‘my style is still evolving’
Lisa and Mark brought an unloved semi back to life with creative touches, accent colours and a blend of old and new
Lisa went for a pleasing mix of vintage finds and modern Scandi to give her neglected Thirties semi some TLC
When mark and i began discussing our next move, i didn’t have a particular type of house in mind as i like a mixture of different looks,’ says Lisa. ‘We’d renovated our current home and were ready to take on another project, so i was open to any possibilities. the handy location and potential of this house sold it to us, as it was a real “doer-upper”. sadly, all the original period features had been ripped out, and it was in quite a poor state inside, but that didn’t put us off. it was mostly cosmetic changes, with no major, expensive structural work to do, and we knew we could rise to the challenge and turn it into something special.
We were determined to do as much ourselves as we could. We scraped off dated wallpapers and repainted walls, and Mark did some of the carpentry and plumbing. One of the worst jobs was pulling the old lino off the bedroom floors. They were so sticky underneath that the dog nearly got his paws stuck!
Getting started
Our first big transformation project was to tackle the bathroom, where we redecorated and replaced the worn suite, but I was never totally happy with how it turned out. Home is really important to me and I’m constantly updating and refreshing rooms, so a couple of years ago, when the bath developed a crack, I took the opportunity to rethink the whole room. Second time around we didn’t bother with a bath and just had a big walk-in shower fitted instead, which suits our needs much better.
Ideas with a twist
I’d say my decorating style is eclectic, combining contemporary and vintage. I’ve got Scandi elements, bits of Thirties
Art Deco, high-street stuff, upcycled ebay finds and the odd quirky touch. If I see something I really love, I have to have it, like the amazing glass pendant light in the dining room, which is from Made.com. The coloured glass shades are stunning and it makes such a big statement.
I’ve occasionally rushed into buying items that I’ve then gone off a few months later, so now I’ll take time and think carefully before I buy, and if it’s something expensive, I’ll search high and low for an affordable alternative. I shop at places like John Lewis & Partners, H&M Home and La Redoute, but I’ve also found some great independent sellers through Instagram, which I find fantastic for inspiration. I like seeing what other people have done in their homes, but then I’ll put my own twist on an idea. It alerts me to new trends, too. I’d had my cute little drinks trolley for ages as it belonged to my gran, but suddenly they were everywhere on Instagram and I thought, “I’ve already got one of those!” so I dug it out.
Adding pattern
I love colour but I don’t follow fashions too closely. I just go with what appeals and I always weigh up whether my existing things will work with a new palette, too. I’ve had lots of different colour schemes over the years and I’m into greys, blues and mustard yellows at the moment. The dining area was quite neutral until I introduced
‘Minimise a dark floor with a large patterned rug to add light and interest’
the deep blue recently. I’m not brave enough to use it all over, so I’ve just painted a wall at each end of the space, but I like the crispness and I think the contrast of light and dark looks fab.
I’m also a wallpaper fan. I’d always had paper in the hallway and going up the stairs, but the last time I changed it, I chose a more unusual, foxy design. Even though it’s not that big a space, I wanted to make a statement. The pattern is quite busy but it’s light, not too obvious and adds a bit of character. I take care not to let patterns overpower a room. Each bedroom’s got a little bit of wallpaper and they feel quite different from each other. The main bedroom, which is my favourite, is very restful but the guest room is more colourful and quirky.
Kitchen project
The area where we’ve made the biggest change is the kitchen. Once we’d given it a thorough clean, it was liveable in the
short term, though it was cramped and dingy, as the wall tiles had been painted dark green, and if you opened the back door, it blocked the oven. We redesigned the whole space, extended out a little way, and moved the doorway into the room from the hall to the dining area, which improved the flow of movement. We then turned the old doorway into a window to allow more light into the space.
The building process was fairly straightforward as our neighbour was also having work done, so we were able to use the same builders. Mark got involved too, helping with labouring, which speeded things up and saved us money. I chose a dark grey floor and plain white fitted cabinets that I felt would make the most of the limited space. They went in about 12 years ago, and although I’d love a new floor one day, the cabinets are still absolutely fine. I’ve since upgraded the original laminate worktops with lovely oak and replaced the mosaic splashback tiles with simple, grey metro tiles, so the room looks more up to date.
Into the future
I’ve experimented with a few different looks and colour schemes since we moved here, and I’m certainly not finished yet. The next project I have in mind is to reconfigure the ground floor, perhaps knocking through the dining room
‘keep it real by mixing in natural wood pieces – stripping and waxing internal doors adds warmth to a room’