‘WE’RE DOTTY FOR MONOCHROME!’

Laura’s clever use of black and white really hits the spot

Our previous home was a lovely new build in the countryside but our commutes were more than two hours each,’ says Laura. ‘It made sense to move closer to work, we just needed to find the right house. We had viewed around five properties when I saw this come up online – it was just down the road from Mitch’s work and is a stone’s throw from the beach. The only photo was of the front of the house but I loved it. As soon as we walked in, we knew it was the one for us. Both of our parents came to view it and thought we were crazy to take on such a huge project!

First things first

The first room to be gutted was the living room. I had dreams of opening up false walls and finding original fireplaces or dreamy tiles… instead we found concrete and a lot of bodge jobs. We went for a monochrome scheme and our blue velvet chair from the Sofology sale added a little bit of vibrancy.

Next, we ripped out the bathroom and continued with the monochrome palette. We did get professionals in to finish the job, but I had a stroke of luck and found an absolute steal on Facebook Marketplace – a bath and taps for only £50. We also started work in the kitchen, which was old, tiny and to be frank, a bit dingy. We knocked down walls to create a longer and brighter galley kitchen, with plenty of light flooding in. Our Ikea kitchen was exactly what we were looking for and I fell in love with the faux marble worktops. We decided to go for

open shelving instead of upper units as it makes the space feel bigger, and saved us money. It’s also a great excuse to buy new accessories and houseplants!

Finding our way

Next on our list was to have the dining room replastered. However, once the dust quite literally settled, it became clear that we needed to replace all the floors – so we fitted new flooring throughout the downstairs ourselves to keep costs down. It was back-breaking work, but just so rewarding by the end. The carpet on the staircase was ripped up and the stairs sanded, primed and painted white. I have a real affinity for polka dots and had decorated the hallway with dotty stickers, so decided to jazz up the stairs using the same products from Kiddy Sticks. We then added a little bit of sunshine with the yellow wall at the top of the stairs, which looks so cheerful against the monochrome.

From project to home

Nine months after we got the keys to the house we got married, so all renovation funds went into the wedding pot instead. We arrived home from honeymoon feeling refreshed and ready to start again. It was a good job we had a renewed sense of energy as, just after a year of

BY ‘CREATE AN INTERESTING ARCHITECTURAL FEATURE PAINTING THE LOWER HALF OF A WALL A DARKER COLOUR TO REALLY GROUND THE ROOM’

IDEA TO STEAL ‘A bright piece of furniture stands out and stops a room from looking predictable’ IN THE FRAME ‘We have loads of pictures and prints dotted around – I think it’s nice to mix it up and it makes our house more personal to us’

PATH TO SUCCESS ‘I painted the black and white pathway myself, but I’d like tiles one day’

PAIR UP ‘The gold garland from Other Letters ties in nicely with the tassels on the plant basket’ BACK TO BLACK ‘I decided to paint our conservatory black to complement the monochrome aesthetic’ IDEA TO STEAL ‘Add a window frame mirror for the illusion of an extra room’