Reader’s home

Gemma Godfrey turned her gloomy knock-through into a light-filled 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 Godfrey, 28.

‘It’s a 1970s three-bedroom property and we bought it in March 2015, after searching around for a home that was right for us.

‘When we bought it, 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. It just felt like a corridor and we didn’t really use the space.

‘I painted the walls in Grey Reflection from the Homebase Home of Colour range, and immediately the room felt a lot lighter. I spotted a picture of a dining room with a built-in bench on Instagram and knew it would be perfect for making the most of our dining space, so I rang a joiner and asked for a quote. It not only provides seating for the dining table, but it’s great for storage, too.

‘We bought a dining table from ebay, with modern hairpin legs that have the industrial look we love, and I bought some chairs from Ikea to go with it.

‘I like Scandi style mixed in with rustic and industrial elements, plus touches of shabby chic. I’m really pleased with how the space has turned out and there’s nothing I’d change. I like the fact it has a country feel that makes it lovely and cosy in the winter.’

Open-plan space ‘I love using lots of textures, like wood, and adding fluffy elements to soften the look.’

Great idea! ‘Have a built-in bench made to fit your dining space and add some precious storage.’

Cute and cosy ‘Our dining room has a rustic country feel to it now.’