We have spent the last five months renovating our basement. It’s the biggest project we have undertaken during the twenty three years we have lived in our Edwardian terrace home. We have learnt many lessons during our long and slow renovation journey and it has been good to put them into practice during this finalContinue reading “Corston Architectural Detail.”
Author Archives: hardcastletowers
The Renovation Game.
Falling in love with an old house is a lifestyle choice. It will take years of your life and cost you way much more than you will ever know, but these old girls get under your skin. I take the view that we are custodians of these wonderful buildings, nurturing them and bringing them backContinue reading “The Renovation Game.”
Small Garden Design.
As we are still eagerly waiting for the builder to start work down below thought I’d treat you to a little garden tour this week. The first stage of the basement renovation was reconfiguring our tiny back garden. For a long time we had wanted to replace the bay window in the dining room withContinue reading “Small Garden Design.”
The Utility
No big surprise here, this room will be the utility room like it always has been. I wonder how many hours I’ve stood down here ironing in all the years we have lived here? It’s cold, dark, musty and if we have had heavy rain there is a puddle. It’s pretty grim. The decorations areContinue reading “The Utility”
Room two.
Where the hell is she going with this one? I hear you ask. Settle down and pull up a seat, it’s going to take a lot of explaining and even more imagination. Welcome to the snug. This was the room We knew we could have a bit of fun with, the other two spaces wereContinue reading “Room two.”
My Vision.
Of course I could talk to you about tanking and supporting walls but I’m afraid that’s not the way I roll. I always start every project at the end. I need to be able to visualize the finished space and then work backwards. Next I begin sourcing products and materials. The practicalities, whys and whereforesContinue reading “My Vision.”
Before we begin.
Our home is a four floor Edwardian end terrace, you get a lot of square footage for your money in old properties; We have a basement, with outside access and windows; the ground floor know as ‘downstairs’; the first floor (upstairs); and an attic floor with two good sized rooms and a staircase. The floorContinue reading “Before we begin.”
My Kitchen Trend Preditions for 2021.
Paid partnership with Magnet Kitchens. We have all spent so much more time at home over the last twelve months and we have, more than ever before, noticed our surroundings; wanting to improve them and to make changes. Making our house into a home that works better for us. Builders have never been as busy,Continue reading “My Kitchen Trend Preditions for 2021.”
How to create a colouful kitchen
Paid partership with Magnet Kitchens I love to be surrounded by colour, it energizes me and lifts my mood. Bold use of colour is my signature style, it is what I am known best for. Your choice of colour can totally change the look and feel of a room and there are so many waysContinue reading “How to create a colouful kitchen”
How I Houseplant.
As humans we have an innate pull towards nature, it is why we feel invigorated in wide open green spaces and by the waves crashing on the shore. Working with a view of the outdoors is proven to increase creativity, being surrounded by plants is known to reduce stress and increase clarity of thought. BiophilicContinue reading “How I Houseplant.”
Hall way revamp part one
Details of our porch revamp; How we updated a sad neglected dumping ground into a wow entrance
Sleep: how to achieve it
Getting to sleep isn’t a problem, it’s staying asleep that I’m finding hard these days. I’ve reached the age where my children no longer wake me during the night, it’s now hot flushes and the dawn chorus. Reaching the menopause has really affected the quality of my sleep and I wake up often in theContinue reading “Sleep: how to achieve it”
Not all girls love pink.
We were never really planning to decorate this bedroom, I loved the Cole and Son wallpaper far too much. Unfortunately the little one wasn’t as keen, so when an email from Murals wallpaper dropped into my inbox how could I resist? There was so much choice on the website, at first I thought I wouldContinue reading “Not all girls love pink.”
Refresh with Hello Fresh
I was absolutely delighted when Hello Fresh contacted me and asked me to be part of their refresh with hello fresh campaign. It’s something I had seen people using on social media and had often thought I would love to try it but I’d just never got round to it. I am a keen homeContinue reading “Refresh with Hello Fresh”
Refeathering the nest
How I updated my teens room after she left for university.
Hardcastle Towers 