The dining room when we purchased the house and after our initial, quick updates

We were not looking to move when we found this house. My husband had a compulsive habit of checking online for new property listings. Upon seeing this house, in contrast to his usual musings of browsing aimlessly, then moving on to the next task, he firmly announced, “We should go see this house.” As soon as we walked through the space, I knew I would love to live here. A Victorian terraced house nestled on a quiet street just a short walk to transport and local shops. The rooms were generously sized with high ceilings and original cornices. There was even a beautiful back garden for our son to run around!

The pebbledash at the front was somewhat off-putting, as was the plethora of floral wallpapers and layers of pink, but we we could see past them. Many of our friends who visited us in the first months were surprised with our choice. My mother-in-law even said, “I don’t think you visited enough houses before you bought this one.” Luckily, my husband trusted me, and together we saw the potential.

Kitchen - Before

Kitchen - After

For the short term, we have layered milk paint on the existing cabinets to give them a new life. A fresh coat of paint on the walls, inexpensive rug cut to size, and a few floating shelves my husband built himself give the space a completely new feeling in advance of the major renovation.

A few months after moving in, we had pulled down most of the wallpaper and given everything a fresh lick of paint. All of the updates we have done thus far are simple and cosmetic, which took little money and effort. Already the house feels fresher.

But now the time has come to push forward with more intense work. (Having only one loo in a house with two boys is not ideal.) Taking on a renovation project can seem daunting, so I thought our own project would be a nice opportunity to share some behind the scenes, so friends, followers, and potential clients can understand the layers of work involved. Hope you enjoy x