HAPPY NEW YE… oh. It’s February? How dat happen??
The start of the year usually drags its heels, but somehow this one is running away from me. That’s not to say I haven’t been busy. I’ve been spending a lot of time planning out and prioritising what needs to be done this year: and of course, some things that I actually want to do this year. One keyword links it all… change.
Don’t worry, I’m not into the ‘new year, new me’ thing… these are changes that WILL be happening.
Interior Update: But What’s Changing?
The answer to this question, is ‘pretty much everything.’ It doesn’t take long for me to get an itchy paintbrush when it comes to decorating and it seems that 2-3 years is my limit when it comes to resisting change. This year will see the kitchen/dining room/third bedroom extension happen (see it here). It has to. We are running out of time to start and I’m running out of patience with myself. Money was the big issue… now it’s the thought of starting. It will happen, because it has to. Will we survive? Will one of us end up buried in the foundations?? Stay tuned…
Logic isn’t a word I’m too keen on when it comes to decorating. If an idea gets into my head, then I need to see it through immediately….even if we are about to rip the rest of the house to bits. Since taking down the Christmas decorations, I have had an urge to redecorate. I thought that a wee change of the accessories may ‘appease the hungry wolf’ but alas, no. I want change and I want it BIG. Don’t get me wrong, I still love the dark walls in the living room and I have no doubt that ‘Whistling Whipoorwill’ will be a colour that I’ll use again someday… but the time has come for change. Also, I’m an interiors blogger. It’s what you guys want too, right? (nod and say yes).
See Brian, they do! That means you should too…
Not only do I want to change the living room, but I have plans for the main bedroom too. On one hand, I love the grey/brown (French Pavilion by Valspar UK), whilst on the other, I’m fed up with it. I feel that I want something fresher and brighter. As I said about the living room, it’s not that I am done with dark, I just like change. I’ve been brewing a plan for a new upholstered headboard DIY for a while, and I think it’s had a knock-on effect for the whole room. I’m actually quite excited for the ‘official’ planning stage. It’s been a while since I’ve had my pens out!
Also, I’m a massive hoarder of pretty things, and I’ve found that opting for deeper colour has limited my ability to change up my accessories. I have loads of charity shop glass, bought over the years, that just gets lost against a dark backdrop. Going lighter will give me the option to dust down my nick-nacks and put them on display (ooh-er).
What About The Blog?…
Last year saw me blogging a lot less than I wanted to. This year I’m hoping to change that. Okay…I haven’t got off to a great start, but I have some ideas for posts that have been inspired by some of my ‘frequently asked questions’ and some to help you get started on your own design journey. I think there will be a lot more in the way of progress posts and decision-making as this is the year of the big build. It may not make for pretty posts, but I promise to intersperse with some interior eye-candy. Oh yeah… and you may actually get to see the shed reveal. Haha!
During this ‘interior update’, you may have noticed that I’ve interspersed my rambling with some up-to-date pics of the house. I share a lot on Instagram, but realised that many of you may not have seen some of the little updates that has been made over the course of the last year. If, like me, you love a bargain, then take note of the living room rug… a charity shop steal at £25!! I’ll be hard pushed to get a bargain like that again… but I’ll try!
Hi,
I really enjoyed your blog post. Thought you did a fantastic job redecorating your front room. I look forward to reading more interior design ideas from your blog.
All the best,
Emma from ironmongeryexperts.co.uk
Very beautiful interior design! Looking forward to more from you.
Hi Malcolm, I notice that youve swapped the ethanol fire tray for a decorative piece; was that more down to looks or did you find that the ethanol tray didnt work so well as an actual fire? I heard that some of them can put out about 2kw heat so not too bad a contributor to heating, but some of the flames look weak and not really even as decorative as a real fire or a gas fire flame. It would be good to know your experience with it as I was inspired by yours and the cost saving element of not replacing my gas fire and ripped my ugly fire out and capped the gas off and then got distracted by other jobs and had to put an MDF painted panel over the mess temporarily! If you havent found it works well I might reconsider fitting a new gas one when I get to it!
Hi Clare,
We hardly ever used the bio ethanol fire, maybe only a couple of times a year. It kicked out a good heat but you’d only get a few hours. I really wanted something a bit more traditional looking too. If I was going to do it all over again, I think I would get a gas fire installed instead.
Hope this helps.