‘My living area is now so WELCOMING’
Turning her gloomy knock-through into a light-filled space gave Gemma the ideal family living and dining room
Iloved this house the minute I saw it, and it’s ideal as it’s close to Chester, which is a lovely city and where my partner Ross and I grew up,’ says Gemma. ‘It’s a 1970s threebedroom property and we bought it in March 2015, after searching around for a home that was right for us.
When we bought it, it was liveable but just not to our taste. We liked that it was set back from the road and we got more space for our money than we would have in the city centre. Plus, once we’d removed the old garage, the garden was double the size.
First steps
Most of the rooms just needed a bit of decorating so they felt more ‘us’, but the dining space was one of the first rooms that we decided to change, as it felt like a corridor and we didn’t really use the space. I wanted it to be a more defined area with a purpose, a place where we could enjoy meals and where our son Louis, four months, can play at the table when he’s older.
The existing grey brick-style wallpaper was the first thing to go as it made the space feel dark. I painted the walls in pale Grey Reflection from the Homebase Colours range, which tied in nicely with the Fresh Linen shade I’d chosen for the living room. Immediately the room felt a lot lighter.
Looking for ideas
I get a lot of my inspiration from magazines like Style at Home and Instagram (find me at instagram. com/_theinteriorstylist), along with Pinterest, and it was here that I spotted a picture of a dining room with a built-in bench. I knew it would be perfect for making the most of our dining space, so I rang a joiner and asked for a quote – when it came
in within budget at £180, I said yes immediately. It not only provides seating for the dining table, but it’s great for storage, too.
Choosing furniture
Our old dining table was far too small and we’d ended up using it as a place to dump things. Instead, we bought a design from ebay, with modern hairpin legs that have the industrial look that we love. It cost just £125, but we ended up paying £50 to get it delivered. I’m doing an interior design course at the moment, so it’s perfect when I’m studying as I still feel part of whatever is going on rather than being tucked away upstairs. I bought some chairs from Ikea to go with it.
Finishing touches
I like Scandi style mixed with rustic and industrial elements, plus touches of shabby chic. For a statement piece, I chose a wicker heart from a shop called Maison by Emma Jane that we’ve put on the wall behind the dining table. I also love the rug from Dunelm, which makes it feel cosy.
The wood table complements the rustic log shelves in the living room, and the ladder shelf – I found it in the garden when I was helping my mum move house so I hung it on the wall with photos on. People always comment on it when they visit.
I’m really pleased with how the space has turned out and there’s nothing I’d change. Both areas are really well defined and work for us as a family, and I like the fact it has a rustic, country feel to it that makes it lovely and cosy in the winter. We now have our evening meals at the table and Louis can join us in his highchair. It’s exactly what we wanted.’
‘I like scandi style mixed with rustic and Industrial elements, plus touches of shabby chic’