Welcome TO MY HOME

A BIT ABOUT ME

I’m Rachel Verney and I work for Citizens Advice. I live with my partner, Jon Stroud, an oven cleaner, and our two children, Rudi, seven, and Arlo, four. I like to share my renovation journey on Instagram @the_shoestring_home.

WHERE I LIVE

Our home is a three-bedroom 1950s ex-council house in Reigate, Surrey. We moved here in September 2018.

WHAT I WANTED TO CHANGE

The whole house needed updating. In classic 1980s style everything was lime green, orange and brown with fake-wood cladding and floral wallpaper everywhere you looked.

HOW I MADE IT MY OWN

We did a full renovation of the kitchen and bathroom, choosing classic white for both. Then I started filling each room with preloved, upcycled furniture that was either free or a bargain second-hand buy.

MY FAVOURITE PART

I love all the colour. I discovered the joy of painting second-hand furniture during lockdown and it’s such an easy way to transform a space.