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27th June 2017

A little DIY goes a long way…

Life - By Alexandra Stedman

Ceiling pendant: £38, Ikea. Shutters: Californian Shutters. Sofa: £395, Habitat. Long cushion: Sluiz (bought in Ibiza). Blue and white cushion: £12, Ikea. Green marble side table: Madame Stolz at Out There Interiors. Brass lamp: £75, Cox & Cox. ‘Hay’ candle: £30, Field Apothecary. Pouffe: £80, Ikea. Basket bag: The White Company (old). Sandals: H&M (old). Rug: West Elm.

A few weekends ago, my parents descended on North London, toolbox in tow and helped us sort loads of odds and ends in the house which we’d been meaning to sort for a few months…

To say that Chris and I are DIY challenged would be an understatement. I only know how to paint things, anything that doesn’t move, and it usually ends with spillage. My husband shows willing, but sadly no capability. He’s handy with a floor sander and that’s about it. But at least we TRY.

It is my father who is the hands on type, who comes from that generation that ‘got things done’. His father before him built their extension, did the rewiring in their house and thought nothing of it. So we did the usual thing of saving up every little thing that needed doing when they came round…

Shutters add a feeling of completion

We finally had the shutters delivered after waiting 3 months (via California Shutters), as recommended by my sister (see her gorgeous home here). They often do a 20% discount so it’s worth waiting, as they are rather pricey (as most shutters seem to be?!). We weren’t lucky enough to have original sash windows in this house and while we’re saving up to replace them, the shutters add a feeling of completion to this room (and at least hide the windows).

 

We had pine blinds here (which were here when we moved in) which we kept for a few months but they always let off an orangey glow into the room, and when we pulled them up in the day we were faced by passers-by looking us directly in the eye as we sat having our morning coffee in our dressing gowns! Or delivery men would think it appropriate to just knock on our window when they saw us in, rather than ringing the doorbell…

With a little help from my husband, the shutters took about 30 minutes to put up, got rid of about 7 boxes in our hallway and now the room feels airy and most of all, private. Money well spent.

Then my amazing dad got moving onto the fireplace…we bought the tiles ages ago (Minton Hollins from Topps Tiles for the side and Fired Earth tiles for the front hearth) but the surface area was tricky… The side panels were at an angle the front hearth was raised with a lip at the front. And it was almost too small an area for a tiler to do… We got to work with some good old fashioned DIY.

DIY in action.

The fireplace when we first moved in

It took near enough a whole day but the tiles look better than we could have imagined. using grey grout, dad placed the tiles in a bit of a chevron style and used the grout as the corner of the front hearth (we thought it’d look too bathroom-y with a tile trim).

 

Black metal paint: Hammerite. Candle: Jo Malone.

We wanted something that blended into the dark floor at the bottom, but knew we wanted something quite traditional for the sides. We fell in love with this pattern and love that it had a link to William Morris (whose studio was based where we used to live). They were too small for the side, so my dad found bits of MDF that he cut and filled in the gaps, and I painted black. You would never know it wasn’t part of the original fireplace.

I would never have thought you could just find bit of wood to fill in and fashion a hearth together – and love that you can make up the rules as you go.

Gold tray: kikki K. Matches: Hay.

It’s funny, whilst this was all being done downstairs, my mum and I painted the spare room upstairs (more on that later) – and although we almost finished an entire room up there, it was the living room that felt more ‘wow’ from these small little jobs. Just shows that in a renovation project, every little job is worth doing.

And it definitely feels like home.

By Alexandra Stedman

Fashion Editor, Blogger, Realist

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Comments

  1. Jenny says

    27th June 2017 at 8:02 am

    That fireplace is absolutely lovely. The little shelves are so cute.

    Reply
  2. Amanda says

    27th June 2017 at 8:22 am

    It’s looking so gorgeous Alex! Your Dad is really talented – DIY is something I fail at in just about every category but luckily Mr OS is willing and more than able to try most things. Although not electrical stuff!
    Loving seeing how your home develops – it really is a labour of love isn’t it?
    A xxx

    Reply
    • Alexandra Stedman says

      29th June 2017 at 11:54 pm

      Thanks Amanda! Yes it is definitely a love/hate relationship right now! xxx

      Reply
  3. Sarah says

    27th June 2017 at 9:08 am

    Wow, Alex! This looks so great!
    We have been renovating ours for the past 3 years. We replaced our windows first but then couldn’t afford shutters so we just used John Lewis wooden venetian blinds which kind of look like shutters from the outside. I love the cafe-style shutters that you’ve gone for. They look amazing!
    My Dad is really handy too and has helped us out no end with our renovation and decorating. We are currently waiting on plannning permission to do a side-return kitchen extension so our house still doesn’t feel finished but I can’t wait to start putting the finishing touches to ours!
    You have a really good eye for interiors and I am forever inspired by your style. Enjoy your lovely new living room!

    Reply
    • Alexandra Stedman says

      29th June 2017 at 11:56 pm

      Oh thanks Sarah, I know what you mean – we want to do building work on the kitchen but for now, a portable sink and plug in stove will have to do! As everyone says – it’ll be worth it in the end! xx

      Reply
  4. Lizzy says

    27th June 2017 at 9:18 am

    Hi Alex, love this post! Fireplace looks amazing. Is there a reason the site does not allow you to save pins? Might just be my computer, thanks

    Reply
    • Alexandra Stedman says

      27th June 2017 at 9:21 am

      Thank you! I actually just tested it (as I had problems in the past!) but it allowed me – maybe a browser issue? xx

      Reply
  5. Claire H says

    27th June 2017 at 9:42 am

    The first few paragraphs were basically describing my own life! Husband and I are terrible at DIY, my poor dad gets a list as long as his arm every time he comes. And mum does all our curtains! What happened to our generation?
    We are also keen to get shutters to hide our ugly windows but the cost has put me off so far- and we’ve had more urgent work to do. Did you find the ordering and fitting easy with California shutters? It’s not one I’d heard of but will need to have a look now!

    Reply
    • Alexandra Stedman says

      27th June 2017 at 12:28 pm

      So I have to be honest we opened an interest free C/C on purchases and paying the minimum payment off it until we can afford to pay off chunks…! We’re not going crazy on it but it has helped with a few ‘bigger’ purchases like shutters and furniture bits….We found it so easy, we measured ourseleves, they give you a call and talk you through – and it took 3 months to arrive (which gives you time to pay yourselves back!) x

      Reply
  6. Laura says

    27th June 2017 at 10:46 am

    Just before I read your post, I had text my dad to ask what I should and do before painting our new house. I figured he was probably a better source than google for these things. I’m totally in the generation lost on DIY!

    A bit of a random question, but where did you get your media/ tv console from? It’s one of those neccessary things but I’m struggling to find inspiration for something chic as it doesn’t seem to be ‘instagramable’, ha!

    Reply
    • Alexandra Stedman says

      28th June 2017 at 2:01 pm

      Yes – my dad was pretty much our surveyor when we bought our house!! So good to be able to rely on help…and yes found the same problem with console tables….we actually stopped looking for ‘console’ tables and just something that would fit our space (in our last flat the cove was a really awkward size – 87cm) – this was actually a coffee table from Homebase (that weirdly had a draw and space at the bottom!) – we changed the handles on it x

      Reply
  7. Jenny Barber says

    27th June 2017 at 10:54 am

    Hi Alex, I started to follow you earlier this year and I just love your blog and Instagram posts!! It’s been great seeing your house transformation. In fact, I loved your etsy painting above the fireplace so much that we bought one too! Your style is unique and is so refreshing. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Alexandra Stedman says

      28th June 2017 at 1:50 pm

      Oh I love that Lola Donoghue painting – she is so talented! xx

      Reply
  8. Brigitte says

    27th June 2017 at 11:53 am

    these tiles are amazing! great job!
    Brigitte x

    Reply
  9. Becky ⋮ Adventuring & Things says

    27th June 2017 at 7:59 pm

    Your Dad did a fab job on those tiles, they look amazing! Beautiful choices too.

    Becky ⋮ Adventuring & Things

    Reply
    • Alexandra Stedman says

      28th June 2017 at 1:49 pm

      I know – so much better than we thought they were going to look! So hard buying tiles and taking a risk – you never really know how it might turn out…x

      Reply
  10. Georgina Matthews says

    28th June 2017 at 8:11 am

    Hi Alex,

    Love your blog and particularly this post as we are about to take on a do-er upper. Are you familiar with Such & Such http://www.suchandsuch.co?

    It’s a small homeware e-shop run by by husband, I think you might like it.

    Kind regards,

    Georgina

    Reply
    • Alexandra Stedman says

      28th June 2017 at 1:48 pm

      Oh good luck! It’s tough but worth it!Ooh thanks, website looks gorgeous! xxx

      Reply
  11. Jo Chadwick says

    28th June 2017 at 12:50 pm

    Hi Alex, that room looks incredible! What’s even more incredible though, is that last night the Navy pouffe from Ikea was £80 on the website. Today it’s 85!! I bet there’s been a massive surge in buying 🙂 Interested to hear your thoughts 🙂

    Reply
    • Alexandra Stedman says

      28th June 2017 at 1:45 pm

      Really?? That is shocking…I’ve just emailed Ikea and will let you know their reply x

      Reply
  12. Jovita Antanovich says

    28th June 2017 at 8:29 pm

    I love your fireplace, you and your father are really talented with very nice taste!

    Jovita from Black Vanilla
    http://www.b-vanilla.com

    Reply
  13. Jayce says

    28th June 2017 at 8:44 pm

    This is so gorgeous! You have an amazing home.

    Reply
  14. Tiffany Lea Zimmermann says

    29th June 2017 at 11:59 pm

    it strangely looks like my sister’s apartment! love it!
    Xx, Tiffany Lea
    https://zimmylifestyle.com

    Reply
  15. Nicole says

    30th June 2017 at 9:18 am

    The fireplace looks amazing. Good job. The space is beautifully decorated.

    Reply
  16. Glad says

    30th June 2017 at 11:49 am

    Wow this looks amazing Alex 🙂

    Reply
  17. Laura says

    3rd July 2017 at 9:04 pm

    as excited reading about your house renovations as much as your fashion! love your choices so far, can’t wait to see the rest 🙂

    Laura | Rose and Weston x

    Reply
  18. Janey says

    11th July 2017 at 10:04 am

    Hi Alex,

    Really enjoying your blog, it’s inspirational!
    The living room looks so good, have been following the updates with your new home, you have done a fantastic job.
    I am about to order the shutters for a bow window.
    Just wondering what type of wood did you order the classic hardwood or the affordable hardwood? Also what depth on the slats, I guess the wider the slat the easier to clean etc?

    Thanks Alex

    Reply
    • Alexandra Stedman says

      11th July 2017 at 5:19 pm

      Thank you! Re: shutters. We ordered affordable hardwood (and would recommend) and depths of the slats are 89mm….hope that helps!

      Reply
  19. Georgia says

    12th August 2017 at 10:10 am

    Love your blog and this room!!! Glad to hear others aren’t so handy at the DIY like ourselves! (We can manage sanding and painting that’s it!)
    What paint colour is your floor? It’s exactly what I’ve been looking for!
    Thanks xx

    Reply
    • Alexandra Stedman says

      12th August 2017 at 11:50 am

      We used a cheap dark grey undercoat and then the top layer is Farrow & Ball ‘Downpipe’ x

      Reply
  20. Emma says

    17th September 2017 at 11:16 pm

    I love this fireplace! The fire and shutters are the last thing we need to finish in our living room too! Great idea about using mdf to fill in the gaps! I’ll definitely be keeping that in mind xx

    Reply
  21. Karen Snook says

    8th October 2017 at 9:09 am

    I just love the simplicity of your sitting room and most of all your wall of eclectic art, very stylish. Please tell me where you got the ‘Oo’ print, it’s fab!

    Thank you for sharing 🙂
    Karen.

    Reply
    • Alexandra Stedman says

      9th October 2017 at 2:50 am

      Oh thanks – it is from Etsy xx

      Reply

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