Home Luxe!

I’ve talked extensively about the refurbishment of our relatively new build house and about how when we moved in I absolutely hated the decor including the floors. Bit by bit we have been changing every room and though we aren’t finished yet and still actually have a long way to go, the flooring is largely done (bar the kitchen but that’s another story) and a lot of the decoration too.

I have my dressing area on the next list for my hits and with dusky pink and gold touches to the walls I want lots of shelves and some of my more beautiful dresses and shoes on display like ornaments. It looks half finished as there is a beautiful 20s mirror hanging on a chain and the open wardrobe cove is built but the finishing touches are still to be created. I think that’s my downfall really, I get the bones done but the dressing gets left to the last minute.

I do have to get on it though as currently we will not be giving the baby a bedroom of its own (we have enough but since none of my children have even attempted sleeping in their own rooms until they’re at least two, it seems a waste of energy. So my large loft space is divided in the middle by a cot and nursery area with one side of it being my bedroom and the other the dressing room. I want definition of these spaces sorted in the next 12 weeks before the new arrival!

The bones, like I say, are done and hard wood and stone flooring dictate most of the house though for the stairs, hall, landing and a couple of the bedrooms it was going to have to be carpet all the way. A good quality carpet with a luxury underlay makes a world of difference when it comes to cosy and beautiful aesthetics in a room so we absolutely didn’t want to scrimp. I still love that 4 years on it feels like brand new underfoot and that’s why spending out a little bit more in the beginning can often pay dividends later on!

Carpets aren’t usually cheap purchases but there are ways to make them cost effective and choosing a company like Designer Carpet is a very good option. This Derbyshire based family run business specialise in high quality carpet remnants who use the most revered premium carpet companies in the country. This allows them to ensure the best prices to pass on those savings to their customers.

All of the remnants are in perfect condition, the only difference is that it is a stand-alone piece instead of a cut from a larger roll. This means that customers like you and me can get premium carpet for a fraction of the price of shopping elsewhere. They stock all of these pieces themselves and can deliver them much quicker than most flooring companies are able to as well so they are very attractive and another service I find myself rather keen on is the fact they can bespoke made-to-measure rugs using their rug maker on line. Now this is something we definitely need in our lives, the halls, stairs and landing might be done but it doesn’t half feel cold on the hard wood flooring, especially downstairs and in my dressing room. I just haven’t found the right one in any shops yet so this might be just the ticket!

I fancy something opulent for the dressing area like a velvet rug! Can you imagine a whole room with a velvet carpet? Oh that would be divine and maybe one day the bedroom might have to have a make-over but for now… A rug will be amazing!

Decorating houses when on a budget takes such a long time that by the time you’ve finished it’s ready to start all over again. Good job I enjoy it then isn’t it.

I’m envisaging lots of plants in the dressing room too, a pop of greens to contrast the dusky pinks and golds and I’ve lots of ideas which will be taking shape soon. It’s all got to be inexpensive and bargainous because we are still on a tight budget but I reckon I can do it!

I also want to install French doors in the living room which currently just has an open gap from there into the garden room. The garden room was an add on by the old occupiers and they clearly loved the open plan living but I feel it would be far more cosy and a much more usable room to have doors there. I would then have a sofa in front of them in the living room with a gap behind it. I’d like doors with a window to allow light in but it needs to be shut off to make these two separate spaces. Currently no one sits in the living room at all and I think if we did this then we absolutely would.

So, off to Pinterest I go for some more inspo!

FYI: My top brilliant places for inexpensive interiors are B&M, Notcutts, Poundland and I also really love picking pieces up in Sainsbury’s – their artificial plants are absolutely fab, look at this one in my downstairs loo which you’d never know was a fake!

Collaboration.