QUIRKY CHARM’

Katey’s 1970s bungalow wasn’t the house of her dreams, but she learned to love it as she transformed its challenging interior into a unique and contemporary family home

his house was a bit of a panic buy, I wasn’t in love with it,’ says Katey (@ktk_styling). ‘We thought we’d secured our perfect home, but the purchase fell through at the last minute and we had to find something else to buy quickly. This bungalow was affordable and in a nice, quiet location so we went for it.

The interior of the house was very 1980s in style, with loud stripes, burgundy kitchen tiles and lots of peach. There were tatty old carpets, worn lino floors and it had an unusual layout as well. The bedrooms, bathroom and kitchendiner were all on one level, with steps down to an open-plan living room and conservatory. We liked this quirkiness and I was confident I could do something with the house to make sure it suited our needs as a family.

TFrom the floor up

I started by taking up the old floor coverings, apart from the living room carpet, which was neutral and still fine. I then painted all the rooms white, just to make the house feel liveable while I worked out what styles to go for. Our first big project was tackling the bathroom and separate loo. We had the two rooms knocked through and I went for a clean, modern look. I wanted some interest though, so I chose monochrome, geometric tiles for inside the shower. We’ll probably think of moving in a few years, so I was wary of anything too

bold, but I felt the tiles added personality and made it feel more fun.

The split-level living and kitchen area was the main selling feature of the house. It’s a large space that needed a complete update, so I took it one step at a time. First, I replaced the fancy wrought-iron balustrade between the dining area and the living room below with plain glass, and that instantly made a huge difference. I did the same on the stairs leading up from the living room. The living area came together quite easily in the end. I painted the stone fireplace grey and the walls in my favourite teal and yellow colours, which are easy to update if I fancy a change. We bought a new sofa and a few accessories and just added them to what we already had. The conservatory leads off the living room and when we moved in, it had garish stained glass in the windows. We swapped it for plain glass, which allows much more light in.

No-fuss kitchen

I wanted to make sure we were spending our budget in the right places, like the kitchen-diner, which we use all the time. The old kitchen had tired, cream cupboards and was ready for an update. I worked with a local kitchen company and chose white quartz work surfaces, a chunky oak breakfast bar and sleek,