‘Don’t be afraid to use dark colour in every room’
Heather Lynch and her husband, Thomas, got creative with rich hues, budget décor tricks and DIY bespoke furniture for a practical and playful family home
With a four-year-old son and nine cats, Heather and Thomas Lynch’s Aberdeen terrace is always full of activity, but even more so at this time of year when they sprinkle festive magic into every room. ‘I just try and keep it fun,’ says Heather. ‘We’ve been collecting decorations over the last 10 years or so. We buy things that we can use time and time again, including items we can use throughout the year.’
Heather and her husband, Thomas, have spent the last eight years giving their oncedated home a glow-up, with lashings of rich hues and clever custom-builds that DIY dabhand Thomas makes himself. On their first viewing, the couple loved the Victorian charm of the house, as well as its potential. ‘The first thing we saw when we walked through the door were the original tiles in the hall, so that was a selling point. It had a lot of character,’ explains Heather. ‘The décor was dated, so we knew there was a lot of scope for us to go in, do our own thing and make it ours.’
OUT WITH THE OLD
Three months after they moved in, an unexpected turn of events kick-started the couple’s renovations. ‘It’s a bit of a funny story actually,’ laughs Heather. ‘We had two dogs at the time, and I think it was on New Year’s
LIVING ROOM Heather’s eclectic living room reflects her decorating approach: ‘My style always has a touch of whimsy. I love creating spaces that are fun to be in’
OUR MUST HAVES Apartment round wall mirror in Black, £55, Dunelm. Vintage fire bucket, from a selection, Pam Picks. For a similar footstool try Hykkon Will 103cm wide rectangle solid colour footstool ottoman in Ochre, £249.99, Wayfair
Eve or New Year’s Day. My husband and I had fallen asleep on the sofa, and we woke up to a funny smell. It turned out one of the dogs had had an accident all over the living room floor! So, there and then, we started ripping up the carpet. We thought: “Okay, now we’re going to have to renovate this room!”’
They stripped away the old paint and wallpaper, sanded the wooden floor and restored the original features. ‘We had to do quite a bit of work on the cornicing as there was a lot of oil-based and gloss paint, which meant we had to use a chemical that you put on in layers to get it off,’ says Heather. ‘We got a professional in to do the replastering and install the Victorian fireplace I found on eBay, but we did everything else ourselves.’
Since then, the couple have been working their way through the rest of the house.
‘We’re the definition of slow renovators and tend to save up and do it room by room. We’ll ask ourselves: “What’s the most offensive
‘The décor was very dated, so we knew there was plenty of scope for us to go in, do our own thing and make it ours’
DINING ROOM
The dining room is next on Heather’s to-do list. ‘It’s currently a dining, family and cat room, but we need to start using it as a playroom, so I’m going to paint it and add some fun details’
OUR MUST HAVES Glenfinnian Viaduct poster, from £12.95, Desenio. Mosslanda picture ledge in Black, £9, IKEA. For a similar lantern try Black vintage lantern, from £38.99, ManoMano
room to us?” And then we’ll go and take that room on first.’
While their biggest spend was in the bathroom – ‘We were being quoted almost £10,000, so, instead, we carried out most of the work ourselves at a cost of just over £2,000’ – the kitchen was at the opposite end of the scale, but is no less stylish for it...
BETTER BY DESIGN
‘It was basically a whole room upcycle!’ says Heather. Originally, the couple had planned to rebuild the 1940s kitchen extension, ‘but we decided that this isn’t going to be our forever home. The kitchen itself was about 20 years old, but there was nothing wrong with it.’ She painted the woodwork, cupboards and tiles, found new stick-on splashback and floor tiles, and wrapped the worktop in new vinyl. And the best bit? It all came in at under £250.
SPARE ROOM Heather’s spare room is the ultimate multi-tasking space – not only is it a guest room (the sofa folds out into a bed) and an office, it’ll be a nursery when their new baby arrives, too
OUR MUST HAVES Pomona wallpaper in Blue, £68.95 per roll, Wallpaperdirect. Romily mohair chunky tassel throw in Gold & Navy, £29.43, ManoMano
KITCHEN
It took just a week – and less than £250 – for Heather to give the 20-year-old kitchen a new look, using paints and primers she already had
OUR MUST HAVES Goodmans pyramid kettle in Copper, £25, B&M. Cork ball glass jars, £25.35 for three, Amazon. For a similar board try chopping board in White Marble & Wood, £20, Next
The couple have made this room’s sloped ceiling and small space work for them with a DIY, all-in-one foldaway desk and shelving unit
As well as saving them money, the couple’s hands-on attitude has also filled their home with money-can’t-buy bespoke furniture, made by Thomas. His custom-builds usually begin with Heather hinting at something she’d like to be made. ‘My husband’s a good sport!’ she says. ‘I plant the seed of an idea, and eventually he’s like, “I see what you’re thinking, this is going to work well.” He’s always proud of himself when he’s finished.’
Heather might know exactly what she wants when it comes to custom furniture, but she takes a more organic approach to choosing interior colours. ‘I don’t go in with a plan. I usually spot a colour somewhere – it could be in nature, or on a piece of clothing or an interesting textile,’ she says. When she does find a hue she loves – usually dusky, dramatic and dark – she envelops the room in it. ‘A space feels more tied together if you can
BOY’S BEDROOM With its hand-built play den and huge wardrobe, Ezra’s bedroom is Heather’s favourite room in the house. ‘It’s a dream, I would’ve loved it as a kid. It’s just a really good use of the space’
OUR MUST HAVES Round rattan cone chair, £295, Cox & Cox. For a similar floor cushion try Lorena Canals washable circle tassel cushion in Green, £39.95, Pop & Punch. An Ocean Adventure poster, from £6.95, Juniqe
MAIN BEDROOM Every room was floor-toceiling in one colour. ‘This room was: blue walls, blue woodwork, blue carpet,’ says Heather. She stripped it all back and repainted it in rich burgundy
OUR MUST HAVES Gladom tray table, £19, IKEA. Snow heron poster, from £5.95, Poster Lounge. For a similar cushion try Scandi boho cushion, £18, Sass & Belle
incorporate colour into every part. Just go for it. Put the colour everywhere!’ she says.
Next, after enjoying Christmas at home as a family, they plan to get the dining room ready for the arrival of their second child in April so that it works as a playroom, too. ‘We’ll probably move within the next couple of years, so we’re not going to invest much more into the house now, but we absolutely love it,’ says Heather. ‘We won’t move unless we find something spectacular. Our souls are in this house.’
BATHROOM
The bathroom was a major project. ‘There was an old, stained enamel bath, the floors were spongy, the walls were bubbling. It was just horrendous,’ says Heather. The couple transformed it in two weeks, doing most of the work themselves
OUR MUST HAVES Ceramic circular vase, £12.99, H&M. Giraffe toilet roll holder, £8.99, Studio
‘A space feels more tied together if you can incorporate colour into every part. Just go for it. Put the colour everywhere!’