As an interior designer, my days are often filled with supporting the design transformation of my clients homes.
Yet, in the background, my partner and I have been recreating our own unique, personal style to each room.
This week, I’d like to welcome you to my home.
Join me through our homes transformation, a labour of love where we have added our own personal touch to each room.
While I’ve previously shared glimpses into some rooms, I’ve never unveiled a complete “before and after” until now.
Our journey back from The Netherlands, marked the beginning of this transformation, we’ve poured love and creativity into every space, and am excited to be starting our next big project this summer, where we’re gong to be creating our dream bathroom.
I’ll be sharing more with you on that journey as it unfolds.
The Hallway
Our journey begins in the hallway, a rather dark entrance, with no natural light, and the buttercup yellow had to go!
We chose Little Greene Rubine Ashes for the walls. This calm ash grey laced with a subtle hint of mauve has transformed this space, adding an unexpected warmth to a colour which can often be dismissed as being too cold.
The challenge of adding natural light to the hallway was overcome when we redesigned the kitchen, adding a glass-panelled kitchen door, a design decision that not only modernised the kitchen, it also invited light into the hallway.
Our front door followed suit, mirroring the kitchen’s glass theme, enhancing the hallway’s newfound brightness.
The under-stair space, often an over-looked area, now proudly houses a bespoke dog house, a sanctuary within a sanctuary, which the dogs love spending time in. Initially fitted with doors, we soon realised this wasn’t very practical, so the doors were removed, allowing the dogs to come and go as they please.
But the pièce de résistance was the transformation of the staircase. The original banister, replaced with sleek glass panels. This change not only amplifies the visual space, it’s created a modern, welcoming entrance to our home.
The Living Room and Dining area
Both areas you will be familiar with, especially if you follow me on Instagram.
However, I thought I should share the initial estate agents photos of these two areas, as it’s only when looking back at old photos do I realise how much we’ve transformed the house into our own home.
Estate agents photo of the lounge
How the lounge now looks
Estate agents photo of the dining room
Our dining room now
The living room has had a couple of transformations over the years, with the most recent update, when we added the wood panelled feature wall.
If you’re interested in learning how we did this, you can catch up on the blog I wrote here.
As a lover of earthy tones, I’ve always been drawn to the gorgeous rich tones of the colour brown.
Currently we have Little Greene Knightsbridge which adds a sense of luxury; with its rich, velvety brown tone. Complementing this with Little Green China Clay, a warm white paint on the remaining walls (including the dining room) balances the depth of the brown, and brings a harmonious warmth to the space.
Our dining room also referred to as “The Dutch Room”, is a homage to when we lived in The Netherlands, as we bought all the furniture for this space, during our time experiencing the Dutch lifestyle, which is a lovely remind, now we’re back living in Suffolk.
A few months ago I wrote an article for Preloved magazine, if you’re interested in reading this please sign up to Substack where you can read the full article.
One of my proudest design moments is the creation of our bespoke stained glass window.
When we moved into our house, there was an ugly uPVC window between the living room and conservatory, due to the conservatory being added at a later date.
I wanted to replace the window with something more “artistic” that wouldn’t restrict any light shining into the lounge and the idea of a bespoke stained-glass window was looking to be the solution.
This is one of my first posts I wrote, which you can catch up here.
The Conservatory
My favourite space to relax after the working day, and more often than not where I retreat to with a glass of my favourite tipple making it the perfect space to escape to when it’s not quite warm enough to be sat outside enjoying the garden.
The use of bamboo blinds and cane effect furniture brings a touch of nature indoors, these materials not only add visual appeal but also contribute to the relaxed atmosphere I’ve created.
When we moved into the property the conservatory had exposed brickwork walls, an old polycarbonate roof, and the original patio doors before the conservatory was added.
Plastering the walls has made the conservatory appear as an extension to the house, rather than an “add-on” and by updating the roof with new glass panelling allows more natural light to flood the space, making it feel brighter and more inviting; plus it eliminates the extreme temperature variations we experienced before.
The addition of a radiator, connected to the living rooms heating system, is also a game-changer, as now we can enjoy the conservatory throughout the year.
Estate agents photo of the conservatory
How the conservatory looks now
The perfect finishing touch was adding the bifold doors, creating a seamless transition between the living room and conservatory, the ideal set-up for entertaining, as guests can mingle from one space to another.
The Kitchen
I waited 9 long years for my kitchen, however it was well worth the wait!
Below are some of the estate agents photos of the house when we bought it, compared to the after photos, following the kitchen renovation.
Estate agents original photo of the kitchen
Kitchen transformation
I wrote a whole post about how I finally have my dream kitchen, where I’ve again removed the paywall for you to have a read if you missed it when it was first published.
Finally, last, although by no means least, the smallest room in the house.
The Cloakroom
Measuring less than 2sqm the cloakrooms small size presented a challenge, especially with the door originally opening inwards; however if a jobs worth doing it’s worth doing properly.
How the cloakroom looked
Post renovation
This small space was given the same love and attention as the rest of the house. With some clever design choices; from repositioning the door to a bespoke hand basin, we were able to transform the cloakroom into a functional and stylish area, maximising what space we did have.
For more details you can read the post here.
Originally, I had planned to unveil the upstairs of the house in todays post. However I recognise sharing too much detail at once might be overwhelming, especially as I’ve shared links to some of my previous posts that you may find intriguing.
With that consideration, I’ve decided to save the upstairs transformation for Part 2, which I’ll will share in two weeks time.
I hope you’ve found todays post interesting.
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