‘We turned an empty shell into a welcoming home’

Molly and Vicky Rea-Seddon gave their new-build property a unique twist with DIY touches – and went on quite the learning curve to get it just right

Molly and Vicky were excited to swap their one-bed flat for a generously sized, three-bedroom house in Bristol. ‘We’d outgrown our old place and were desperate for more space and a bigger garden,’ explains Molly. ‘We took advantage of the government’s 2020 equity loan scheme to help us with the deposit. The only catch was it had to be a new-build property!’

They found a development close to the city centre that ticked every box for them.

‘The property we were looking to buy hadn’t actually been built yet, but we looked at the show home and loved the proportions of the rooms and the outdoor space. Not only was it in the ideal location, but it was also within our budget,’ Vicky says. They had a few houses to choose from, but it was this three-bedroom Hanbury house that caught their eye. ‘It was a good size, with two larger bedrooms and

a small box room ready for when we want to start a family. It was the perfect next step.’

ONE OF A KIND

Their one wish was that their new home wouldn’t look generic. ‘The builders gave us the option to choose all the fixtures and fittings, but we wanted to do something individual to us,’ says Molly. ‘We paid to upgrade the kitchen with Shaker-style units and wooden worktops, but we opted out of the flooring and fittings. We wanted to inject our own style into our home, and it saved us money on the overall cost of the house, too.’

When they moved in, they only had concrete floors and no tiling in the kitchen – so, with lockdown on the horizon in March

‘The builders gave us the option to choose all the fixtures and fittings, but we wanted something individual to us’

2020, they started work within days, hoping to get it finished while they still could. As Molly says: ‘The staff at Carpetright were amazing! We ordered our herringbone laminate and carpets from them. They knew we had no floors, so turned the install around for us in a week, just in the nick of time.’

With a passion for Scandi design, the couple chose a palette of soft, earthy tones, with lots of wooden touches. ‘Our home has evolved organically, and we’ve made lots of changes to rooms over the past year to suit our taste,’ says Molly. Not afraid to admit when they’ve made mistakes, the couple have made drastic alterations when a room wasn’t working for them. ‘We painted all the bathroom walls green, but it felt flat and soulless. So we hung a feature wallpaper by Dunelm and it has transformed the room, making it feel more inviting.’

In between lockdowns, the couple worked hard to get their house looking how they imagined it. They called on the help of professionals to install the pendant light fitting in the dining area and hang tricky wallpaper, but did the other work themselves. ‘I’m no good with a hammer but Vicky is very handy. Together, we came up with the design ideas and, using our joint skills, we tackled each room. We make a great team.’

DESIGNER FOR LESS

Moving from a flat to a house was a big adjustment, and Molly and Vicky needed to invest in lots more furniture to fill their new home. ‘We were starting from scratch, so we had to shop around for bargains. We found our kitchen tiles from The Baked Tile Company in the sale for just 99p each. We couldn’t afford floor tiles in the bathrooms, so Vicky laid the patterned vinyl herself.’

They bought their beautiful blue velvet sofa and orange armchair new from DFS, but then shopped around on Facebook Marketplace for second-hand designer steals for the rest of the house. ‘It’s amazing what you can find

‘Together, we came up with the design ideas and, using our joint skills, we tackled each room. We make a great team’

in nearly new condition for a fraction of the original cost, or sometimes even for free.’

PRIDE AND JOY

The main bedroom is their latest project. Using a kit from Homebase, they put up wall panelling and painted it in warm peach. ‘The whole thing cost us £30, plus the glue. It’s changed the look of the room,’ says Vicky.

Not all their projects have been so successful, though, as Molly says: ‘I took some plaster and paint off the walls when applying sticky vinyl. And we’ve a few mis-judged holes in the walls, but nothing that we can’t fix with filler. Doing up a house is always going to be a bit of a learning curve.’

Now their home is almost finished, the two of them are enjoying the space they’ve created. ‘We’re proud of our home. It’s so snug and cosy,’ Molly says. ‘We’ve turned an empty shell into a welcoming family home. It’s our favourite place to relax and spend time in.’

‘Our home has evolved organically, and we’ve made lots of changes to rooms over the past year to suit our taste’

The couple chose a classic, Shaker-style look for longevity, giving it an up-todate twist with statement tiles OUR MUST HAVES Premoda Ruscello Rhone oak laminate, £46.99 per sq m, Carpetright. For a similar bin try Kitchen Craft Living Nostalgia compost bin in Duck Egg, £18.79, Amazon KITCHEN

The door matches the peachy tones used inside to inject personality into the new-build’s exterior

To complement the sandy wall colour by Valspar, the pair painted a darker circle to frame their Habitat mirror. ‘We like hanging things off-centre so it feels relaxed,’ Vicky says OUR MUST HAVES Ilaria cluster light in Multi Coloured, £255, MADE.com. To make your own similar tablecloth try Dear Clementine Oranges on White fabric, £18.35 per m, Spoonflower. Blush pom pom placemats, £5 for four, B&M DINING AREA

Molly and Vicky knew they wanted a statement pendant above the dining table, ‘and we liked the different shapes and textures of this one from MADE. com. We picked out the colours to use throughout the rest of the room,’ Vicky explains

The sofa was one of the first big purchases Molly and Vicky made for their home: ‘We didn’t really plan it that way, but we like the way it complements our navy hallway, helping the space flow from room to room,’ Vicky says OUR MUST HAVES Patterdale velvet small chaise sofa in Navy, £1,499, DFS. Colour-block arch painted in Valspar V500 walls & ceilings matt emulsion in Coral Curry, £26 per 2.5L, B&Q LOUNGE

Using just a pencil and a small paintbrush, Vicky marked out and painted a peach arch on the wall and then hung a Picasso print found on Facebook Marketplace

The industrial shelving was a B&M find, which they spray-painted gold to co-ordinate with the rest of the room. ‘We can fit a lot of stuff on them and they’re great for displaying books,’ enthuses Vicky. The Umbra Triflora hanging plant kit was a wedding gift Molly upcycled the plain mirror with foraged shells from Fleetwood beach, where she grew up OUR MUST HAVES Pattern Larkspur vinyl flooring, £58.54 per sq m, Harvey Maria. Egyptian cotton towel in Yellow, from £5, Matalan. For a similar soap dispenser try Brown glass refillable pump soap bottle, from £9.99, Lulu Loves CLOAKROOM

Tone down strong, dark colours with white; the couple painted the hallway walls and doors halfheight in navy and the rest in white to keep it feeling light and bright

MAIN BEDROOM The wall panelling cost just £30 but has made a big style impact – its gentle apricot hue energises the punchy green wall above OUR MUST HAVES Wall painted in silk for walls and ceilings in Emerald Glade, £33.11 per 2.5L, Dulux. Matisse Berggruen & Cie print, £10.99, SevenIconsPrintShop on Etsy

GUEST ROOM Quirky artwork found on holiday in the States adds character to a restful all-white scheme in the guest bedroom OUR MUST HAVES Liberty rattan wooden bed frame, £599, time4sleep. Plush faux fur 130cm x 180cm Mink throw, £25; for a similar cushion try zig zag Natural cushion, £12, both Dunelm

Picked up in a local vintage shop called Odds & Todds, this 1940s chest of drawers has been given a new lease of life with a lick of yellow paint

BATHROOM Wallpaper has transformed the bathroom from its ‘flat and soulless’ first incarnation into a cosy retreat. The vintage mirror above the sink was a bargain at just £5, while candle wall sconces bring a relaxing glow OUR MUST HAVES For similar wallpaper try Lucetta Peacock Green wallpaper, £12 per roll, Dunelm. Rhodes Montpelier Stone vinyl flooring, £23.99 per sq m, Flooring Superstore