Real Homes

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As there’s no TV in here and the kids don’t tend to use it as much, the second reception room is more of a calm, adult space where I can have a cup of tea and not get disturbed. After we sanded the floorboard­s, our lovely joiner Dave built the alcove storage on either side of the original marble fireplace. Having the books in here means it naturally lends itself to unwinding.

‘I saw two blue chairs in a shop in Whitley Bay that worked perfectly with the yellow sofa I’d already bought, and suddenly I had a colour scheme. I really love vintage maps, which are mostly from auctions and antique shops.

‘Overall I like things to be classic with a nod to trends. For instance, the Chesterfie­ld is a traditiona­l shape but has a contempora­ry feel through the colour. Mixing and matching furniture works for me. I follow my heart if I like a piece of furniture, and don’t worry about it matching everything else.

One of the reasons we bought the house was the symmetry. I love having two reception rooms on either side of a central hallway and the beautiful tiled floor influenced the colour choices in the rest of the house. There wasn’t much to do in here apart from remove the wallpaper and make it feel calmer with a neutral paint colour. Then I added an old school desk, which was just £15 from a car boot sale and is stuffed with my daughter’s drawings.

My vision for the bathroom was for classic metro tiles, antique brass fittings and a vintage sink unit. The game changer was removing the chimney breast so we could fit a walk-in shower. My husband found a shower tray that’s flush to the floor and I picked the lovely patterned tiles.

‘We kept the existing cast-iron bath, which we painted blue, and I stripped the Edwardian console table myself before new cup handles and a bowl sink were added. The wooden tressel was another great buy – just £10 from an antiques shop in Warkworth – and is handy for towels. I chose reeded glass lights to match the doors and kitchen lighting downstairs.

I wanted to utilise the space above the extension for an office, because we both work from home quite often. We thought about installing stairs leading up from the kitchen, but then I had the idea of losing the separate toilet on the first floor and building a metal grid walkway in front of the lovely arched window. This meant the office could be accessed off the landing. It gave me the double height I wanted, brought more light into the kitchen so we didn’t need an extra roof lantern, and I can hear what’s going on in the kitchen. The kids love it too because they can hang Lego people off it!

Try The Hairpin Leg Company for a similar desk. Lamp, Ikea. Cult Furniture has a similar chair

In our bedroom, I wanted a calm feel to reflect the colour palette outside, trying several tester pots before finding the perfect shade. It goes from green to grey to blue, but it works at every point in the day.

‘There’s an original fireplace in here. The tiles influenced the elements of pink and green. We replaced our solid wooden bed with a traditiona­l Victorian design to match the other beds in the house. My husband likes it as you can see the fireplace though the bars.

‘We plan to convert the attic into a master suite overlookin­g the sea. It’s a Conservati­on Area but we’re probably the only house on the street without windows in the loft, so I can’t see planning permission being a problem.

Walls painted in Cromarty, Farrow & Ball. Bed and bedside tables, second hand. Bedding, lamps and pink throw, all Ikea. Great

Blue Heron print, Juniqe

Our daughter was only three when we moved in, so her room (above) was the first to be decorated. I wanted her to feel at home in her own little haven. Within the first two weeks we’d replaced the carpet and redecorate­d in a nice soft pink, which was her favourite colour at the time. The Laura Ashley wallpaper adds a bit of interest to the chimney breast, and I found some lovely Japanese bunny prints, which appealed to my aesthetic, too.

‘I’m very big on getting furniture second hand. I found this Feather & Black hospital-style bed on Ebay and drove to York to pick it up. My brother gave me the trunk, which is handy for soft toys and has the bonus of looking a bit like a pirate’s chest.

 ??  ?? Rug, French Connection. Wall map, Fern Avenue Antiques. Blue chairs, Barker & Stonehouse. Drawers, family heirloom. Rug, French Connection. Walls painted in Light Blue, Farrow & Ball, Sofa, Abode. Lamps, Ikea. Wall map, Ebay. Cushions, Dunelm
Rug, French Connection. Wall map, Fern Avenue Antiques. Blue chairs, Barker & Stonehouse. Drawers, family heirloom. Rug, French Connection. Walls painted in Light Blue, Farrow & Ball, Sofa, Abode. Lamps, Ikea. Wall map, Ebay. Cushions, Dunelm
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 ??  ?? For a similar bath, try the Burlington Bateau double-ended bath, Designer Bathroom Concepts. Moroccan cement floor tiles
and Artisan wall tiles,
both Best Tile. Wall lights, Pathson. Neue Design mirror, Lions Home. For a similar
console table, try Bentley Designs Sophia Oak, Oak Furniture House. Shower tray and screen, Ebay.
Shower, Amazon
For a similar bath, try the Burlington Bateau double-ended bath, Designer Bathroom Concepts. Moroccan cement floor tiles and Artisan wall tiles, both Best Tile. Wall lights, Pathson. Neue Design mirror, Lions Home. For a similar console table, try Bentley Designs Sophia Oak, Oak Furniture House. Shower tray and screen, Ebay. Shower, Amazon
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 ??  ?? Right Oliver single bed, Feather & Black. The Bunnies Fall and Bunny Blossom art prints,
Kozyndan. For similar wallpaper,
try Oriental garden chalk pink floral; walls painted in Camomile, both Laura Ashley. For a similar throw, try the Waffle throw by Belledorm, Wayfair
Right Oliver single bed, Feather & Black. The Bunnies Fall and Bunny Blossom art prints, Kozyndan. For similar wallpaper, try Oriental garden chalk pink floral; walls painted in Camomile, both Laura Ashley. For a similar throw, try the Waffle throw by Belledorm, Wayfair

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