Showing all posts tagged project

In Interior Design

Something Special Upstairs

Author Nicki CawoodPosted on

As most of you will already know, I work from home full-time. Our three-bed house is beautiful, it is old, it is big and yet I really could do with a much better space for my home office. Somewhere bright, airy, with lots of natural light and somewhere that no-one else uses, visits or invades with their stuff. Our house is a terraced house and a very good sized one however what our property lacks that many down the terrace don’t is a converted space up top with special roof windows to let in enough light/air.

I need lots of natural light to work.

My dream is to renovate the attic (currently, we have a big skylight high up in the landing which shows the potential light and space-wise but offers neither. In an ideal world, we would most definitely build up!

My interior design (dream) plan of action would be to:

  • Open the space up with stairs or a groovy (sturdy) ladder solution that could be pulled up or a door that could be closed off so that I really could close myself off to the world.
  • I would install Solstro roof windows for light/shade, air and warmth (I had an attic room growing up which was fab but tended to veer between baking hot or blooming freezing and so having great windows is a must).
  • I would decorate in grey and white and yellow (touches of grey) and it would be all for me.
  • Despite it being chic and new and shiny I would have soft furnishings up there to soften things up and a sofa that I could curl up on and read (when not working).
  • I’d love an old desk, something vintage.
  • I would find oxygen boosting plants that I won’t kill (I kill all our plants).
  • I’d love a chair like this one from Pinterest! It says a lot that I have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to my fantasy new office…..

Basically, I want to build my own den-house!

Now all I need to do is save many thousands of pounds, educate myself on converting attic spaces and all the regulations and planning permissions that go with them, save some more money and then spend blissful days buying preloved furnishings and making it my own.

In the meantime, (back in the real world), it’s back to Pinterest for me to research more attic conversion designs and furnishings!

 

In Interior Design

The Interior Design Bug!

Author Nicki CawoodPosted on 9 Comments

Since falling madly in love with Karen from the White Approach (and AllAboutTheBoys), I’ve been on a bit of a mission to modernise and redesign my home. So far so good. At the moment my main focus is downstairs. If you read my previous post about this you’ll see I’d already started by putting decorative window film in and what a difference!!

The design spurt took a bit of a back seat but my reason stint as a Harvey’s Furniture tester (read here) has changed that and much to Roy’s dismay (every time he comes home something has moved :p ), I’m back on the ball. Now I do not have a DIY SOS budget so it’s a case of little by little but it’s amazing what little changes can make to a room!

I love the new Alexis coffee and lamp table from Harveys, the colour lifts the room but it also had the unfortunate effect of making me realise that other items need updating. The biggie was the desk!

A lovely old desk, great storage.. but sadly now past it’s best and the wrong colour.

Ideally we’d have got a new desk from the Alexis range but they didn’t do one so it was a case of finding one that matched! We came up trumps at Argos funny enough with this very simple desk. Roy used some spare wood and the runners etc from the old desk to make a keyboard and mouse section and we’ve fitted it in into the alcove. WHAT a difference! The room looks neater, and definitely bigger!

Next up, my mantle piece. The lovely Karen sent me this lovely piece for a focal point and my next challenge will be scouring the car boots and charity shops for unique bits and pieces that take my eye to “build” a mantle that looks much more interesting and less scarily symmetrical than this one does now.

At some point I need a new more neutral suite (burnt orange can limit how you dress a room lol), though finding a 3 seater and a 1 seater, rather than a 3+2 or a 3 piece suite isn’t easy, and also a new TV unit that will fit in with the rest of the room. Then some new art and this room is done. It’s amazing how simple additions and changes can make a room look completely different (thank you Karen & Harveys!). For too long it’s been a functional room, but bit by bit I’m going to turn it into one that reflects us more as a family and really have it as a room we want to show off.

And then (shh don’t tell Roy..), the KITCHEN!

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