Family Friendly

With a preference for a period property, when it came to moving from their three-storey Victorian terrace to a more family-friendly home with a larger garden, Belfast homeowners Nicola and Andrew knew this was the perfect house for their needs.

Where I have been bravest with colour is the lounge at the front of the house. I settled on this blue which offers a striking contrast with the white ceiling and the archway dividing the living room from the playroom.

When we moved in three years ago the whole house was brown,' explains Nicola, who luckily saw past the colour scheme to see a home that would work perfectly for them as a family with three young children. 'Annabel is seven, Maxwell is five and we welcomed our third child Benjamin a year ago, so having the outdoor space that came with this property has been great for the children,' she adds.

It's clear to see that this is a family-friendly home with the various touches that Nicola has included throughout the downstairs. From the playroom off the main lounge to the snug within the open-plan kitchen, not to mention the blackboard wall where Annabel likes to practise her spellings. Once we moved in, we began to slowly redecorate each room and replace the dreary brown with lots of bright colour. Where I have been bravest with colour is in the lounge at the front of the house. I tend to stick to grey and pastel shades, but this room gets flooded with natural light throughout the day and for this reason, I knew it could take a darker colour. I settled on this blue which offers a striking contrast with the white ceiling and the archway dividing the living area from the playroom.