Kitchen, bathrooms and beyond

Nicole would have liked a new kitchen – including raising the height of the counter for her tall family! – but the budget didn’t stretch quite that far. Instead, she re-covered the cupboards and added new handles. There was one splurge, however: the tiles – they’re one of her favourites, and quite expensive.

The kitchen was also rewired for both UK and Dutch sockets so the family can use their Dutch appliances without adapters. They all love to cook, including 12-year-old Izabella, who is a fantastic baker. Nicole is hoping to put in a new kitchen soon. The priority for now, though, is to install a solar panel system on the village house roof.

With the bathrooms, the idea was for a simple refurb. However, there were three layers of existing tiling, which meant the whole lot had to be ripped out and redone – one of those nasty surprises that can come along with a renovation!

The rest of the house received new flooring, too – a combination of timber and tiles, which were laid after a comprehensive termite treatment.

One home reno “hack” that Nicole used to good effect was spray-painting the air-conditioners. They were all in good working order, but had become discoloured (“nicotine

yellow!”); so she sprayed them all when repainting each room. They look like new. She also didn’t like the brown-coloured doors and door posts in the house. Those got a spray, too, for a new lease of life and to keep them in line with the rest of the interior.

Elsewhere, new door handles replaced the typical round Hong Kong doorknob; floors were spruced with rugs from Overstock – Nicole’s bathroom mirror and wall cabinets are also from there; and the blinds and curtains were custom made with fabric from Altfield Interiors. If you’re keen to touch up your own home, look for the store’s sample sales, held several times a year.