Martyn and I purchased our home around 18 months ago and there is still a lot of work to do to get it just right. When we initially moved in we gave everything a coat of fresh white paints and tidied up some of the bad DIY carried out by the previous owners. We haven't really done much to the house since then apart from getting some work done on the roof and the leaning front wall to make the house more structurally sound so it did feel a little bland and didn't really represent us.
We have started to add a little more personality to the house with colour and fun accessories. The dining room is the favourite room in the house with it's large bay window letting in loads of light, the original picture rail and cabinet. It looked lovely in the grey we originally put up (you can see that here) but I think the navy blue we used to paint the feature wall really ties the room together and fits perfectly with the age of the house. The paint is Dulux Feature wall Sapphire Salute - the coverage was great and one pot did the whole wall with some left over for touch-ups.
fruit bowl - Red Candy
Wire fairy lights - eBay
Print - etsy
I had hoped to have a blue velvet snuggle chair for the bay but since ordering it back in August Next have still not fulfilled my order. A two week wait has turned into two months and apparently they can no longer source the blue velvet fabric I want so who knows if I'll ever get it... In the mean time the bay is filled with my eBay bargain cushion cover and charity shop find chair. Both the gold fruit bowl and magazine rack come from Red Candy who have a great selection of modern and funky homeware. Both items came in at under £40 which is a bit of a bargain.
The retro Royal Ducal coffee set is another charity shop find. The set had been stored in my mums garage for years but they complimented the navy blue wall perfectly so they were dusted off and now take pride of place in my dining room. I would love to replace the ikea bookshelf with a antique dresser at some point so I have somewhere to display my glassware and retro kitchenware - I'm on the lookout for something that fits the space perfectly.
My gin cart is another charity shop bargain and a gift from my brother. I'm hoping to do a make over on this and cover the ugly dark wood with some marble effect sticky back sheets or paint it. I'm hoping to have a bit more time for DIY projects now what the wedding and all the planning that came with it is out of the way.
A lot of the walls in our house are pretty bare, most of my prints are leaning against the wall on top of fireplaces or are stacked up in the spare room. I'm looking forward to getting my wedding photos back from the professional photographer and planning out a gallery wall in the hallway and mixing up the prints I've collected over the years with photos from the wedding and honeymoon. Apart from a freshen up with paint I've not done anything with the hallway so I think that room will be my next project. The neutral cream walls and light fitting are functional but dull so I think I could make a big impact with minimal changes. I can't wait to get stuck in! (with the help of my DIY guru mum)
14 comments
Love love love this room Gemma! The gin cart is so cute :) Good gin collection too ;)
ReplyDeleteIt looks amazing! I love the blue feature wall
ReplyDeletewww.theemeralddove.co.uk
Your dining room is the cutest! Fairy lights really add something to a room, I love them.
ReplyDeleteOoh I love a good home nosy! Your dining room is so nice - the personal touches definitely make it super homely and lovely.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your new home it's gorgeous. I love everything about this room especially the liquor cart!
ReplyDeleteAhhh these are all gorgeous touches. I love the fairy lights
ReplyDeleteOMG we have exactly the same fireplace - loving the dark blue wall behind it though, it goes really well
ReplyDeleteOh it looks stunning! I really love the blue statement wall, it’s such a gorgeous shade of blue. I really hope Next sort your chair soon, it sounds like they’ve been a bit of a nightmare!
ReplyDeleteI love everything!! Red Candy have some amazing homeware products dont they? I actually have a very similar chair, and it was pretty expensive - so to find it in a charity shop is a bargain! Also I often buy seasonal cushion covers from ebay as they are SO cheap, and it's a great way to switch up your decor! xx
ReplyDeleteThe retro Royal Ducal coffee set is gorgeous and I love how you found it in the charity shop. It is beautiful! x
ReplyDeleteIt's so beautiful! I especially love the dark blue wall, I used dark blue in our bathroom earlier this year and it's completely converted me to dark paint.
ReplyDeleteI really like that blue, I am a big fan of bold colours in homes x
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful room! That coffee set is stunning! x
ReplyDeleteDena x
OMG that gin cart is amazing! What a fab idea! Loving the little details you've updated here. Wonderful job!
ReplyDeleteThank you for leaving a comment, feel free to ask me any questions here or on twitter- @Gemma_DS.