From Drab to Fab: Tips for updating your home

Transforming your home from a basic, functional space to a stunning oasis is not just about aesthetics, it's about creating a retreat that reflects your style and meets your needs. A room makeover can breathe new life into your home, whether you're swapping out old fixtures, experimenting with bold wallpaper, or incorporating sleek, modern touches. It's an opportunity to turn a frequently used space into a sanctuary that combines comfort with design. In this blog, we will explore a variety of ways to elevate your home, offering tips to help you navigate your renovation journey from start to finish. Planning Your Home's New Aesthetic The foundation of any room makeover is a solid, well-thought-out plan. Taking on renovations without a clear vision can lead to disjointed designs and unnecessary expenses. Start by evaluating your current living space to identify what works and what doesn’t. Next, decide on the aesthetic and functional changes that align with your personal ......

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Home Improvement plans for 2023 - First the Skirting boards

*This post contains affiliate links My house is in serious need of some TLC, especially as the early years of parenting are now out of the way & putting travel before interiors but it's come to the point that I need to give my home a little attention and while I have practically not budget, after Christmas, I am planning to do what I can myself, starting with repainting every room so we can start the New Year feeling fresh.  My skirting boards are looking particularly unloved at the moment I'm not actually sure when they were last painted (it's got to be at least a decade I'm guessing). It can however be tricky to know what colour to paint your skirting boards  and some thought does need to go into it as it helps tie the room together. Do you leave them a natural wood colour? Or, perhaps you want them a nice simple white to match your doors and architrave. Then, of course, there is always the idea that you might want your skirting boards to stand out, be a feature o......

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5 ways to rejuvenate your home on a budget

*This post contains affiliate links If your home is looking a little worse for wear, it’s easy to feel down and want to move on from it completely. But, as the classic saying goes, don’t move, improve! You don’t have to break the bank to rejuvenate your home, and there’s a myriad of hacks out there for giving your home the new look it needs for less. Whether you want to go big and bust through a wall or start smaller with a simple coat of paint, here are 5 budget-friendly ways to refresh your home: Do up your door Your front door is one of the first things you or your guests see when arriving home, so why not make a lasting impression? A stylish front door can add instant kerb appeal to your home, and something as simple as a fresh coat of paint can work wonders. A good scrub, vigorous sanding, and tactful colour change will not only give your door the refresher it needs but also change the look of your home’s exterior. Thankfully, a tin of exterior paint can be as little as £20, so yo......

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Making the Most of a Smaller Space: Tips for Downsizers

*This post contains affiliate links With the price of energy, food and fuel starting to pinch, many are looking at ways to make their money go further. One common way to do this is to downsize your home, but this can cause a few problems if you’re not prepared to deal with having less space. When you downsize your home, it’s important to make the most of the smaller space you have, so with a little bit of effort, you can turn a cramped and cluttered house into a cosy and inviting home. Here are a few tips to help you make the most of your smaller space. Get clever with space-saving furniture A smaller home may not be suitable for larger items of furniture, so it’s important to invest in space-saving furniture instead. Look for pieces that serve multiple purposes, like a sofa that doubles as a guest bed or a coffee table with a shelf underneath. Folding dinner tables can also be handy – they fold out when you want a big family meal, but fold away when you’re not using them. If you’re sh......

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Gratitude List and Being Mindful

Every month or so I like to go back through my Instagram which works as a bit of a memory capsule of what we have done over the last couple of weeks and reflect on these moments. In the run up to Christmas I have felt like many very rushed, stressed and short on time, we made big plans for everything we want to do and sometimes just due to not having enough hours in the day those plans don't quite turn out how you would like. However in context to others who are facing real hardship at this time of the year, despite my own personal ups and downs it's really important to remind yourself of the small moments that have made up the month and be grateful for those times. Here is my little list of things I am currently really grateful as well as trying to seek some mindfulness in the festive rush 1.  Despite the sudden drop in temperature we have been making the most of each weekend and heaving out to some of our favourite places. This was taken at Dyffryn Gardens , a beauti......

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Weekend:In at the Chickenshed

At the end of last month I was lucky enough to be invited to come along to Weekend:In at a converted building called the Chicken Shed ,  situated among the rolling hills of Monmouthshire. I was really excited about going to this as I loved the idea behind this event which was all about bringing together a small number of influencers and local independent brands in a unique and intimate way over creative weekend full of activities, styling and workshops.  The event spanned two days with a few people staying the whole weekend but with many going to just either the Sat or Sun meaning. I had been following it on social media and had seen the Saturday involved a wreath making workshop which looked lovely and I wandered what we would be doing on the Sunday.  First I picked up fellow welsh blogger and friend Laura from Cardboard Cities and we made our way up through the Monmouthshire countryside to the most idyllic location. We arrived just in time ......

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5 small changes to rejuvenate your home

As most homeowners know big renovations cost a lot of money as well as planning and when your feeling like a change big is not always the way to go, in fact there are many budget friendly options to inject some life into your home and rejuvenate a space that may be looking a little tired or outdated. Most of these suggestions are also doable in terms of DIY even if you have never picked up a paintbrush before with some simple instructions you could discover you have a new talent as well as save money hiring professionals. Of course if your nervous or short of time getting a carpenter in or a painter may be the best foot forward but make sure you get a range of quotes to find the best price. 1. Declutter - It's so easy overtime to collect, accumulate and hold onto things that we don't actually need or hold that much of a purpose. When our spaces become cluttered so do our minds and often our own productivity can go down because of it. It's also hard to see ......

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10 Home Improvements you can do yourself

I love this well curated interior space, minimal clutter (image via cotswold ) When you're working on a budget and want to brighten up your home, hiring an expert may not always be the best option. Indeed, there are plenty of great improvements that you can make to your home without the need for any expert at all. Here are just 10 of them.  1. Re-arrange Yes, improving your home really could involve something as simple as re-arranging your furniture. Try freeing up more space by experimenting with the placement of different pieces. You should take care to open up as much space in the centre of a room as possible to avoid you or guests tripping. 2. Mirrors As simple as they seem, mirrors are a great way to improve the interior of your home, because they give the illusion of more space. They're also great at reflecting light to help illuminate your home. 3. Photographs Make your home unique to you. Photos of friends and family aren't just for frames on w......

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Redesigning our Living room starting with the Sofa

As some of you may already know we bought our current property as a bit of a project that needed some work done, before intending to sell, hopefully later this year. We have slowly been working through each room getting ready to put it on the market. Things have gone much slower than expected, mainly because having two small kids at home is not overly conducive for renovations. The picture above is our partially finished living room space, at this point, we had taken away the badly built-in shelves and terrible wooden surrounds and replaced them with more useful storage but otherwise, we have pretty much been making do as the living room didn't have too many issues to start with but now we are ready to get the paint out and get what we need to be done to finish this room. Firstly we will be painting the walls white instead of this slight off white shade, we are going to paint all the skirting boards, fix the fireplace surround, box in wires properly, get a carpenter in to bui......

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