‘MY NEW LIVING ROOM IS MY HAVEN’
‘My new living room
IS MY HAVEN’
While Vanessa was hard at work, expert helping hands stepped in to turn her dreary living room into the stylish, welcoming sanctuary she deserves
COME ON IN!
CALM CORNER ‘This is a favourite reading spot for Ariella and me’
ABOUT ME I’m Vanessa Dodds. I’m an NHS midwife and I live with my daughter Ariella, who’s just turned three, in a two-bedroom terraced house in Dagenham, east London. I moved here in 2011. MY CHALLENGE I’d not been able to redecorate my living room for some years, so it was more than ready for a refresh. It felt drab, tired and disorganised, as there was no colour and no proper storage, nor anywhere to show nice bits and pieces. I really didn’t know how to go about redesigning the room myself. MY WISHLIST I wanted a calming, easy-to-maintain space with colour and a clean, fresh feel. Storage for toys was an absolute must, and I liked the idea of display shelves and a small table for mealtimes with my daughter, too. I wanted a comfortable, well-designed room where we could read, eat, play and spend time together.
104 | TRANSFORM YOUR HOME ON A BUDGET
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