'From Frumpy To Chic Scandi'

A soothing colour palette, on-trend pieces of furniture, clever buys and country views make Charlotte’s modern home a relaxing place to be at this time of year

After graduating from university, and having rented a house for 18 months in Maidstone, Kent, my husband Matt and I started to look for somewhere to buy,’ says Charlotte. ‘We found this terraced house on a small estate and although it had clearly been decorated with love, it wasn’t to our taste at all.

But the decor didn’t put us off buying the house, as it backs onto fields that you can walk straight through to a quaint Kentish village, plus there’s a nearby train station that has direct services to London, where I work as a bridal store manager.

Out with the old

There was cheap lino flooring in the kitchen and downstairs hallway, blue flowery wallpaper, cream and brown walls in the living room, dark cabinets in the kitchen and deep baby blue walls in the cloakroom.

Our first job was to strip off all the wallpaper and paint all the walls white. We also had the living room floor replaced with a grey laminate update. In the living room, I wanted the dining area to have an exposed brick element, to make it feel separate, despite it all being in the same room. We got some quotes to expose the brick, but it was expensive for a house we knew we wouldn’t be living in forever, so instead we decided on a dark grey feature wall. Over the years, we’ve gradually accessorised the living room with festoon lights, interesting shelving and a neon candleholder.