjornloka bedding set, £35, both Ikea. Hue pendant lightshade, £29, Made.com
Blend old and new
Emma kept and repainted the tongue-and-groove wall panelling in the bathroom, but replaced everything else, choosing ultra-modern fittings that let the dark grey floor and rustic wood vanity unit stand out.
BUY THE KEY PIECES
Brick Blanco tiles, £51.62sq m, Tileflair. Orchard Wharfe bath, £399; Mode
Tate bath filler, £319, both Victoria Plum
Build a unique piece
Emma’s builder made the chunky wooden washstand to her design. The towel ring is a galvanised gate fitting, costing just a few pounds.
BUY THE KEY PIECES
Tobias mirror, £103, Maisons du Monde. The Rosa countertop basin is similar, £39.99, Soak. Mode Tate basin filler taps, £74.99 each, Victoria Plum