Our Style - Kate's New House

Our Style - Kate’s New House

We featured Kate’s old house last summer before she sold it and moved on (she takes after Mum in being a serial house mover). Those who follow our Instagram stories will know we regularly do a #transformationtuesday feature where we share progress on the renovation work but we thought we’d share it in more detail here.

Kate moved in last November and since then a few rooms have been finished, some have yet to be started and some seem to go on and on. Kate has been without a kitchen pretty much since moving in and there is no sign of that changing soon. The good weather is a godsend and the BBQ is getting a lot of use! At least she has a lovely sitting room to relax in though. Here are some before and after photos.

Living Room Before

Living Room After

Originally the living room and dining room were two separate rooms. Kate worked with Coralie from Room by Coralie Rogers to come up with colours for the house. She chose dark and dramatic Downpipe by Farrow and Ball in the dining room, and Purbeck Stone, a warm, pale grey in the living room. 

Pretty much as soon as the rooms had been painted, Kate discovered some issues with the kitchen, opposite, that meant the floor had to come out and be replaced. Given she now unexpectedly had a big and messy job on her hands, coupled with the fact that she doesn’t like rooms to be dark and empty at night and in all likelihood would have had lights on in the dining room even if nobody was in there, she decided to go all out and knock the living room and dining room into a large, open plan space.

Hole in the Wall

It goes to show that no matter how much you plan, sometimes with house renovations, you just have to roll with it and adapt as you go.

Next up was a decision about what to do with the floor. The original boards were a bit battered because the rooms had once been split up into bedsits.

To replace them was going to be very costly and coming on top of the kitchen issues, Kate had to make some budgeting decisions. Mum came up with the idea of replacing just the damaged boards and painting the entire floor. This was a quick and cost-effective solution and provides nice continuity and flow between the two spaces. All that is left to do is insulate them from the cellar below before winter. Floor painted in Purbeck Stone by Farrow and Ball.

Keen on watching Channel 4s, Escape to the Chateau, Kate feels that seeing the beauty in imperfection is the way forward with big old houses. You simply can’t throw money at everything. Sometimes having a battered old floor is all part of the charm and character. With two sons and new kittens, it’s best not to be precious.

Once the major decorating work had been done, the fun stuff could start. Curtains in the lounge and shutters in the dining room were provided by Coralie (as before).

Some of Kate’s existing furniture has been added but the size of the rooms meant some pieces were just too small. Kate bought a new grey velvet sofa and pink velvet loveseat from Camperdown Lane, which added to her linen chesterfield sofa from Baileys, creates a sociable, horseshoe seating area. 

Dressed with grey and pink accessories, this is a very beautiful, calming space to relax. Natural wood tables and lamps, and plants in baskets soften and finish the entire look.

Dining Room

Over in the dining room, Kate is still on the hunt for a suitable dining table. She has added some large plants and a gin bar, created from an up-cycled dumb waiter, and until a table is found this room makes an excellent dancefloor!

Dining Room Before

Study

Kate has gone with a bold scheme in the study using Inchyra Blue by Farrow and Ball, accented with pinks, metallics and natural wood.

Study Before

That's it for now, but there is plenty more to do and plenty more to show you so keep an eye out for future blogs.