Colour INJECTION’
They may have decorated each room two or three times, but Elisha has finally nailed the bright, colourful look her home needed
We’d been in our last home for 19 years, so it took quite a long time – plus countless decor changes – before I felt truly settled in our new place,’ says Elisha. ‘In fact, I cried for the first year! I felt heartbroken; it just didn’t feel like home at all.
I’d wanted to move house before my youngest daughter, Daisy, started school and had set my heart on a lakeside estate a few miles away, which was close to a park. So when a friend spotted a Facebook advert for a four-bedroom detached townhouse there, I jumped at the chance to view it.
Immediate appeal
The house had been rented out so it looked a bit tired and was in need of some updating, but the rooms were bigger than in other similarly priced houses in the area which appealed to me. Plus, I liked the fact that the living room was on the first floor, and the top-floor had a walk-in wardrobe. I made an offer straight away and told my husband Daz later on! He didn’t even see the house until four weeks before completion, but luckily he liked it – despite being a bit daunted by the size.
Work begins
One of the most pressing jobs was to take out the false raised floor in the dining room, which had been converted from a garage and was also open-plan to the hallway. By building a new wall and door, we were able to create a separate snug/study instead.
Demolishing the pointless balcony off the first floor living room was another good move, as it blocked light from the kitchen below and overlooked the
‘I’d had my eye on the green sofa for ages after seeing it on Instagram. It’s the perfect colour and fit. In the end I bought it after a gin night!’
neighbours. Then on the top floor, I was able to create my dream walk-in wardrobe by knocking out the dividing wall in the dressing room and adding shelves and rails from Ikea.
Money was tight so we just did everything a bit at a time – like the shutters, which we ordered one by one over two years. We also had help from Daz’s brother, who is a joiner.
Decorating dilemmas
Admittedly, trying to recreate the country-style decor of our previous house – a three-bedroom 1930s semi – was my biggest decorating mistake. In the first week my father-in-law put up the same wallpaper from our old home to make me feel less homesick, but three months later I realised it didn’t work. This house is quite modern and
‘THE LIVING ROOM WALLS WERE CREAM AND NAVY, BUT AS I CHANGE THINGS SO OFTEN, I FELT NEUTRAL WALLS WOULD BE AN IDEA’