I became a master upcycler to finish this house! Art lover Hildah Jiah’s

‘The kitchen took two months to complete. During this time, we lived upstairs with a temporary kitchen,’ says Hildah. ‘Living on-site was very stressful. I’m glad we could escape to my friend’s house for meals.’

Once the main work on the kitchen was finished, it was time for Hildah to put her upcycling skills to good use updating second-hand finds. With ample space for a dining table, she found a painted table with a distressed finish on eBay, which suited the home’s vintage feel. To tie in with the table’s mint green colour, Hildah upcycled chairs from a charity shop by painting them in pastel lemon, pale pink and dark green for a mixand-match look. A country dresser, another savvy eBay bargain, is an ideal kitchen storage solution. ‘It came from a country manor house and fits the space perfectly.’

Hildah then converted a disused cupboard under the stairs to house the washing machine and dryer. She also found a DIY solution to disguising the gap in floor levels from the study to the kitchen, decorating the step in découpage using paper napkins and wallpaper cuttings. ‘After painting the area, I used a make-up sponge to apply Mod Podge, a découpage acrylic sealer, to fix the paper to the step,’ she explains. ‘For a shiny finish I sealed it with polyurethane varnish.’

Hildah’s aim was to restore and showcase as many of the house’s original features as possible. ‘I decided not to replaster the fireplace hearths as I love their rustic quality,’ she says. ‘When we ripped out the vinyl kitchen floor we revealed original floorboards and I had all of the internal doors stripped and exposed back to pine.’

Hildah has created a welcoming dining area without breaking the bank by accessorising preloved furniture with cherished keepsakes. ‘I love the green cake tin, which I picked up from an antiques shop in Ohio, when I went to visit family,’ says Hildah. ‘The kitchen dresser came from a manor house. It was my best and biggest eBay buy – I had to arrange for it to be delivered and it nearly didn’t make it inside due to its massive size!’

As well as working on her laptop, Hildah also enjoys crafting at her desk. The solid oak desk was from an antiques emporium, while the green filing cabinet was a charity shop buy. A lampshade chandelier adds a fun, colourful touch, fitting for a creative workspace