‘Animal prints make our home cosy’

W e l c o m e t o m y h o m e

A BIT ABOUT ME

I’m Natasha Turley, 33, a GP. I live with my husband, Patrick O’Halloran, 35, also a doctor, and our two boys, Alfred, three, and Walter, who is seven months old.

WHERE I LIVE

We live in a detached four-bedroom Victorian house in Bromsgrove, which we bought in March 2019. I share my renovation journey on Instagram @at_home_with_taddy.

WHAT I WANTED TO CHANGE

We moved in when I was pregnant, so my priority was creating a comfortable family home. As the original décor was fairly bland, it was easy to slowly add colour, pattern and accessories.

HOW I MADE IT MY OWN

We were on a budget from day one so apart from saving to re-do the bathroom, everything has either been upcycled, is second-hand or has been a DIY project, and paint has been my friend!

MY FAVOURITE PART

I love the kitchen. The transformation is amazing but there’s also something really special about knowing that I did it myself, and for only £800.

‘It took a while to find the perfect velvet dining chairs but these ones, from Duhome on Amazon, hit the mark as the covers are removable so easily washed and perfect for a family home. The table is from IKEA, the Graduate Collection Cheetah wallpaper is from Wallpaper Direct, and the black-and-white Berber-style rug was an Aldi Specialbuy’

Dining room

‘ The first thing I did was put up the cheetah wallpaper, which I bought before we even moved in. It was really expensive, but it set the tone for the rest of the house as I’ve used pops of teal and pink in most rooms. The patterned wall needed something to break it up so leaning the rattan screen, found in an antique shop, against the wall has added a bit of texture. The console table in the corner has been four colours since I first owned it and this version was a fairly impulsive makeover. I had some leftover paint and added gold spots using a stencil. It clashes a lot with the wallpaper, but I think it looks good! The Stay Wild plant holder is from Sainsbury’s Home and the wall mirror is from IKEA.’

M y s t o r y

We moved from our flat for more space as I was pregnant with Alfred, but I was also looking forward to creating our first family home. I fell in love with the double-fronted exterior before I even stepped through the door, then the elements of exposed brickwork and the blue log-burner cinched the deal.

Moving-in day was stressful as I was heavily pregnant, and Patrick was away working in Russia. As I walked through the door, I spotted a leak in the dining room coming from the bathroom. I didn’t know any local plumbers, so I went on Google and thankfully managed to find someone to come out, but in fixing the drip he smashed the bath, which gave me an excuse to re-do the whole room. I chose a pink-and-black scheme, which I continued when we came to update the kitchen.

I really wanted the space to reflect my personality, so I added my own twist by decorating with fun paint effects and colourful patterned wallpaper. I also added panelling to the bedrooms and upcycled most of the furniture, incorporating quirky accessories inspired by my love of leopard print.

I’ve tried not to overthink my décor decisions, as the most important thing was to create a relaxing space. Sometimes I think nothing matches, but when I look around it seems to work, and it feels extra special as I’ve done nearly everything myself.

style idea U s e t h e t o p o f k i t c h e n c a b i n e t s f o r e x t r a s t o r a g e o r a s a d i s p l a y s p a c e STEAL MY STYLE

Get Natasha’s fun-packed home style with these buys

Flamingo head wall decoration, £49, La Redoute

Capri curved table lamp, £40, B&Q

L I V E N U P Y O U R W A L L S W I T H H E C T O R T H E F L A M I N G O !

Windsor velvet footstool, £39.99 Homescapes

‘White tiles complement the pink units and my accessories shine against them. The kettle is from Dunelm, the marble chopping board is from Aldi and the black-and-white storage canisters are from John Lewis’

Kitchen

‘I wanted to update the ugly brown kitchen cabinets from day one, but we couldn’t afford a complete renovation. Although I tiled the splashback with leftover tiles from the bathroom reno, the room still didn’t work for me. Then I spotted a post on Instagram talking about the benefits of painting kitchen cupboards and when I looked into it, I came across Rust-Oleum’s Pink Champagne paint and knew it would look perfect. It felt like the job took forever as I did it in stages, only taking a few doors off at a time, so we had a half-painted kitchen for about three months. But it was worth it as it feels like I have a completely new kitchen, but it only cost hundreds of pounds, rather than thousands. The ANYDAY metal bar stools are from John Lewis, the pink pendant lights are from Jack Stonehouse and the black handles on the cabinet doors are from Amazon.'

‘Painting the units was a real labour of love, but for a total makeover cost of £800, it was worth it. The pink toaster is from Dunelm and the teapot is from Pip Studio’

‘Adding the colour-block effect behind the gallery wall has really made a feature of my memory display. It’s made up of special items, like the baby footprints and treasured family photos’

Living room

‘My priority was to create a cosy family home so although the previous owners had their dining table here, for me it felt far more natural to place our sofa opposite the log burner. I kept the original soft beige wall colour but I wanted some flow from the dining area so I chose Teal Tension by Dulux for above the picture rail and the chimney breast. I made a bigger feature of the original brick fireplace by rubbing some silver and gold leaf onto the inside and now, with all its gilt accessories, the room positively glows when the fire is lit! There’s lots of display space in this room, and although I’m not sure I really know how to style a shelf, I just do my own thing, adding lots of animal motifs and gold ornaments.’

I wanted the space to reflect my personality, so I added my own twist by decorating with fun paint effects and patterned wallpaper

‘The decorative wall fan, from La Redoute, wouldn’t naturally be paired with exotic animal prints but it works. I get most of my cushions from Homesense and move them around my home when I fancy a change’

How to paint scallops around a shelf

Highlight a display space above your bed with this simple but stylish trick

Choose your wall colour and paint your display shelf in a contrasting shade then leave to fully dry. Decide how low you want the bottom of your design and, using a spirit level to guide you, draw a straight pencil line along the width of the bed frame, leaving space to add the scallop shape below, which will be added after. Press lightly with your pencil so that the marks don't show through.

Decide how high you want your design then find the central spot and mark it. Again, leaving space for the scallops, use this measurement to draw a very light semicircle to the edges of your base line. You should now have a half circle shape above the bed.

Choose the size of your scallop shapes and draw them out following the semicircle to guide you. Using a small plate, cup or cardboard cut-out will help. Carefully paint your design up to the pencil line; it’s usually easiest to paint the scallops first and then fill in the rest of the wall. Once dry, paint a second coat and leave to dry.

Using a spirit level, mark and drill holes onto your painted design the height you want your shelf to be and attach it to the wall.

Master bedroom

‘ The Emma J Shipley wallpaper was the starting point in here. Although most people decorate behind the bed, I wanted to be able to see it when I wake up, so I hung it along the side wall. The back of the bed then felt too plain, so I decided to do a paint effect. I kept seeing scallops as a popular motif so thought I’d give it a go. I grabbed some leftover paint and masking tape and started with my own design onto the wall. I peeled some paint off when I was removing the tape, so as a quick fix I continued the design along the bottom.’

make this

upcycled side table p34

‘We had the bespoke wardrobes installed as soon as we moved in, and I specifically chose a traditional design to complement the style of the house. The fitted wardrobes are from Hammonds and the mirror above the fireplace was part of the homemade decorations at our wedding’ ‘The side table was the first piece of furniture my granddad ever made, so it's a really special piece. I painted it and découpaged the door fronts. The bedside lamp and duvet cover are from B&M and the pillows are from H&M’

‘I bought the IKEA bed with an eye on future-proofing Alfred’s room as it can turn over and convert into a high bed. The leopard came from a car boot sale and the giraffe is from B&M. Leopold the Lion rug is from Sew Heart Felt’

Alfred’s bedroom

‘I wanted to learn how to panel and thought it would work well in here, so I bought pieces of pre-cut wood from Homebase and my dad and granddad helped me attach it. I happily accept that I’m not a perfectionist and I didn’t want to cut the wood more times than necessary, so the height of the panelling was designed around the lengths the wood came in. Then I simply glued it on, with a few nails to help as none of the walls are straight in the house. The fun Lust Home wallpaper went up next and I wanted to pick out a colour for the panelling to complement it. I chose Tapestry Green by Craig & Rose, which feels calm and looks classic.’

‘ This was the one room that needed a complete reno and when designing it we realised the original space planning was pretty good, so no plumbing needed moving, which saved a fortune. The statement flamingo wallpaper was the starting point and next came the pink tiles, though I made a mistake and over-ordered but we used the leftovers in the kitchen. I love the pattern clash of wallpaper and black-andwhite tiles and although I chose the black hardware to complement the black beaks of the flamingos, it does add cohesion to the space. To make a feature of the quirky original alcove, I painted a strip black to add definition.’

Replacing the pedestal basin with the vanity unit from IKEA has upped the ante in terms of storage. The Albany Flamingos wallpaper is from Wallpaper Direct, and the tiles are from Tile Mountain’

‘I’ve always been drawn to bold prints and bright colours and I love the way the wallpaper clashes against the tiles. The bathroom fixtures and fittings are from Victorian Plumbing and Victoria Plum’

W h a t I l e a r n e d

I don’t want to worry about the children breaking things so nothing in our home is expensive, which has helped to create a more relaxed space.

It’s always worth giving DIY a go. Chances are, if you take your time and do the research, you can do just as good a job as a professional, and even if it’s a bit wonky, it’s special because you made it wonky.

I don’t consider myself particularly mindful about cohesion when designing rooms, but when I look around, I see lots of teals, pinks and pops of gold, so maybe it is more natural than I think.