Coming from a small flat where our Queen bed basically touched the walls on both sides, just the idea of having more space to utilise in the bedroom felt like a dream. And the dream was going to be reality: the primary bedroom in the new house not only fit a Super King bed, but also had room to spare.

When we viewed the house, this was what the primary bedroom looked like:

You can get a sense of the space I’m talking about, but obviously the room itself was in need of a lot of love and care.

The vibe I wanted to go for was cosy, inviting, and feminine, heavy emphasis on the cosy. It also needed to be a place where I could relax beyond sleeping, so I was really keen to get a TV unit in there.

One thing it didn’t need to do was be a place for storage. The existing bedroom had tons of cupboards lining one wall, but because we had renovated one of the other bedrooms into a walk-in wardrobe, we just didn’t need a lot of storage in there.

This is how the bedroom turned out:

I went for a simple white colour scheme, with pops of pink and gold accents to give a feminine feel. The cosiness came from the textures we used – the Gubi Pacha lounge chair is the softest sheepskin, as well as the brand new carpet that feels so luxurious through your toes!

The media unit was a big element of the new room, as I love nothing more than curling up in bed and watching something. It also gave an opportunity to add some visual interest through the open shelving, and a overspill for my bag collection:

One last detail to highlight is some of the artwork that we added, with those lovely gold details, bringing more of the feminine feel into the room.

I’m so so so happy with how this turned out. It’s perfectly functional for my needs but emphasises cosiness and femininity above all. A huge improvement on what was there already, if I do say myself!

The existing utility room when we moved in was a little sad, and definitely did not utilise the space as well as it could.

The space could have fitted a lot more storage than it did, the storage that was there was pretty challenging to use everyday (think very deep, very high cupboards), and there was a wall that sliced the small space down the middle, really restricting options and taking up precious room.

When I was thinking about how to renovate this space, there were a few considerations that absolutely had to be taken into account:

• We needed to maximise storage space as much as possible. There was a LOT that needed to fit in here, from all of Zola’s food, treats, medicines to storage for our everyday household essentials.
• We needed a fairly large sink. As the utility room is right next to the front door, I was imagining that it would be a great place to be able to wash Zola’s paws after a muddy walk. So I wanted a sink that she could comfortable stand and turn around in, as well as a sink with one of those taps that come out and extend quite far for easy washing!
• We should re-use leftovers from our Bathroom reno, where possible. Because we had recently renovated our bathroom, we had a few items unexpectedly left over, like the beautiful Porcelanosa tiles. We wanted to make sure that we weren’t wasting any of this and so this informed some of our decision making.
• More plug points please! The existing utility room had very few plug points, whereas the new one would need quite a few to be fit for purpose.

After I had designed the optimal layout in conjunction with our supplier, work could begin! The first things to do were get rid of the wall and completely rip out everything in the room!

It was so good to see the true size of the room without that damn wall in the middle (and every little helps!!)

Now, all the new wiring and plumbing could go in, and then of course, the room started to take shape as the units began arriving!

Getting the main unit carcasses in was another really exciting moment, because at this point you really do get a true sense of how the room will be coming together.

The work overall didn’t take too long because the room is pretty small, so it felt like a hop, skip and a jump before the room was *nearly* complete, with the floors in, the tiling on the walls, and all the units in place!

The very last thing to get done was the electricals, including our amazing electric laundry rack on the ceiling. This was the final result:

I couldn’t be happier with how we have utilised the space, and its working so well to extend our storage capabilities on the ground floor. I’m also extra pleased with the extra wide sink for Zola to splash around in, and the fact that I now have a candle cupboard!!

Every time I use this room, I get a little buzz of excitement thinking about how we have transformed the utility of this space (no pun intended!). Here’s to many more years of organisation, storage, and clean paws!

To make it feel special, I hired in a bartender for the evening to serve both signature and classic cocktails, and I also had the evening catered so that people had a great savoury and sweet selection of yummy things.

I had THE BEST time celebrating with friends and family and couldn’t have asked for a better birthday to set the tone for the year to come.

Here are some photos of the night!

These are a couple of pics of the space that I took on our very first viewing of the home:

Because there was already another living room area on the ground floor, my head started spinning when we initially visited the house about what we could use this very large room for.

It was really a no-brainer for us to think about this space as a entertainment zone of sorts. It was big enough to think about having separate seating, dining areas as well as a bar. The great think about converting this into an entertainment space is that the room has sliding doors out into the garden so that if it was summer we can extend the entertainment zone into the outdoors as well.

The first step of renovating this space was attacking the walls. We painted them a deep purple to bring both a cosy vibe to the room but also something that wouldn’t be out of place in a bar or club.

The next big step was replacing the floor. It originally had this orangey carpet that did not fit the vision I had for the space.

Instead, I wanted to go for something that would both be practical but also not out of a place in a bar. I landed on micro-cement as an easily cleanable but fantastic looking statement.

To install micro-cement, there are multiple steps that need to happen. First, of course, the existing carpet had to come up, both on the main floor and also on the stairway up to the ground floor which would also be done in micro-cement.

Once the carpet was up, we saw how many cracks were in the floor, which had to get smoothed out.

We also had the carpenter make some adjustments to the stairs while the wood was exposed. We wanted them to have a sleeker look, so the carpenter removed the lip of each stair so that they would look much more modern.

Once all the prep work was done, the real work could begin! Micro-cement has to be applied in layers, which is painstaking work! Each layer was applied to the whole floor and stairs, then we waited for it to dry, and then another layer was applied again. I think we applied 4 or 5 layers!

Although the process took a while, the end result was definitely worth it, and it looked exactly how I pictured it in my head. Here is how the floors turned out:

Once the floors were applied, we could get started installing the bar, which actually only took two days from start to finish (though the design stage took multiple months including multiple iterations).

So, there’s still a fair bit to do before I would consider the bar finished finished! Some stuff we still need to do to get the bar fully complete:

• Figure out what lighting we want to have above the bar (right now its a very attractive single, swinging lightbulb ha!)
• Figure out what artwork we might want on the wall next to the bar
• Get some bar stools!

But, honestly, its perfect for now, and those details can come as and when! Here’s a little look at what it looks like right now as a full room:

Whilst everything technically worked, we struggled with it aesthetically as well as functionally.

Here’s what we were working with:

The all-white look and those tiles were giving hospital vibes. We wanted to strip it back to a more cool, minimal vibe, and change some key things like remove the bath and replace with a walk-in shower, and to include a double sink.

This time, we didn’t rely on any designer except ourselves. We worked on configurations that we thought could work, and aside from some advice from our bathroom fitter and from the salesperson in Porcelanosa where we bought our fixtures and fittings, the vision for this bathroom came from us. I’m particularly proud of the transformation because of this!

The first step for the fitters was to gut the old bathroom – everything must go!

Once everything has been removed, the work started to construct the new carcass of our bathroom.

We had wanted to include inset shelving and an inset radiator which required our fitters to build out the walls a bit. They also had to plaster where the walls would be uncovered, as well as sort out all the key plumbing bits, aka make the right pipes end up in the right places!

This was all super cool to watch change from day to day as everything took shape:

Once the shape was in, the next step was for the tiler to do his thing. We had chosen two different tiles for the bathroom – one to cover the bulk of the walls and the floor, and a ‘feature tile’ to add a bit of interest to all of the inset areas as well as behind the sink + mirror.

Once all the tiles were in, it really looked like our bathroom was nearly there and it became so much easier to picture what we were creating.

After the tiles went on, it was time to finally get the fixtures and fittings on!

We had gone for a monochrome look with these – everything was white or black, with grey being reserved for the tiles.

Seeing pieces like the toilet, shower, sink actually finally go in was so great. By this time, it had been months and months since we picked everything out in the showroom, so it was great to be finally reminded about what we had chosen and to sensecheck that everything was actually going to go together as we wanted.

After everything had been hooked up and properly installed, it was time to get the details looking right! I had spent a bunch of time sourcing and choosing the little details that really make the space sing:

And with that, the bathroom was finished! I’m so proud of how this bathroom turned out, and the mega transformation that we were able to achieve.

Here are some pics of the space altogether:

Here’s to many years of enjoyment!

The best thing that this bedroom had going for it was its size – it would spaciously accommodate a double or queen sized bed as well as other furniture. Like the other rooms, it also had a beautiful floor to ceiling large window as well as some inbuilt cupboard space.

But, like the other rooms, it was severely in need of TLC. We also didn’t need to use it as a bedroom, so our options were wide open.

One of our biggest pain points in the flat had been storage for our clothes, shoes and accessories. We had been sharing two double cupboards between us for everything we owned, and it was a mess. The lack of space meant that we were cramming clothes, shoes, bags in a tightly as possible and it was really difficult to see what things you even owned. We also ended up packing a bunch of things away in storage, because there was literally no space.

Moving to this home, we both agreed that we wanted to make space for our belongings to shine, and to be stored correctly. The more we discussed this room, the more it felt like a no-brainer that we should convert it into a walk-in wardrobe/dressing room.

I especially wanted this room to also accommodate my cosmetics collection and be a space where I could do my spa sessions and get ready in peace.

So, we did some research and found Neatsmith, a bespoke wardrobe designer and installer, who would be able to advise on the best layout and configuration, supply and install our new room.

Our consultant, Hannah, came round to take measurements and properly see the space. We excitedly waited for her to come back with some thoughts of what the space could be transformed into.

We met Hannah in the Neatsmith showroom to go over the initial plans she had created. This was both to give feedback on her ideas, but would also give us an opportunity to inspect the actual different materials, finishings, and options that Neatsmith offered for their wardrobes.

On that visit, we aligned on the ideal configuration that would work for us in the space (including debating things like how many shelves, how much full-length storage, what should the inside of drawers look like), as well as picked what we thought would be the best finishing and colour options.

Hannah then went away to produce 3D renders so we could completely visualise what the space would look like. Here are the renders:

We absolutely loved where we had got to with these renders. I especially loved the dressing table by the window, where natural light could flood in as I was getting ready. I also loved the open shelving by the door that would be great for things like handbag storage.

We were also really excited about our finishings. Behind the open shelving in the middle of the room, we had chosen a textured mirrored backing, which would make the space feel bigger. We also really liked the silver textured frontage for the shelves, and the LED lights we chose for extra mood lighting.

The next step was to give Neatsmith the okay and to book in when our installation would happen. The lead time for Neatsmith to produce the materials was not actually as long as I thought it would have been, only around 8 weeks.

Finally, the week of installation arrived. The two nicest, most polite fitters arrived to do the work. These guys were top tier fitters – super quiet, polite, and very very clean – at the end of every day everything was cleaned and as pristine as an in-progress install could be.

Here are some shots of the in-progress install:

At the end of the week, as promised, the build was complete and our new wardrobes and dressing area was installed.

Here are some shots of the room at the end of the week, before we put any of the finishing touches to the room and before our stuff actually went in!

We are so excited about this room’s transformation into a room of real utility. There are still a bunch of finishing touches needed though to make its transformation complete, namely:

• The yellow walls need to be painted over. This will be happening in the next month or two when our decorator comes back.
• We need a blind so that the neighbours can’t see in when we are getting changed
• We need to find a beautiful new light fitting
• We need to change the carpet

I’ll be making a new post showing the finished walk-in wardrobe with stuff inside, when at least a couple of the above changes are also completed!

Here is what the kitchen used to look like:

My biggest aesthetic pet peeves were the flooring, which actually continued on all the way through to the living space, the dated wooden cupboards, and the dark colour of the tiles and countertops.

My biggest layout issues were that there was no space for a wide American-style fridge, a lack of accessible storage, and no pantry.

We used Wren Kitchens because of their very generous 7 year interest free payment option, freeing up funds for other renovation work we wanted to do. Dominika, our Wren consultant, worked with us remotely to design the layout and configuration to our specification, and provided 3D visualisations of the space so we could “see” it for ourselves before committing. She also sent us samples of all the materials in the post. Through these consultations and renders, we finally aligned on the colours, materials and layout that we wanted.

Another benefit of going through Wren was that they were able to recommend kitchen fitters who are used to working with Wren kitchens. They provided us with the name of a kitchen fitter in our are who they highly recommended, and we arranged for him to come and do a site visit.

Although the kitchen installation cost in included in what we pay to Wren, we were able to negotiate for the kitchen fitter to also do some extra work that Wren were not involved with, for an additional fee. For example, we wanted to replace the flooring from the kitchen all the way through to the dining room and into the lounge. We also wanted the same space to be repainted. With all of that agreed, the only thing to do was to wait for our kitchen to be delivered and for the work to begin!

Mid May (and only 2 weeks after we had completed), our installation began! First up was completely gutting the existing kitchen and taking up all of the old flooring. We also had some heavy wooden doors that separated the dining area from the living room, and the fitters also removed these to make it one big open plan space.

It was crazy to watch the entire kitchen and flooring disappear in just one day! I was so excited because this also marked the first big renovation that our new home would undergo.

After everything had been removed, the next step was to start installing the new kitchen that Wren were delivering. Again, I was so impressed with the speed at which cabinetry started to go up and appliances started to slot in place. It wasn’t long before the new kitchen really began to take shape.

There was also a bunch of plastering work that needed to happen to smooth out the walls where cabinets had previously been fixed but that now wouldn’t be completed covered. This work was due in part to my desire not to just simply have top to toe cabinetry as there was before, but to break this up with open shelving, and a standalone extractor fan.

At the same time as cabinetry started to go in, there was also work happening to lay the new flooring. I was really keen to have a lighter floor, as I felt that the darker wood on the floor made the space feel smaller and heavy. We went for a light grey herringbone engineered wood.

The flooring beginning to be installed was a great milestone as it became really clear how everything was going to work together – particularly the grey floor against the darker grey of the cabinetry.

Once the plastering had all dried, and all the cabinets were up, the next big milestone was getting the Quartz countertops measured and delivered, as well as actually getting all of the smaller things done, like appliances being hooked up, plug point covers being installed.

Waiting for quartz countertops added another 2 weeks onto the kitchen being fully complete, but finally, 6 weeks after we began, the kitchen was complete, and our house was blissfully quiet (for a short period anyway!)

Here is the finished product – both the kitchen and the finished flooring in the dining area and lounge. I couldn’t be happier with the finished product and am so excited to use this kitchen for many years to come!

The house had been lived in by only one other family for decades, so, whilst it was definitely livable and able to be moved into from day one, there are a million things we want to do to the property to bring it up to date and in keeping with our aesthetic.

Here are some pics from our very first viewing of the place, which should give a flavour of what we will be working with:

I’m so excited to go on a journey of home renovation and interior design. I think this house is going to be my all-consuming obsession for the next decade, and I can’t wait to make it our own!

Here are a couple more photos from our move-in day!

Join me over the next few months as we embark on the first wave of renovation work: completely gutting and redoing the kitchen and the family bathroom!

In preparation for New Years. I’ve been looking back through my camera roll to remind myself of the good bits amongst the neverending lockdowns, lack of human contact and stress + uncertainty. And actually, there’s a lot of stuff that happened in 2020 that I really don’t want to ever forget! So, I’ll be sharing some of my favourite memories in various categories in this post – the categories are: Food, Home Upgrades, Days Out, Lulu, and Zola!

Lets go:

Top Five…2020 Foods

A huge thank you to all the restaurants and hotel staff that worked so hard this year to make it possible for us all to have a few moments of joy and normalcy in 2020. Here’s my top five favourite foodie moments of the year, in no particular order:

1. Dinner at Core by Clare Smyth – We were very lucky to get to visit Core in August when it had just reopened. Not only did we get to sit at the chefs table which was a true experience, but this lobster, celery and spelt dish is one of the most exquisite things I’ve ever seen, and one of the most delicious things I’ve ever eaten.

2. The Hawksmoor at Home box – We ordered this at some point during lockdown where there was no end in sight and we were badly craving a meal from one of our favourite restaurants. Luckily, Hawksmoor came to the rescue by providing these at home kits which replicate the entire experience!

3. Breakfast at Ikos Resorts, Greece – We were SO FORTUNATE to make it to Ikos in Greece in September and I treasured every single meal there. It was hard to pick a single one for this post but in the end I chose one of the incredible breakfast spreads as I am OBSESSED with breakfasts like these!

4. The Bricklayers Arms – Once lockdown was lifted (the first time ), one of the first places we went to was a nearby gastropub, the Bricklayers Arms. I had THE NICEST duck dish I’ve ever tasted, made all the better just by the fact that we were out again, with actual people around us.

5. Afternoon tea at the Grove hotel – In October, we spent a night at The Grove Hotel just outside of London to belatedly celebrate our birthdays. A highlight of our stay for me was this beautiful afternoon tea which I actually think is my favourite afternoon tea ever! My favourite thing was the passion fruit meringue choux

Top Five… Lockdown Home Upgrades

As lockdown continued and we were all spending more and more time at home, there were various improvements to our home life that I realised I wanted to make. These upgrades have actually all helped to make lockdown life a bit more bearable in different ways and I’m really thankful I was able to invest in some of these. Here are my top five favourites:

1. Neom Organics diffusers – The more time we spent at home, the more I realised diffusers were missing in my life! We got different scents for each room so that when we moved between rooms, the new, different smell would freshly hit you  

2. Gull Fiskar – World Map, by Kristjana S Williams – There was a big white space in our living room for time that we didn’t do anything with. I found this map print and instantly fell in love with it – it’s the kind of highly detailed piece that means that every time you look at it, you notice a different detail – perfect for a statement piece in the living room!

3. Cutipol cutlery set – We had been eating with the same boring cutlery for YEARS but it had never bothered me until I was using it 3x a day, 7 days a week! I love the shapes and lines of this set, called Goa, and since ordering it, has elevated every meal time

4. Gym Corner – Since lockdown started and gyms closed, we have invested in creating a little gym corner. We’ve got some weights, a @onepeloton bike, and this cool “Let’s Stay Home” neon artwork (which we actually won!). It kinda gives me gymbox vibes at home

5. Tom Dixon coupe glasses – Lord knows I’ve needed some alcohol in 2020, and our home bar has slowly been growing We’ve also been very slowly adding to our glassware collection and these are a personal fave! I’m excited to use them on New Years Eve!

Top Five… 2020 Days Out

Ok so there weren’t THAT many to choose from this year (I can count the amount of people I’ve met up with this year on 2 hands ) but looking back is a great reminder to myself that I did actually manage to have *some* fun with friends + family – more than I know many were able to. I’m also really lucky that a lot of my family live minutes away, and that I got lucky with timings of linkups with friends. There were also lots of virtual laughs over the year – a big thank you to all my friends + family who took the time to stay connected digitally. I’ve never had so much fun video-conferencing but we’re all probably thankful that I’m not sharing screenshots of zoom calls in our PJs  

That all being said, heres a few fave memories:

1. Seeing Grandma post-lockdown – My most treasured memory was this summer when I FINALLY got to see my grandma, who had been shielding. We met in her garden and kept a good number of feet away at all times, but it was incredible to just be with her after so long

2. Julia’s hen – The year kicked off with a lil mini hen to celebrate Julia getting marrriieddd! We met for afternoon tea + escape room fun. I’m just glad we got to celebrate with Julia in person this year!

3. Dinner with Felicia – In Oct, when restaurants opened for a hot second, I was SO LUCKY to be able to go for dinner with the beautiful Felicia and actually catchup in PERSON! Dinner went by in a flash (may also have been the alcohol!) but every second was so worth it! 

4. Laser Pigeon Shooting – Another memorable day out was with my Lulu when we went out for a day of laser pigeon shooting! This was the perfect outdoors activity for a pandemic, and also a surprisingly hard arm workout! A lot of fun to do with the person you can be THE MOST competitive with!

5. Afternoon tea with Angelica – Another very luckily timed meetup with my dearest Angelica – I was able to finally make good on celebrating her birthday – we went to the Tiffany Blue Box cafe after months and months of not seeing each other f2f . Cocktails, little afternoon tea bites, and ALL THE GOSSIP! Meetups like this fill my soul up

Top Five… Lulu

I genuinely couldn’t have coped through this pandemic without her! She’s kept me entertained through the lockdowns, helped constantly reassure me that I don’t have corona every time I cleared my throat , and has been THE BEST co-parent to our baby!

I couldn’t really pick five favourite memories so here’s just five of my fave pics of her in my camera roll :

1. Let’s start with us in Ikos! The best memories
2. That day we decided to go for a walk in the countryside but actually ended up eating a HUGE Sunday roast Oh and I got stung by a
3. Going to visit the Christmas lights with our baby who was SO BRAVE. We have never been prouder!
4. I’ve never laughed so much!
5. I love this photo! Lulu being the best mummy and Zola being her lil crazy self  

Top Five (Okay Nine )… Zola Saint Laurent!

I really couldn’t just pick five My entire camera roll is simply pics of Zola now.

My crazy, beautiful, clever, stubborn, outgoing, snuggly, confident little Zola! I cannot remember life without her, and I can’t believe it’s only been two months since we picked her up! I’m the most excited to watch her grow and to make all the memories with her in 2021!

I love you ZoZo!

Here’s a quick rundown of the big and small changes I’ve made to make my WFH life more comfortable:

Painting the Wall

I recently wrote about how I did this in detail, but I wanted to repeat it again because this has made such a difference. Going from a blank white wall to this explosion of colour lifts my spirits every time I come into the room.

Stand up!

I invested in two stands for my desk, as I have both a laptop and a monitor on a pretty small desk area and I wanted to maximise space!

The Rain Design mStand360 Laptop stand has been a lifesaver. Its much more comfortable to type on for my arms when the laptop is raised, and also elevates the screen to more of my natural eye height – ergonomic wins all round!

The other cool thing about this particular laptop stand is that it swivels, which helps more than you might think it would. I’m finding that my position naturally shifts at my desk during the day, depending on what area of the desk I’m primarily focusing on. The fact that my laptop can easily swivel with me is an added bonus.

The Homfa Monitor Stand was the piece that I was most looking forward to arriving.

I don’t know about you, but I like to keep a ton of little things on my desk – pre the Monitor Stand, these little bits and bobs would just be cluttering up the desk itself with no set ‘homes’ and I’d constantly be having to move them out of the way.

But this Monitor Stand solves this ingeniously because its not just a monitor stand! It has two other inbuilt layers for storage, which I now use to store all of the things that I need at hands reach.

It also puts the monitor at a much better height for using it, which again, means I’m getting those ergonomic wins.

Rejuvenation Station

Part of the aforementioned ‘little things’ that now have a permanent home on my desk include what I call my rejuvenation toolkit. Things that help keep me hydrated and rejuvenated throughout the day. There are 5 main things I use on a daily basis:

Hard-Working Hand Protector, Body Shop – great for hydrating your hands, particularly if like me, your hands are even dryer than usual thanks to the constant hand-washing! I tend to use a little blob of it at the start of my day and another little blob mid-afternoon.

Hand Cleansing gel, Soap + Glory – this anti-bacterial gel is helping keep my newly found germphobia at bay. I take a little spritz after I handle ‘outside’ things like packages, which makes my paranoia feel a bit better

Lip balm, KNDR – I recently wrote about this as it came as part of my April Birchbox! I’ve co-opted it as my ‘desk lip balm’ and I use it multiple times a day to keep my lips feeling soft and fresh!

Rose Facial Spray, Grace + Stella – Another Birchbox item, this spray came in last month’s Birchbox and became a firm favourite quickly. I use this whenever I feel like I need a bit of calm back (normally at the end of a particularly stressful meeting!)

Neom Calm & Relax candle – Also on my desk, is this most divinely-scented Neom candle. To be honest, I don’t even light it very often, but what I do like to do is pick it up and smell it throughout my day, as I genuinely find the scent to be super restorative and calming.

Hey, Portal!

The final adjustment I have made to my WFH setup is to set up a Facebook Portal on my desk to enable me to easily have video calls during my work day.

Not only does this free up processing power from my laptop (an important consideration when you’re essentially running video calls all day), but it also frees up my screen real estate from having to position my call and other tabs + windows. This makes running my work days 10x easier.

Lastly, the Notes feature is great! You can write yourself little notes that ‘pin’ to the Portal display. I only have one right now (see above) but its an important message to see throughout my day!

That just about covers the most important things on my desk setup! I’m sure I’ll continue to iterate on it in my everlasting quest to make it as comfy as possible.

Questions? Comments? Please leave your thoughts on this post!