Bedroom 1

'We're going to white wash the entire house - can you fit us in before Christmas?!' We negotiated for our decorator to spend two weeks with us before Christmas white washing the entire house so we could bring a clean feel to the place.  Since this option quickly changed with the quest to find the perfect grey, we decided to choose colours/wallpaper for Bedroom No.1.

When we first saw the house, the room seemed very 'close'.  Aged green carpet, 70's panelled wall, satin striped wallpaper, sad windows and curtains and boarded doors.  Clearly the house was refurbed in the 70's.

Our intention wasn't to bring back the Victorian era but to certainly add some warmth and 
charm to the space.   First things first, get the carpet up, repair the flank wall and strip the boarded doors to reveal original 1930's doors. 

Next, rewire the bedroom as part of the entire house (plaster over the damaged areas) and invite the decorator to line the walls with thick lining paper....

Pre-lining paper and plasterer

Part lined

One wall fully lined and a sneak at one of the restored doors

Now for the decorating.  We started with a latte colour beige/brown called Mellow Mocha by Dulux for all the walls followed by a feature wall that captured the brown shade, and will be enhanced by our existing wood bedroom furniture and brown curtains. 

Next comes the feature wall... A wall of much debate - once the room is complete this wall will tie the room together. 

Tatiana Wallpaper in Soft Violet by Voyage

Finally, and this is far as we're going with the bedroom for now as we have so much else to do - here's the bedroom with our new blinds, new walls and new feature wall.

The Paint Pots

These paint pots nearly pushed us over the edge.  When we decided we wanted grey in the living room, it seemed very simple.  I had no idea that greys are available in all shades - there are green greys, slate greys, blue greys, lilac greys, brown greys, silver greys - and the list goes on.   In order to save our relationship, I had to make a decision today - although only 17 pots are shown here, I managed to buy approx 24 shades of grey.   To be fair,  we were going to have two tones of grey in the room at the start so this quantity is nearly justified.  

Most of the pots

The decision - Dove by Dulux - in a soft sheen base.  This wasn't off the shelf. This had to be made by the colour mixing machine so I hope we've bought enough for the room!! More pictures of the room to follow soon. 

Many shades of grey

Fireplace

Old gas fireplace

When we first saw the property, all we could say was 'yes, there is a fireplace.' Little did we know that fireplace designs, companies, layout and material is an art and a massive industry.  From log to coal to chimney breasts to combination fires, it has been full of discoveries. 


Whether we think this is a priority or not, we went ahead and chose the fireplace.  Mr V did the research so credit goes to him.  I'm now on a mission to match the room decor with the beautiful ivory and lilac ceramic tiles.


This is how the space has developed:

Dismantling the existing fireplace piece by piece

The cavity

And this is the result:

Boxes

Today we made the leap and moved our 'stuff' out of storage and into our house to attempt to make a home.

This may have been the lowest moment yet.  Every piece of furniture we own has been dented in some way.  Advice:  Choose a day with good weather to move...

Bedroom with dismantled wardrobe and bed

Devastation of the scratched bedstead

Devastation of the scratched bedstead 2

The House in the Snow

I couldn't resist sharing pictures of our house and garden under snow.  Thankfully most of the garden has been chopped down.  I can't imagine how cold it would have been working in the garden this week.  (For Mr V, anyway.)

The New Front Door

A new front door quickly became high on our priority list.  Firstly we needed a new door for security but secondly, all our neighbours have beautiful front doors and our poor door from the 70's was begging for attention.

Before

Now the builders have left, we needed to change the locks so it was a good time to embark on a door journey. We had no idea that doors could be so complicated and need so much attention.  From windows to handles, strength, weight and width.  And there are so many accessories to choose from.

E.L.F.S.B Tel: 0208 520 6473 on Lea Bridge Road

We found a little door shop that has been in business for nearly 30 years. (E.L.F.S.B Tel: 0208 520 6473) Once you enter the shop, there is a maze of doors and without help, we'd have been there all day. The service and advice was invaluable. They even offered a door fitter with the door.  Typically, the glass we chose wasn't readily available in the door we wanted.  It only took 5 days and here we are with a new shiny door waiting to be painted.  Eventually we'll have the entire front of the house painted and restored but this is much further down the priority list.  

New door with fittings

The Kitchen - Part 4

It's taken nearly 5 weeks but here we are - we have a room ready to be a kitchen.  This room has now been transformed from a tiny kitchen with a strange utility and WC into one square space. 

We've taken out 4 rotten windows and replaced 2 new windows.  We've closed up a door and opened another door on the side of the kitchen we wanted it to be.  We've moved waste pipes on the outside, we've dried out damp bricks, injected the walls with damp proofing.  We've discovered an unsupported chimney breast and re-supported it.  We've screeded the floor so it's all on one level and we've replaced the ceiling.  We've re-wired the room and re-piped the room with water and gas.


Once this plaster dries out, (these are the beige stripes where the joins are waiting to dry) this room will be one big white space - just waiting for a kitchen....

Kitchen to the right hand side with new window and door into the garden

Kitchen from the dining room doorway with window overlooking the garden

Spotlights in the new ceiling - plus temporary electric heaters