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WORK STOPPED FOR LOCKDOWN
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‘Sticking to muted colours on the tree makes it blend into the scheme’
‘Work stopped
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COME ON IN!
IDEA TO STEA L ‘Oversized wall art adds impact and texture to plain wallsÕ
ABOUT ME I am Colleen Roberts, 46, I own an interiors online store (@west_barn) and I live here with my partner David Fox, 51, an account manager, and my children Jack, 11, and Ned, eight. OUR HOME A four-bed, 21-year-old semi-detached house in Harrogate, Yorkshire, bought in January 2019. WHEN WE MOVED IN It was in a bad way – the window frames were rotten, the carpet was threadbare, the walls were all painted a ghastly yellow and the kitchen was falling apart. AND NOW We have redecorated throughout, laid carpets and flooring, replaced all the windows and doors, and fitted a new kitchen. STYLE TIP Grey is calming and smart and easy to accessorise. STAY CALM
‘I wanted the living room to be a relaxing sanctuary. I used accessories to give it a modern-country feel, perfect for Christmas. In the evening, the lamps and fire make it cosy’
d FOR LOCKDOWN’
Buy it Shop Colleen’s classic look PAGE 26
After restrictions were lifted, Colleen was able to get to work turning her run-down house into a stylish and warm family home
een to find a new home
Kfor herself and her sons, Jack and Ned, following her divorce, as soon as Colleen drove into this estate she knew she wanted to live here. ‘It was near the boys’ schools, close to their dad’s home and was in an ideal location for my business,’ she says.
‘The house had been neglected and needed everything doing to it, but my ex-husband and I had done a lot of work on my previous home, a converted barn, so having to renovate didn’t faze me. I just wanted it all finished in time for Christmas.
First steps Despite the state of the house we moved in straight away, in January 2019. The walls were painted in a ghastly yellow, the carpet was threadbare with holes on the stair treads, and the rotten window frames had been stuffed with newspaper. In the kitchen, the oven didn’t work and the units were falling apart. Red terracotta tiles made the room dark and there was a vast wasted space to the rear with nothing in it. Right away I engaged a painter and decorator to decorate the boys’ bedrooms, because I didn’t want them to have to live with those yellow walls. I chose the new neutral colour scheme on their behalf because, as Spurs fans, I knew that if I left it to them they’d have wanted full football regalia in there. Upgrading the essentials The next step was to replace all of the draughty windows and outside doors. I had negotiated £20,000 off the sale price to pay for replacements, and chose uPVC because it wears much better than wood, and I didn’t want to have to paint my window frames every five years. A
BAUBLE STYLE
‘I’ve decorated the tree with just three different types of baubles – I like the simplicity of it’
3 of the best
RATTAN CHAIRS Dine in rustic style
BISTRO STYLE
Harrington chair, £99, Cult Living
HEIGHT OF COMFORT
Hillview, £567.98 for two, Wayfair
friend recommended Niddal Windows, friend recommended Niddal Windows, a local company based in Knaresborough, who did a great job. I had a bit left over from the £20,000 and used it to continue decorating the house over the next 18 months, as and when the painter was free. Décor decisions Half the battle is knowing what you want, and I had plenty of ideas from doing up my previous home, and knew the colours that had worked well. I chose shades of white and grey throughout, which is a calming combination that’s easy to accessorise with splashes of colour where you want. I learned a lesson regarding you want. I learned a lesson regarding paint choices from a past mistake, when I picked a colour on a paint chart and paid a decorator to paint the whole house in it. It turned out to be a big mistake as any one colour will look very different in different rooms, according to which direction they face and how the light falls. This time I got it right! Kitchen woes The kitchen was ripped out the day before lockdown, which of course we didn’t know was going to happen. It was horrendous, as there were no RUSTIC RATTAN
Sika chair, £249, Cuckooland
GR EY BUT BR IGHT
‘The hallway is a continuation of my favourite grey offset by bright white’
BRING THE OU TDOORS IN
‘The rattan table and chairs are garden furniture, but work just as well inside, especially teamed up with the greenery, which is artificial but you’d never know’
IDEA TO STEA L ‘High-quality outdoor furniture can work just as well indoors’
appliances left and we couldn’t go out to eat or get takeaways because everything was shut. I knew there was no point in getting stressed about it all because there was nothing I could do. We stored the contents of the kitchen cupboards in our spare bedroom and for the next nine weeks we used a two-ring electric hob and a microwave in the utility room. Luckily, my partner David had moved in by then and became Gordon Ramsay in the utility room. My business sales doubled because of people being at home, and in the evenings I’d be helping Ned with his verbs and nouns. Being so busy helped take the edge off not having a kitchen. Back on track When the lockdown eased, the builders returned to fit the kitchen, which was a big relief. I redesigned the room, including adding a big island that we could eat around as a family – it fitted beautifully into the wasted space there had been in the old kitchen. I chose Howdens Chelford units in Dove Grey, with the island in Navy as a contrast, and teamed them with a hard-wearing, family-friendly composite grey worktop. The floor is covered in silver grey luxury vinyl tiles from Calverts Carpets, which run through to the hallway for continuity. It’s so practical and easy to keep clean. Final stretch I chose carpet for the rest of the house – a polypropylene design in Castle Rock from Calverts Carpets, to blend with the walls and woodwork. Now that the core of the house is finished, I feel over the moon. I’m very happy with what I’ve
BRIGHT BLINDS
‘The cool greys of the units and woodwork benefit from the pop of pink in the blinds’
DINING PENINSUL AR
‘The island is a huge success – it fits the previously wasted space perfectly’
IDEA TO STEA L ‘Small artificial trees add a fresh, outdoorsy feel, especially at Christmas’
FAMILY HUB
‘If anyone is looking for me I’ll be found in here. I designed it and I think the grey colour scheme of the Howdens units and the luxury vinyl floor from Calverts Carpets work so well’
Do it! COUNTRY CHRISTMAS STYLE
Bring greenery indoors with artificial, miniature Christmas trees and topiary for an unusual seasonal twist.
Using a mixture of real and fake flowers, such as eucalyptus sprigs and hydrangeas, means that floral displays can include the unexpected at this time of year.
Wooden carved decorative cones add a winter wonderland touch to an open fireplace.
Wooden painted furniture is the epitome of contemporary style with a country twist.
Where to buy Colleen’s style
BELLAGIO STONE Offers a bespoke service with a wide range of quality stone surfaces, including worktops. KELLY’S ART STUDIO She makes wonderful, handpainted, personalised plaques, such as the ones we have hanging in our bedrooms. LOVE MILLY For pretty candles, diffusers and melts made from soy wax and oils, and with beautiful fragrances, which you can use in any room. NIDDAL For quality windows and doors and an excellent fitting and after-sales service. CALVERTS CARPETS An excellent company for a wide choice of carpets and floor coverings at a good price.
‘I love these natural twig heart-shaped hangings. They add a quirky, textural hit to the walls’
DELUXE HOTEL
‘The main bedroom has a French country look – it’s like sleeping in a lovely hotel’
IDEA TO STEA L ‘Handmade wall plaques are a good way of personalising a room’
STA RRY EYED
‘I chose stars for Ned’s bedroom because I wanted it to be boy-ish and full of character. He and Jack each have their initials hung on their wall in padded letters’
Make it!
A WALL-HANGING LETTER
1Buy a wooden letter. Choose fabric that will cover the letter front and back with a margin of about half an inch all around. Choose a strip of fabric for the trim allowing an extra two inches in length.
2Glue a square of wadding to the top of the letter then trim around it.
3Cut the fabric into two equal pieces then place the letter on top of the wrong side of one piece of the fabric, wadding face down.
4Glue the edge of the fabric to the letter, making sure that the fabric is taut. With a curved letter, as you go round, snip the fabric at an angle to be able to fold and glue the edges down smoothly. Glue the corners, then snip off any excess fabric. Repeat for the back of the letter.
5For the trim, fold the edges of the strip inwards, then iron them flat. Glue the trim to the edge of the letter, taking it in small stages to ensure that the glue stays sticky and that the fabric is pulled taut.
6Tuck the end of the trim under to neaten it, then glue it down.
achieved. As a family we all congregate in the kitchen, cooking, eating, watching TV, chatting, and working at the island. When it’s sunny we have the double doors open onto the garden, but at this time of year, it’s warm and snug – it’s the heart of our home. Christmas cheer I’m so looking forward to Christmas. We’ll get up and open our presents, sit down to a turkey dinner, then later on we’ll pull the crackers and wear the hats during tea. It’s so wonderful to be celebrating it here.’
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