The end of last year was busy with our first renovation. We got the keys early November, and have been renovating the house since then. It is still a work in progress for most of the rooms, but the room we wanted to finish first was the living room. That's the space we spend most of our time in, and we wanted to make it cosy and ready as quick as possible. This is what happened in the living room!
What did we start with?
The house was full of colours, full of different materials, but in very good condition. This is the opportunity to have a completely new colour scheme, and have a fresh start. The house is pretty much what I would call a "Rental Property Starter Pack", if you know what I mean. Lack of any exciting features, magnolia walls and beige carpet all over the house, vinyl floors in the kitchen and bathroom, white bulky light switches and brass door handles. What this house needs is character!
Statement wall
One of our strong design choices for the living room was to have a statement wall, which would be the first thing you see when you walk in the room. A deep blue wall. Something to catch your eye straight away. We chose Hicks Blue from the Little Greene Company, matched with Bone China Blue on the doors. Both blues have grey tones which makes them perfectly complementary. Having a dark statement wall in the living room brings the bold contrast the room needed, as all the other walls are white. This wall makes an impact!
New floor for a fresh start
I am not a huge carpet lover, especially in the living room. The existing carpet had seen better days, and it was time to change it! We decided to go for a laminate wood floor from Homebase instead. Wood floors are well-known to create a cosy and warm space, and it fits perfectly with the style we are going for! We chose a textured laminate to give a natural feel to it and the Honey Oak colour is very warm without being too dark. Exactly what we were looking for! Matt is not a good DIY person, but luckily his dad is, and he fitted the floors in the whole house for us!
Natural scheme
Instead of adding other colours that would clash with the statement wall, we decided to stay very natural with the decor. A burnt orange cushion from Elley Home on the couch, different baskets as storage and an off-white rug from La Redoute. On top of that, we have a lot of greenery with many different plants all over the room! Our biggest pride is our Monstera, which is now a proper monster.. do they ever stop growing? My favourite item in the room is the Demi John we bought from a vintage seller in Ely Market on a Saturday. I can't wait for the second hand shops and vintage stands to be able to open again! The furniture will slowly change into a mid-century style, but it's a long hunt to find the exact piece we are looking for! To be continued..
Focus on the details
To bring more character to the room - and stop the "Rental style" of the house - we chose to add touches of black. New door handles from Screwfix (a bargain!) and new light switches and sockets from Dowsing&Reynolds installed by our electrician. You might think that these are only small details, but in fact these are what upgrades the house to a new level. More character. More things to focus on. Details matter.
As I said above, the house is still a work in progress and some rooms still need a lot of work to be fully functional. I love the process of renovating, doing things myself and more than anything, I love seeing how the house gets different after every single change we make! More reveals to come..