DECORATED EGGS Get cracking on an egg-cellent display

‘I like mixingVI NTAGE AND NEW’

DRINK UP

‘I upcycled this Facebook find using leftover paint. Curves are very on trend!’

COME ON IN!

IDEA TO STEAL

‘Make a feature by matching a metallic splashback to cupboard handles’

ABOUT ME I’m Jen Watkins, 35, a sales director in the beauty industry and artist. I live here with my three children, Rowan, 12, and twin boys Arthur and Oscar, seven, and our dog, Dottie, and cat, Saffy. MY HOME Our home is a five-bed detached new-build property in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire. We moved here in June 2017. WHEN WE MOVED IN As this was a new house it was very white, clean and neat, and lacked character. AND NOW It’s taken six years of constant evolving, by painting walls, then repainting, adding colour through fabric, texture, lighting, wall prints, and building up a collection of vintage and quirky accessories that have helped the house feel like a home. I like using a mix of modern, vintage, old and new.

OPEN UP

‘The large open-plan kitchen-diner was one of the selling points of this house for me. It’s a great multi-use space, and I can keep an eye on the kids when I’m cooking’

VI NTAGE AND NEW’

By introducing colour through artwork, painting and furniture hacks, Jen has given her bland new build a vibrant fresh look full of personality

When I first moved into this house back in 2017 it was because the boys were growing up fast, and I wanted a home that would grow with our needs,’ says Jen. ‘I loved the style of this house, as it offered lots of space, especially the open-plan layout downstairs and the walk-in wardrobe was a big draw for me!

I work from home some days, so the house needed to offer enough rooms that I could use as an office space, guest room for family and all be very versatile. I have a passion for interiors, finding inspiration through Pinterest and Instagram, so having a white canvas as a backdrop didn’t frighten me at all. I’m very eclectic and I’m not concerned about things clashing, having my own maximalist style, so I was ready to get going.

Starting from scratch

When you purchase a new build, you must be able to visualise how it’s going to look as you literally pick everything from scratch before the house is even built. Thankfully, I’m quite creative so really enjoyed the process of choosing things like the kitchen, bathroom tiles and carpets. I made moodboards and even brought in my own paint samples to get the right look and I wasn’t afraid to ask anyone questions about what was or wasn’t possible. I mean, after all it’s my home and needs to have the major things right from the start.

Choosing the basics

I’m a huge fan of colour, but resisted the option to have bold kitchen units, so I opted for light grey with a white