by Helen | Apr 15, 2020 | Interiors
The living room, when we bought our Istrian stone house, was dark and oppressive. Walls were plastered in places, painted in places and in other places, the stone work was exposed. Window frames and external shutters were a faded green colour. The pine floor boards were untreated and the original beams, very dark and exposed. The stair treads were also exposed, and there were no risers or spindles and no handrail, meaning that they felt very unsafe. The previous owners had left much of the furniture – all dark wood and dark brown leather, and definitely not our taste – and all in all, it was a pretty unloved space.
This was the first room we tackled as we needed to have somewhere that would be a comfortable retreat from the renovation chaos going on around us, and as our furniture arrived from England within a couple of days of arriving, we had to accommodate quite a lot of it somewhere, away from the building work. One of the first things we did was paint all of the walls, including the exposed stone work, white, which immediately lifted the room. We also stumbled along with the ornate cast iron stove we had inherited but it was proving to be very efficient, and so when we spotted this concrete beauty we knew it would be perfect for what we were planning.
A new chimney had to be built from the Snug (immediately below the living room), as our Dovre Stove which we brought over from Didsbury was being fitted down there, and up through the living room, into the bedroom and out through the roof. New ventilation was also installed. The white walls did definitely make a big difference in the early days, and with some familair and some new furniture in place, we did have a cosy room we could retreat to at the end of a long day.
However, we’ve continued to chip away in this room and today, we think we might finally be happy with it, and be able to put away the paintbrushes. For the time being.
Those beams have all been treated for woodworm and caulked, as there were too many gaps and holes and we wanted clean lines between the beams and the ceiling. They were then undercoated and then top-coated with a soft grey satinwood.
The faded green paint on the windows and frames and external shutters was sanded away and the woodwork was primed, undercoated and finished in a very pale blue, to complement the grey beams.
I find it very difficult to look at a room and think that it’s finished, especially when the rest of the house is in renovation chaos. I suppose I should try much harder, but I can always see something else that needs doing, or I go somewhere and see something I like and have to incorporate into the house. Such has been the case with the living room. The white walls have definitely been much, much better than the exposed stonework, but something just wasn’t quite right – and a visit to a beautiful bar in Ljubljana told me what was missing…
I loved the deep navy and gold and the patterns and textures and accessories and knew that this was what the living room had been missing. so set about creating an area of the room that was dark and luscious.
We decided that as well as painting the wall a very, very dark navy, the time had come to tackle the floor. The pine boards were not looking good and so it was decided that the whole floor would be painted in the same soft grey green satinwood as the beams, pulling the whole room together.
The very dark wall just lends itself to a bit pf contrasting bling, so as well as the gold sprayed stove, these angel wings take pride of place. A purchase which I just couldn’t resist…
The white IKEA cube storage was also sprayed and I think it all looks a whole lot better. Instead of the white cubes dominating the room – and being very obviously IKEA – they now blend into their surroundings much more. The spray painting was all done outside and it was completed very quickly. meaning that we didn’t have to wait hours for paint to dry before putting books back and accessorising. The artwork is actually from Bauhaus – our equivalent of B&Q. I’d spotted something very similar on Pinterest and had been searching online to see if I could source something like it – and there it was, as were buying paint 🙂
Those rickety old stairs were given a much needed saftey overhaul and makeover, too. It was a bit of a concern to discover that some of the treads had never actually been secured, so they were brought forward – given more foot room – and all securely attached. We also fitted a back to the stairs, meaning that they looked a whole lot safer and much sturdy. Those spindles, will, at some point, be replaced, but we decided that as the stairs were being painted, they might as well also have a lick of paint. Considering how pretty bland they are, we think they look quite a lot better in their new colour and disguised ever so slightly, with two faux sheepskin covers.
The final thing we did to finish off the room – for the time being! – was to repaint the sideboard, which the TV sits on top of. It had been a pale grey but was beginning to look a bit grubby, so the navy blue satinwood came out again, and transformed it, into something quite beautiful and elegant…
And there you go. For not too much expenditure, a new living room, inspired by Kolibri Cocktail Bar, in Ljubljana.
by Helen | Apr 10, 2020 | Interiors
I love fresh flowers. For the third year running, we’ve seeded up a few areas of the garden with wild flowers, because we believe that one day soon, these seeds will become something more than spindly stems and limp hanging heads. I always think something like this will emerge, because you’ve got to believe, haven’t you? But so far, not much luck…
Whilst we persevere outside – the seeds have been sown again – we’ve decided to go faux inside. The one parlour palm that we have got inside, has dwindled in size, as we forget to care for it. So, we’ve gone faux. Fully fake faux, because however forgetful we are, we can’t kill it and it will always look pretty. The house now has a plethora of greenery and unless we burn it down, the faux should last as long as we’re here…
This is a beautiful twine from Rockett St George. Bit pricey given what we’ve discovered since, but it’s still lovely and long enough to twist around the metal shelving. It does have the appearance and texture of a real plant, so I guess that’s what you pay for, if you’re a serial plant-killer. The creamy white ranunculus was just cut down so that it fitted into an empty caper jar, which I painted with the woodwork satin. I tend to keep glass jars, knowing that at some point in the future, they can be upcycled. Although these days, they get the spray paint treatment – much more immediate results.
Our nearest B&Q style store, which we inevitably frequent a lot, stocks a good range of faux foliage and so a few blooms and branches always find their way into the trolley. An inexpensive and effective way of making a half renovated house look a lot more cheery.
These little potted beauties from IKEA are greta value – they’re the Fejka range and are incredibly reasonably priced at £4 for a three pack. I dread to think how many of these packs I’ve bought…
More Fejka IKEA plants – this time, hanging plants in baskets. I’ve found that these work best when a hanging basket/pot is large enough to accommodate two, at least three, of these faux plants so that there’s more density.
Our renovated beams are quite beautiful, even though we say so ourselves, but they needed just a little something else. Our garden is full of trailing ivy and this gave me the idea to wrap artificial vines around the beams, reflecting what is outside. The hanging foliage above the window are just two pots, sitting high on the beams – but because you can’t see the pots, the way they tumble, is very effective. Especially when they are lit up by the dimmers, in the evening.
The basket below, was originally used to store towels, but these branches of faux eucalyptus and the cornflowers and reeds, just looked so much prettier and so it has been repurposed. Definitely adds more layers of interest in the room and it feels a whole lot more spring-like.
The upstairs bathroom has a very high ceiling, with orginal beams and again, we’ve introduced vines and hanging foliage, as well as this very lovely pale blue striped jug from IKEA. The cornflowers make anther appearance, too, sitting on top of the mirrored cabinet.
And finally, these vines… All laid out and ready to be used. But where they have been wrapped is for another blog 🙂
So there you go. A very inexpensive way to accessorise rooms, add depth and detail and bring the outside in. Safe in the knowledge, that once they’re in place, apart from the odd dusting, you need never do anything with them again, and they will always look good.
by Helen | Apr 9, 2020 | Lifestyle
We made a bit of an unexpected purchase when we visited Morocco and to be honest, we were on pins when we returned home. The purchase was being sent to us, as it wasn’t going to be easy to bring it back ourselves, and after the euphoria had worn off – it was something we’d been searching for, for ages – we did worry that we might have been scammed or that said delivery would not arrive. When we made the purchase, we also negotiated/haggled/asked very nicely for a chocolate brown leather pouffe to be thrown in too.
This particularly appealed once the very obvious storage solution had been pointed out. In Morocco (and probably elsewhere, where people are just more practical), these pieces of storage furniture aren’t artificially stuffed. They’re filled with blankets, clothes, newspapers etc – a brilliant way to store summer clothes in the winter and vice versa. It’s also deceptively large – it’s now packed full of clothes and very heavy so it makes a very solid piece of seating. And, the bonus is, I could also start to get rid of some bulky cupboards which only served to house clothes which hardly ever saw the light of day. A proper exercise in de-cluttering. It’s beautifully well made and has that really aromatic smell of leather. We’ve now had it for over five years and it’s survived two house renovations, a long period in storage and being shifted from Didsbury to Istria. We still use it as storage – and it’s now coming up to that lovely time of year when we can think out about taking out the summer clothes and packing away the winter stuff. It also still doubles as a seat and now has a new home in our downstairs Snug.
We liked it so much that when our friend went to Morocco, we asked her to bring us another back – this one is much smaller and is one of the very traditional rounded, hand stitched leather pouffes that you see all over the Souks. They are really inexpensive and as they are purchased flat, are so easy to bring back. Ours is a gorgeous sunshine yellow, which just brightens the room up…
Although I currently can’t imagine being comfortable in a Souk – the whole point being that they are crammed with people and sellers, noisy, exciting, vibrant – everything we’re currently keeping ourselves away from, I’m sure one day, we’ll return. During they day, especially in Marrakech, they seem a lot calmer and easiest to get around. At night, they take on a completely different feel. They can be quite disorentating and it’s so easy to feel lost and bit overwhelmed. But, we’ve always found them to feel safe – I’m not sure if I’d be totally happy wandering around solo, in the same way that I probably woudn’t wandering around somewhere like Piazza Navona in Rome, on my own, at night, but with someone else, they don’t feel initimidating. And, with someone else, it means that there is always someone to rein me, purchase wise 😉 We’ve always been fairly limited in what we can bring back as we don’t tend to travel with hold luggage, but looking back, it would seem that airlines did exert a little bit more flexibility in terms of cabin luggage weight and size, as looking around our home, we have obviously managed to get a few Souk purchases home…
We were very taken by the Moroccan Rose Tea – both in taste and appearance and aroma – and so brought some back with us, especially when its properties were explained to us. Being caffeine free, it’s supposed to aid digestion and blood circulation, as well as nourishing the skin. I can’t say whether these claims did actually work, but it’s super pretty and smells gorgeous.
We also couldn’t resist a big Moroccan bowl – due to size restrictions, we couldn’t go for the full set, but on our next visit, I do hope that we can start to add to a collection and have the smaller plates and bowls to match this beauty. It currently hangs on the wall, but one day, I do see it as centre piece on outside table, full of a vibrant summer salad.
the souks of marrakech and essaouira
And yes, the purchase we mentioned initially, did arrive. Our beautiful handmade Berber rug…
by Helen | Apr 7, 2020 | Lifestyle
…so claimed the author of the recipe on the website. And as we were craving a Shepherd’s Pie – we don’t eat minced meat and had no Quorn mince left – we decided to test out this rather bold claim and give this vegan option a whirl. It was easy to make, if a bit more time consuming than our usual efforts, but well worth every second of preparation. The onions, carrots, mushrooms, garlic and herbs were gently sauteed first, in a skillet with the potatoes boiling away in another pan. The veggies were taken off the heat when they started to soften and brown, and the potatoes were mashed. Into the mash went four cloves of crushed garlic (I know, but we are self-isolating!), a tin of coconut milk and a cup of rice milk and seasoned. This was then put to one side – and I defy you not to take sneaky spoonfuls! – and a tin of lentils were cooked in a bouillon stock for about half an hour. 
The vegetables which had previously been sauteed, were added to the lentil mix with peas and a splash of soy sauce, and simmered until most of the stock had gone. The mashed potatoes were scooped on top, flattened out with a fork, and popped in the oven for about 30 minutes. I can honestly say, it was one of the best Shepherd’s Pies we’ve ever made. If you’re a meat-eater, you might baulk at the idea of lentils instead of minced meat, but the flavours are so intense, I think even an ardent carnivore would be impressed. However, the best part it is the garlic coconut mashed potato. I always need to have my mashed potato layered through with different cheeses to give it more flavour, and with a good sprinkling of either very strong cheddar or parmesan for the crust, and I did wonder how I’d cope without my cheese fix. However, I barely missed the cheese – this mashed potato really is the king of mashed potatoes! Creamy and garlicky and rich – and still with a crust. So, yes, that bold claim is quite correct – this is seriously the best lentil shepherd’s pie. Give it a try – you will not be disappointed! The original recipe can be found here – and I’m already trawling the website for the next meal inspiration…
The recipe is on an American website, so measurements & quantities are slightly different – we just went with what we thought would work and didn’t pay too much attention to the measurements. All worked out well in the end 😉
by Helen | Apr 4, 2020 | Lifestyle
The lovely story of The Honey House in Ljubljana…
A respectful attitude towards nature allows us to maintain the harmony of life. We are proud to offer you a piece of nature that has been prepared with the utmost care, immersed in tradition and knowledge, which has been transmitted from generation to generation. Our grandfather had kept bees since childhood. As an 11 year-old boy, with straw basket in hand, he asked a neighboring beekeeper for a swarm of bees. The number of hives grew over the years and stayed with him throughout his life. While observing the life of bees and other animals on the farm, he built a respectful attitude towards nature and life. He carried-over his attitude and knowledge to the family with great enthusiasm, and raised the next generation of beekeepers. Thus, our father also lovingly cared for bees. In a more stressful and fast-paced life, he found pleasure, tranquility and contact with nature though beekeeping. He “infected” the entire family with his dedication and love for bees, and invited us all to participate in beekeeping. A small beekeeper thus slowly grew into the Krevs family beekeepers.
We love this shop and its products. The honey is absolutely exquisite, and comes in a variety of flavours – acacia, chestnut, flower, forest and fir. We’ve sampled them all and bought a few, but the stand out favourites are forest and fir. They smell divine – woody, and foresty and intense and deep, but are much lighter than you’d imagine to taste. The Forest Honey always go quickly. We can’t wait to get back to Ljubljana to stock up, as we have none of this left and are sparingly using our last jar of Fir Honey. If you close your eyes and inhale it, you are transported to the mountains…
But it’s not just the honey we’re fans of. On our last trip before Christmas, we also purchased some intensive, hydrating cream – not knowing how valuable this little pump action bottle would be! Now that vigorous and regular washing of hands is the order of every day, we’re finding that hands are a little drier than usual – and this nutrient packed cream is amazing. Made with beeswax, aloe vera, shea butter, propolis and honey, only a small amount is needed to re-hydrate dry skin. If only we’d been able to see into the future and realise how much we’d be using it, we’d have bought a few more pots of it. However, it can be purchased online, so as we’re fairly sure we’re not going to be getting to Ljubljana any time soon, I’ll definitely be placing an order for delivery.
This is not a promotional blog and we paid full price for the products. Just wanted to share some lovely products…
by Helen | Apr 2, 2020 | Renovation
When we bought our stone house in Istria, we were advised by the sellers that the little abandoned dwelling, to the rear of the property, could be purchased from one of our new neighbours. We were interested, and with hindsight, should probably have sorted the purchase of it, at the same time as the main house. But we didn’t, and you live and learn.
why we should have bought it initially
Boundaries in Istria (and, as would seem to be common across The Balkans, Italy, France…) are complex issues and often are not established legally. The particular problem in Istria is that because the region has been ruled by many over the years, each regime has had different ways of demarcating boundaries and so what you might think is your land, may not be. On the flip side, what you think may not be your land, could be. Sorting all of this at the time of the initial purchase could have saved us money, but more importantly, the process may have seemed swifter. However, we didn’t – the enormity of taking on a property to be renovated in a new country where we couldn’t speak the language, probably meant we had other things on our minds back in early 2017.
But, we did begin the process in October of that year, agreeing a price with our neighbour and having a contract drawn up by our solicitor to seal the price. Surveyors were appointed and the ball got rolling. With a little unexpected blip when we had a visit from the Land Registry who had to come and assess the house and certify that it was actually permissible to be used as a house. Yep, that’s right. It’s only after we’d bought it that we found out that there was a possibility that it wasn’t actually included on any official records and that it wouldn’t be classed as a dwelling. Luckily, we were legit…
what happened next
Once the surveyors had been, and using three sets of ordnance survey maps – Austro-Hungarian, Italian and Yugoslavian – our borders, all around the house, were established. Some surprises here – we found out that we actually owned a little more on one side than we thought, but that the little patch of land, in between our house and the (other) abandoned house we are attached to, isn’t actually ours after all. However, it belongs to seventeen people – three of whom are in Australia – and so we figured that if we tidied it up, no-one would object. So far so good…
It turned out that none of the neighbours objected to either our new boundaries or our purchase of the abandoned property and associated land behind the house, and so nearly two and half years later, we signed the official documents, paid the balance to our neighbour, and hey-ho, we now find ourselves the owners of a bit more land and property. It all sounds very grand, but it’s not at the moment. The potential is massive but we’re in a real quandry about what do with our new acquisition.
Two and a half years ago, the plan was for us to either renovate it as a self contained property, or knock it down and create a walled garden. But that was all before Coronavirus shut the world down…
so, what now?
The dilemma is what can we feasibly do, under our steam, to make the rear of the house look as pretty as it can, especially as we can’t get to builders’ merchants or DIY stores for the foreseeable future. We have dismantled the Istrian stone trough which was attached to the front – leading us to believe that this property was probably actually for cattle. But, you can see that inside it was once on two levels, so possibly cattle on ground floor, people on the upper. We’re trying to find out what it’s history is, but it’s quite difficult, records-wise. We’re also in the process of making it as safe as we possibly can – the slate roof is still pretty intact, but to be fair, it’s held together more with the ivy which grows up and through it, than any kind of mortar. Internally, there’s very little to be salvaged apart some great big beams, which, along with the Istrian stones, if we dismantle it, will be salvaged and reused. Without a cherry picker or proper cutters, we can’t really tackle the foliage as we’d like, but we’ll be trying to cut back the lower levels around the outside to tidy the property up.
I do have some ideas and if we can pull them off in the short term, we’d be delighted. I do need to keep myself away from Pinterest though, as I actually considered this as a possibility, this morning. Still wondering if it might work…
We’re going to be using our next few however many weeks/months in the house, to assess what we can do, but in the meantime, if you have any ideas, we’d love to hear them.
by Helen | Apr 1, 2020 | Lifestyle
Renovating a property can be very expensive. Even though things out here are often less expensive than back in the UK, we don’t have a bottomless money pit and so sometimes, rather than splashing the cash, we look for alternatives. And, currently, spray paint is proving to be worth its weight in gold. Quite literally…
Rather than continually buying new *things*, we’re starting to give new leases of life to things we already have. And, we’re particularly delighted with the new look we’ve given to the (unused) vintage French woodburner. Once a duck egg blue ceramic woodburner, this has been sitting outside for quite a long time. The enamel was fading, the metal work rusting and it was just looking a bit sorry for itself. But, a couple of cans of gold spray paint – and just look at her now!
The Hektar floorlamp from IKEA was fine in the brushed anthracite finish, but with a can in my hand, I couldn’t resist a spray. It’s totally transformed the little corner of the living room where I have my desk set up. All of a sudden, working from home seems a tiny bit more glamorous!
So many new looks for so few pennies.
Since we finished renovating our kitchen, one thing has really niggled me. The walls are painted in gorgeous Hague Blue and the units are concrete style. We’ve tried to keep accessories to a minimum, so as to avoid the usual cluttered look we usually have in a kitchen, and what we have is either copper or burnt orange. Consequently, the silvery stainless steel microwave, has bugged me as it just didn’t match with anything. I’ve looked and looked, trying to source one – but no luck. Baby blue, powder blue – yes. Navy blue – no.
So, there was ever really only one answer – take it into our own hands! Although I did resist going for gold and this time reached for the anthracite spray…
Probably a bit mad, but as I had exactly the colour I wanted in a spray can, it was worth a go! And do you know what? For just under four euros I have the microwave that I’d visioned, which would fit perfectly in the new kitchen…
As they say, where there’s a will, there’s *always* a way!
by Helen | Mar 31, 2020 | Lifestyle
We’re currently in proper lockdown here in Istria. As of last week, a permit has to be applied for if you want to travel to a different municipality. Borders are closed so we can’t – and at the moment, definitely don’t want to – hop across to Italy to stock up on our favourite parmesan and proscuitto and so we’re driving over to Umag, on the coast, to shop at Lidl and Spar. Although obtaining a permit is relatively easy – we have residency here and so just need to email the appropriate office – we’re much happier not being out and about, preferring to live a much more self-sufficient lifestyle, at the moment. Rather than multiple weekly trips to a supermarket, we’ve decided that once a week, at most – less, if we can be very organised – is the best way forward. This also means we are finally getting to the back of our kitchen cupboards and rationalising the many packets and tins and bags of foodstuff we’ve accumulated. Rice, pasta, pulses – all there, and because a lot of it is at the back, and we can’t see it, more of the same stuff has been bought over time. So, now seems to be the right time, to actually start using it.
coconut and lentil dahl
With a glut of tins of lentils, it was decided that a dahl was on the cards. I found this recipe from Deliciously Ella and liked it because a) most of the ingredients were available and b) a bit of coconut flavour is always welcome. It also looked easy -peasy – which it was – and appealed to my liking of chuck-everything-in-the-one-pot kind of cooking.
what you’ll need
- 400g green lentils, washed and drained
- 2x 400g cans coconut milk
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
- 2 large tomatoes, cut into small pieces
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon hot chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon chilli flakes, optional
In the end, I only used one tin of coconut milk, because I used a jar of passata instead of chopped tomatoes and so there was quite a lot of excess liquid to cook off. I also used more of the spices, than in the recipe – probably double the quantities as we like our food to be flavoursome and spicy. The onions, when first sauteed in olive oil, were also quite heavily seasoned with black pepper from the grinder.
what you’ll need to do
It really is the easiest thing to make – taking the recipe from Deliciously Ella (linked to above), I did adapt things slightly. I added a packet of black puy lentils to give it a bit more texture, and with hindsight, I maybe used too much passata, so that the final colour was more orangey than the usual yellowy-mustard colour of dahl. The chopped tomatoes, as suggested in the original recipe, would probably be better if you didn’t want it to be over-tomatoey. Last night’s was served with roasted new potatoes, which were cooked in a mixture of olive oil, spicy paprika and chilli flakes. We also had some cooling natural yoghurt on the side, although our herbs haven’t been planted up yet, and so sadly, no coriander as a garnish. That’s our next project – an old IKEA CD cabinet, which has been sprayed anthracite, and which is about to be planted up with herb seeds. Perfect compartments to keep them organised.
Because there is so much left over, it’s going to be the base of tonight’s dinner. In the fridge, there is a lovely Italian chorizo which will be fried off with a bit more spice and added to the dahl – and this time, I’m going to add a fair few sprinkles of turmeric to try and achieve that yellow colour. Nice to see the kitchen cupboard staples actually finally being used…
by Helen | Mar 23, 2020 | Renovation
I’ve thought long & hard about adding blogs to the website, in the current climate. It seems too frivolous to be posting about renovations and life-style things and recipes. But, and it is a big but, we’ve worked hard for so long to get to the point where are currently, that I have decided to carry on, adding blogs. My way of continuing to record our journey, as we, like so many other people, embark on self-isolation for the next few weeks.
Our second bedroom has gone through some changes since we became the custodians of our stone house in Istria. Before we started work on it, this bedroom was an undecorated space, with two sets of bunk beds, left from the previous owners, shoe-horned into a room which was just not working. Beams, although potentially beautiful, were untreated and clearly hadn’t been touched in a long time and very basic pine floorboards were bare. The window, which again we knew, could be a real feature, was partially undercoated and the ill-fitting door unable to close because of one of the most ugly door handle/locks we’ve ever seen. All in all, a pretty dismal excuse for a bedroom. However, we had to have at least one room where we could escape the madness of full-on renovation – and so three years ago, Bedroom Two, was for a while Bedroom One.
From what we inherited above, we were delighted with the first incarnation with the room. Walls were painted white, a new bed was ordered and delivered, industrial wall lights fitted, new bedding on the bed and we were in. Utter luxury! I cannot tell you how amazing it was, in the early days, to close the door at the end of the night and sink into that bed. If you’ve renovated a property, you’ll know where we’re coming from.
But, we’ve come a long way since the room looked as it does above. The wooden beams are original – very old and very beautiful, but we did have a problem with woodworm, which we had to resolve very quickly, as this room became a guest bedroom. We called in a specialist company who treated all of the beams in the house, and we then got to work on them, ourselves. Just to be extra sure that the pesky woodworm had gone, we further treated them, wrapping them in clingfilm for a couple of weeks – just to be on the safe side. These measures seem to have worked, and we think the woodworm are no more. Although the beams were beautiful in their natural state, our style for in the interior is contemporary and they just felt as bit too country-cottagey. So we got to work on transforming them – and after undercoating and painting in a very soft grey satinwood, they are, we think, even more beautiful…
To contrast with the white walls and soft grey beams, the woodwork – window frames and surrounds and door and frame – have all been painted in a very soft baby blue satinwood, which contrasts well with the colours around.
Although the room isn’t the largest, it can comfortably fit a double bed and two wardrobes from IKEA – these are from the STUVA range. More for a child’s bedroom, but perfectly adequate, with plenty of hanging and storage space, for a smaller bedroom. And, much nicer on the budget too. However, as they are actually full of our stuff, they weren’t serving much of a purpose in a guest bedroom and so the decision was made a few weeks ago, to have a big change around and create bedrooms which worked much better as spaces. We’ve completed the dirty, dusty, disruptive renovation work, and so can now have a bit more fun, being creative and accessorising.
The wardrobes went to their new home, in the room next door and once we’d created a bit more space, we started on the new look. First up was the cerise pink table in the hallway. Once an old work table, it was covered in paint splats and oil stains, but a few cans of spray paint gave it a new lease of life and it’s been a proper pop of colour, for a couple of years on the upstairs landing. However, we wanted something that visitors could use – a table where they could dry hair, put on make-up, maybe catch up on a few emails on a lap top, but we didn’t want to go out and buy something else. Our house has rapidly become full of *stuff*, despite a massive clear-out before we moved, so we’re trying to recycle and up-cycle where we can. The pink table was a perfect starting point…
Spray paint is now our go-to product for quick make-overs and within an hour, the pink was gone and replaced with shimmering gold. Accessorised with a beautiful opaque, glass vase, in a very unusual shade of green and tall faux blooms, scented candles in pinky coloured glass jars and a tortoise shell mirror, it now looks completely different. A round globe lamp sits behind the green vase, so at night, a really beautiful glow is cast around the room. The large pine mirror looked out of place, against the table, so this too has been sprayed gold and now looks a million dollars. For the cost of a can of spray paint. I didn’t want a bulky chair at the table and so found this rather lovely stool – gold frame and pale pink velvet seat. Perfect! The Moroccan style off-white & navy blue geometric patterned rug adds warmth and sits well on top of the newly painted navy floorboards. No more pine!
Yes, I did spray the bin, too 🙂 Rather than searching around to find something which was more suitable, the black, metal, flip top IKEA bin was given the bling treatment, too. And, why not?
To the left hand side of the window is the internal chimney, which comes up from The Snug and the living room below. Gorgeous in the winter, as it means we don’t need any additional source of heating in this room, but it does make the way we can lay out the room, a bit more problematic, because it is bulky. The bed can’t be located anywhere else, but space to the side is limited because of the chimney, meaning that we were also limited to what we could have each side of the bed. We wanted something that people could use for mobile phones, ipads, drinks etc and did a fair bit of head scratching as everything was always just a tiny bit too wide. Then, hurrah again for IKEA – we spotted these mustard coloured boxy wall units, which are just perfect. Attached off the floor, but not too high, they don’t take up too much room and mean that phones be charged, and there’s space for water, a book or two etc.
I think we might now be happy with this room. Although who knows? After a few weeks of self isolation, we may have sprayed the whole room gold…
by Helen | Mar 10, 2020 | Renovation
Unable to ever leave a room, close the door and congratulate ourselves on a “finished” project, we’ve been revisiting our third bedroom. To be honest, we’ve re-visted then all, but that’s another couple of blogs. Let’s stick with this one for the time being. Although the room was so much better, design-wise, than it had been previously, we felt it still wasn’t *quite* right. It still felt a bit sterile. A bit cobbled-together. And we suddenly realised why. We had the wrong furniture in the wrong rooms. Simple as that! And so another week was spent emptying cupboards, wardrobes, drawers. Filling vac-pac bags. Cleaning, touching up paintwork and moving furniture from one room to another. Gone from the room above are the navy blue cabinet, the thin beechwood display shelves, the office chair which we tried to make look prettier (it’s properly gone), and the Moroccan rug. They’re all elsewhere, in new homes and are looking much better for the various moves. So, what’s in this room now?
Because the second and third bedrooms aren’t our main bedroom, and so smaller, we needed storage that didn’t overwhelm and didn’t break the bank. Step forward modular wardrobes from the Stuva children’s range at IKEA. The perfect colour and the perfect size – and looking a whole lot more at home in this room. We can’t work out why exactly, as this room and the room they came from are exactly the same size and orientation – apart from the position of the window, so maybe it’s the light that makes all the difference. The geometric Moroccan style rug which was originally in this room had to be moved as it was too thick for the the wardrobe doors to open – but now our prized Berber rug, brought all the way from a tannery in Marrakech, has found its forever home. We hope! Soft cushions, throws and faux foliage create more of a feeling of a room that is used and is comfortable – and now the long, navy velvet curtains seem to “fit” the room more easily.
Always considered the third bedroom, and therefore with not much thought ever really being put into it, we hope we have finally created a room which is a beautiful one in its own right.
