‘Each room has A unique feel’
Using her creative flair and eye for detail, Vickie, 33, has added lots of character to her new-build property
Watching our house being built was a daunting but exciting experience,’ says Vickie. ‘My husband Jumell and I wanted to buy in Shefford, as it’s close to our families and the school that our children Kayden, 6, and Nyla, 4, attend, plus it’s a lovely quiet village that we really feel at home in. We chose one of the houses at the end of a brand-new development, so we’d benefit from beautiful views of the countryside. Another bonus was that we wouldn’t be overlooked by our neighbours.
Having a say in choosing the tiles, flooring and kitchen is one advantage of buying a property before it’s finished and meant we could move in without the hassle of having to do those big jobs later on. I wanted the living room to feel cosy so we chose a pale cream carpet to match the cream kitchen floor tiles and help create a sense of flow throughout the ground floor.
I fell in love with Farrow & Ball’s Manor House Gray paint so, after we’d moved in, I painted the two larger walls of the room in this shade. Initially, I was worried it might be too dark, but the colour varies depending on the light and makes the room feel calm and inviting. The sofas are from the French Connection range at DFS and I’ve used colours from the wall canvas to bring in accessories in blush and copper, although I tend to update my cushion collection with the seasons! I found the plush rug in Dunelm and love how it adds another layer of texture to the room.
Heart of the home
I’ve always dreamt of having the perfect family kitchen where we could all gather together. There were, however, limited options when it came to choosing the fittings and none that we were shown by the builders quite fitted the look I wanted. I decided to go for white granite worktops and Shaker-style cabinets, which I knew I could paint in a different colour later on. When the time came, we got painters to