Indholdsfortegnelse for April 2020 i Real Homes

Let’s just get it out there. I made mistakes when I planned my new kitchen several years ago. Big mistakes. Huge. I should have known better, after all I’d been writing about kitchens for a number of years by that point and should have remembered my own advice when it came to working out what we needed. But in the middle of a full house renovation when tricky decisions had to made on a daily basis, our budget, time and patience were stretched to the limit, so we made choices in a hurry and didn’t think about futureproofing the space to ensure it could cope as a busy family kitchen when more children came along. All of which means we’re blighted by a lack of worktop space, poor lighting options…

I’m ‘slightly’ obsessive when it comes to decorating my home, much to the consternation of my family. They know the warning signs. One, I loudly announce that I am no longer happy with the décor of a room. Two, I head to Ebay to list and sell the items that I no longer love (my husband once arrived home to discover I’d sold his favourite sofa) and finally, three, I head to the local DIY store for supplies. The fact it may be a task I’ve never done before does not detract from the job in hand. My first wallpapering experience was in the downstairs loo. Not even the fact that I’d forgotten to buy a pasting brush deterred me – I simply utilised a shoe polish brush I found…

> Voiles are a great solution for light control as the days get longer and brighter. Layering a semi-sheer voile curtain means you can strip back your window dressing in the warmer months, then cosy it up again in winter. > If you are lucky enough to have a south-facing garden, the sun blazing through glass doors or windows can heat up your room like a greenhouse. Choose a blind with a finish that reflects the sun, such as our SolarPleat blind, to keep it at an ambient temperature. > Blinds with blackout linings are perfect for when the day starts before you wake up. Available in Roman blinds and rollers, pick a neutral fabric shade to keep the space feeling light and airy, even when the blind is pulled…

The master bedroom is often the last room we decorate, behind the kids’ rooms, kitchen and, definitely, the bathroom. To be fair, we’ve got our eyes shut for 90 per cent of the time we’re in there, so it’s not surprising it gets left until last. But there’s an upside to this state of affairs. By the time we get to decorating the master bedroom we’ve honed our DIY skills, established our sense of style and, with luck, grown braver – or at least a tiny bit more confident. If you’re also stone-broke at this point, take a little (or long) breather until you’ve regrouped and earned enough pennies to really do the room justice. For this is the point of the master bedroom: it is the biggest and best…

‘Mismatched, boring and uninspiring is how I’d describe our old bedroom, with the worst “fitted” wardrobes ever. I wanted it to be little sanctuary. Colourwise, I chose Pea Green from Little Greene for its harmonious feel, and made the bed a feature. I kept my vintage dressing table, added a vintage chair, and a pelmet over the new curtains in a nod to the 1970s. Hanging the pendants either side of the bed gives the effect of the wall being framed. It anchors the space and means I don’t need a large bedside table to accommodate a lamp. The wardrobes are Ikea’s Pax system that I had a builder plaster around to make them seamless like fitted wardrobes. Then they were painted in the same Pea Green before fitting brass…

Melanie Boyden started out her house search looking for a renovation project. After years living in married quarters while her husband worked in the army, she was used to making do – but once the couple were on the hunt for a home of their own, she was keen to break away from the magnolia walls she’d lived with for years and try something different. Some time later, she’s taken the parts of military life she loved – hosting parties and entertaining friends – and combined them with the elements she missed to create a home that’s filled with plenty of interest. Her love for pattern shines through the floral murals that adorn her walls and the smaller pieces she’s upcycled in creative ways. She tells me she was lucky…

‘The homeowners’ kitchen was in an old extension that was leaking and didn’t have insulation,’ says Daniel. ‘It was quite impractical for a family, especially one that likes to cook. ‘The couple wanted a new room with an open-plan feel, with space for a kitchen and dining area plus a desk. We extended over the footprint of the old extension. ‘Access from the hallway to the back part of the house was changed as part of the work. Now, when you come into the house, you can see straight through to the garden and it makes the hallway feel bigger and brighter. ‘The homeowners live in a Conservation Area, so the extension needed planning permission. We had to follow the design code for the Conservation Area and use brick that…

This month I have been desperately trying to lock down what kind of worktop we’ll get for the new kitchen. As our single biggest expense for the kitchen itself (remember the 4m-long island?), it’ll dictate the budget for everything else. So I need to compute costings before I get carried away with fancy boiling water taps and gold-plated tiles. I am feeling a tad overwhelmed by the pressure to get it right. Or at least not so wrong that I am left sobbing into my cornflakes every morning… Having written about worktops more times that I can remember over the past two decades, you’d think this task would be a breeze. Not so. I can absolutely tell you which materials are the most practical (sintered stone or quartz) and which…

> While every new kitchen project is different, most can be achieved within an 8-10-week schedule, less if you’re buying off-the-peg (excluding major building work such as extensions). > A straightforward timeline would start with the kitchen design and site survey by your kitchen designer (if applicable) and/or builder, followed by finalised designs, fittings put on order and trades booked. > While the kitchen cabinets are being made or delivered, the site will be prepared, including removal of the old kitchen, first fix electrics, plumbing and lighting, and any new flooring laid. > Next the cabinets and appliances will go in, generally a four to 10-day process, and the electrician will come back to do the second fix. > The worktops can be templated as soon as the base units…

YES ‘With three children, without more space we had to convert the garage or move’ Helena O’Toole (@helena_ johanna_) lives in a detached 1980s house in Leeds with husband Terry and two of their three children ‘When we moved in 20 years ago, our garage was at the front and the first thing you saw. We never put the car in and it was full of rubbish. ‘With our second child coming, we converted it to living space. We had French doors at the entrance, changing them for bi-folds two years ago. Our kitchen’s at the front of the house and without the conversion, we’d have had to put a dining table in the living room. I have a thing about the family eating together, and with this room being…

ONE Your cushion game will become strong. A little too strong – it may take 40 minutes to unearth your bed each night, and twice that to resurrect the precisely curated cushion-scape again in the morning. Still, #worthit. TWO ‘Hilarious’ banter about your other half’s floordrobe mountain is no longer an amusing source of dinner party chat. Those shiny new wardrobes aren’t show ponies, my friend; get it on hangers before it’s put away for you – in the recycling bin. THREE The reality of trying to keep the kids out of your new en suite. Your walk-in shower will always be more appealing and the loo the only one they’ll ever deign to use. Either relocate your spendy toiletries to the family bathroom, or move the door handle higher…

After a quick, easy and inexpensive way to update your home? If so, it’s hard to beat the power of paint – after all, there aren’t many other ways you can completely change the look, feel and ambience of a room for under £100 in a weekend are there? With that in mind, for the first part of our new series on how you can use paint to pack your home with personality, we’re kicking off with walls. We’ve rounded up our favourite ideas for turning what is often a blank canvas into a bold, fun and eye-catching feature. So let us inspire you to colour outside the lines and add a stroke of fun to your every day. Geometric dreams Whether it’s a corner of your living room, the…

ONE For a modern Shaker kitchen, ditch ornamental additions such as cornices and pilasters and think simple, clean lines to prevent the space from looking too twee. ‘The less fuss the better,’ says Darren Watts, design director at Wren Kitchens. A simple base with sharp rather than rounded edges keeps the look contemporary while ensuring it’s still characterful, too. TWO New kitchen handles can instantly update your Shaker kitchen, creating big impact with little expense or effort. ‘Don’t go for one handle style: choose a couple that complement your design and colours,’ says Darren Watts at Wren. ‘Golds and coppers marry perfectly with dark, exuberant cabinetry, and hammered silvers and blacks add a touch of character to lighter designs.’ THREE ‘One way to add a contemporary touch to your Shaker…

BEST FOR BATHROOMS Choose a blind that won’t be compromised by spray or humidity for the bathroom. This roller can even be positioned right next to a shower as it’s made from 70 per cent PVC and 30 per cent fibreglass, with a non-rust aluminium roller. Splash Midnight Rushes Lagoon, from £24.85 for W40xdrop40cm made to measure, Blinds2Go BEST FOR BI-FOLDS Avoid a view of blackness at night by dressing bi-folds with pleated blinds. These fit on to the individual door panels for a neat finish, and they come in a wide range of other colours plus patterns. Lanbury Teal pleated blinds in perfect fit frame, from £160 for W80xdrop70cm; Lyra Linen voiles, from £91 for W137xdrop 122cm, all Hillarys BEST FOR RETRO STYLE Opt for a graphic pattern and…

SEE IT, FEEL IT Radiators are the wallflowers of the home. Tucked away behind pieces of furniture, you’d barely know they were there. But Vasco radiators are so stylish you won’t want to hide them behind the sofa, draped in bits of washing. This year they come in six new ‘Noble’ colours, including precious metals, pearl beige, pretty pink and warm curry (yes, really) that’ll really bring the heat. TURN IT ON Summer is on the horizon and now’s the ideal time to think about investing in a new stove (bear with us here). Order and get it fitted when you don’t need it – and when the installers tend to be less busy – so you’ll be all ready to go when you do. And with the new Midtown…

TAKE FLIGHT Enhance your entranceway with one of these feathery finds and impress guests with your statement style MONOCHROME MAGIC Gender neutral is child’s play with graphic prints in black and white mixed with honey-caramel hues for a fun kid’s room LUXE LIVING Washed-effect walls combine with pale pinks, mineral greens and gold finishes for a living room you’ll want to retreat to SPECIAL EFFECTS Choose paper which masquerades as marble or plaster for your kitchen-diner and give an urban edge to the space SOFT TROPICS Get dreaming of a tastefully tropical bedroom with on-trend rattan pieces and natural motifs…

‘When we first moved into our one-bedroom flat, the walls in here were classic magnolia with a mocha brown feature wall behind the bed – okay, but not our style. After painting our lounge in Farrow and Ball’s Railings and loving it, I decided to go dark in the bedroom, too. I chose Down Pipe because it looks dark green in certain lights. Using a monochrome paint scheme gives the flexibility to change the feel of the room by switching the colour of the bedding, cushions and artwork. There was originally going to be a gallery wall above our bed, but once I’d put two pictures up, I decided I liked the simplicity. Our modern flat lacks architectural features but using dark paint has given the rooms character. I wanted…

Wendy Holland, a landlord and property developer (@wendy.house123), and her husband, Dan, a partner in an infrastructure firm, live with their two sons and cockapoo Bert, in a detached Victorian villa in Altrincham, Cheshire ‘When we first viewed this room, it was drab and dreary with dark wood panelling and a mustard carpet. The previous owners had used it for formal entertaining, but since we planned to convert the neighbouring room into a kitchen, we knew it’d be our main family living area. Luckily the original narrow floorboards had been well protected underneath the carpet, so we had them sanded back to the original oak colour with a natural finish. To lighten the room, we’ve had the walls and ceiling painted in Strong White by Farrow & Ball, and our…

NEW REVIVAL Spring is all about freshness, and nothing says ‘fresh new look’ like clean white tiles, does it? We’ve chosen this rather pleasing extension from Proctor & Shaw for our pick of the month precisely because it embodies everything we love about the season. Light-flooded spaces? Check. Greenery in the garden? Yep. Plenty of inspiration for our next renovation project? In spades. Silky 3D tiles add texture to the façade, reflected by plenty of earthy timber and modern concrete within. And that glazing? Well! We’d love to slide open the doors and saunter onto the patio, cup of tea in hand, on a spring morning sometime soon. But this isn’t our house, unfortunately – so instead, we’ll be making do with a mug of coffee while staring out of…

ELLIE and Nick’s house rabbits were as important to their kitchen extension design as their one-year-old daughter, Tia. The couple wanted a space that would work for Rocco and Flannie’s free-roaming needs as much as the humans in the house, and top of the list for everyone was a flexible, open-plan space that could accommodate the family as they grow. Enlisting the help of architects Nimtim, the couple have created a bright extension that works for all the family. Clever ideas like a ‘hutch’ door for the rabbits sit alongside touching additions like Tia’s tiny footprint set into a splashback tile. Here, Ellie reveals how they created their dream kitchen. STEP ONE FRESH START ‘There were lots of defects in the surveyor report when we bought this house,’ says Ellie.…

1 SUSS OUT STORAGE It doesn’t matter how beautiful your kitchen looks, if the storage is poorly positioned, or inadequate, you’ll soon fall out of love. ‘The amount and type of storage in your kitchen is one of the most crucial elements and should be considered from the start so that the kitchen will fulfill all your needs from day one,’ says Sinead Trainor, kitchen category manager at LochAnna Kitchens. The goal is to have everything positioned close to where it’s going to be used – pans near the cooker, cleaning products under the sink, and so on. Placing a larder unit next to the fridge will make it easy to gather ingredients (ambient and chilled) in one trip. Crockery, glassware and cutlery should be stored near the dishwasher for…

TYPES TO BUY Romans look luxurious with soft folds of fabric. The slats of Venetians and verticals can be positioned as required for privacy and light control; the latter are best for wide windows. Rollers are neat and contemporary, made from one fabric or layers of sheer and opaque to manage light, while pleated blinds appear modern and a little softer than a roller. EASY MOVE Blinds can be motorised, opening and closing by remote control, or as part of a home automation system. Apollo, for example, offers designs operated via hub and app on a smart phone or by voice control via Alexa or Google Home. For manual operation, go cordless. If designs do have cords or chains, keep them out of reach of children and pets, and use…

DIY PANELLING Think your home’s lacking in character? Give any space an injection of personality with wall panelling – it’s a great way to add texture, depth and charm to a room. Whether you create a feature wall, like this in a two-tone finish, or spend a few weekends panelling the entire room, the look is easier to achieve than you might think... YOU’LL NEED: PiecesofMDFcut to size) Pencil Measuring tape Hand saw Spirit level Adhesive Panel nails Caulk or wood filler Primer Paint and brush WHAT TO DO:  1 Draw the design of your panelling on the wall in pencil, considering the square size and panel widths that will best suit your room. 2 Measure the height of your space and saw the MDF battens to size (or…