Interiors

Spent more time than enough in your living room? Looking for some spruce-up inspiration?

Hayley and partner Gary decided to add a little drama to their living space!

We have lived in Maxey for almost six years now, first renting the house and then we were lucky enough to be able to buy it (yes, no moving on moving day – it was fabulous!). The house was built around 1990 and from the outside it looks quite inconspicuous, but actually it’s really quirky! When you enter it’s like a Tardis, with its rooms on different levels and a view right through the house out into the garden. It really did tick all of the boxes for us: log burner, large garage (for carpenter Gary’s workshop), enclosed garden, great dog walks, and the pub is less than 80 metres away – WINNER! It had been a rental for about six years, so whilst in really good order, the walls were magnolia and the carpets were equally as beige, really not our style, so we couldn’t wait to put our stamp on it. Renovations started upstairs, turning a five-

bedroom house into four doubles all with en-suites, and then the downstairs overhaul started in late 2019. Always ambitious, we tackled four rooms at once: dining room, lounge, hallway and down stairs loo… We said farewell to the 80s artexed ceilings (a momentous day). We got rid of the very impractical, almost white, carpets and we started to transform our house into our home. I love bringing drama to a room, and whilst most people are looking to have bright and light rooms, I wanted something dark and cosy and it really is the perfect room for snuggling up in the evenings with the log burner on. Throughout lockdown we had a push to finish the room and the end results, I am sure you will agree, look amazing – we love it! As a therapist, I started to see my clients in the lounge last summer, when restrictions were lifted, instead of my office, as we could social distance better in there, and they loved the relaxed feel of the room. We have one more room to do, the kitchen, and we started the rip-out on 3rd January. We decided to use this lockdown to finally finish our six-year project… And then, I am sure we will start all over again!

Walls: Organic Woodland by Valspar Curtains: Fabric: Lee Mill Fabrics Peacocks & Flowers https://www.leemillfabrics.co.uk/printed-velvet---curtains-soft-furnishingsfabric--peacocks--flowers-6914-p.asp?_=&variantid=6915&gclid=EAIaIQob ChMIt-2tpYPM7gIVl7PtCh1NBgWZEAQYASABEgK8BfD_BwE Maker: Made by Beck Sofas: Barnsbury Furniture, Soham Carpet: Charcoal https://www.onlinecarpets.co.uk/carpets.html Fitted by Chris Meadows https://www.facebook.com/accmflooring/ Lampshade: KPLP Designs Plants: https://www.bloomingartificial.co.uk/artificial-plants 30

Put the spring back into your step