Living room
'The travertine table was a worthwhile investment - I fall in love with it again every day when I sit here in the mornings."
BUY THE KEY PIECES
Try the Beige octagonal table, £1,494, Pamono. Wishbone chairs, £524 each, Aram. Baubles, from a selection, Heavenly Homes & Gardens. Sofa (left), reupholstered by Edwards Upholstery in a Bute Fabrics material
Emma and Ant found out they were expecting Otto, their first son who is now aged seven, the day they exchanged on the house and nearly pulled out. The house had a 1970s vibe but not in a good way when they bought it, so they embarked on a top-to-toe refurbishment, replacing windows, flooring and period features, as well as adding a kitchen extension and reconfiguring the upstairs to create a family bathroom and en suite.
WHERE WERE YOU LIVING BEFORE?
"We were previously living more centrally in the city, but by moving out a bit, we've gained masses of extra space and the benefit of a large country style garden full of pear trees. I'm so glad we didn't pull out of the sale despite the chaos of a renovation with a newborn."
HOW DID YOU MANAGE THE WORK?
'We had hoped the house would be habitable before Otto's birth, but he was five months old when we finally moved back in, albeit without a kitchen or half the extension yet built. We had a makeshift kitchen in what is now the playroom and I used the garage as a design studio warehouse for my brand Binibamba (binibamba.com), which I had set up at the same time."
WHAT IS YOUR DECORATING STYLE?
I'm a sucker for a neutral... probably beige and white together. It may sound boring, but I love it. When creating the decorating scheme, there were lots of moodboards and magazine tear sheets, and I did a lot of Instagram browsing. The rabbit hole was deep, plus there were endless trips around showrooms."
This story is from the January 2025 edition of Ideal Home UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the January 2025 edition of Ideal Home UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
PRUNING WISTERIA
IF YOU WANT WISTERIA TO BLOOM TO ITS FULL POTENTIAL IN SUMMER, NOW'S THE PERFECT TIME TO PRUNE IT BACK
happy home
HEATHER YOUNG ON HOW TO BOOST THE FEEL-GOOD FACTOR
50 FESTIVE FINISHING TOUCHES
EASY STYLE IDEAS TO HELP YOU GIVE YOUR HOME A GORGEOUS GLOW UP
STORING KITCHEN APPLIANCES
BANISH WORKTOP CLUTTER FOR GOOD HERE, THE EXPERTS ADVISE HOW TO STASH SMALL APPLIANCES IN A COMPACT SPACE
INSTALLING A DOWNSTAIRS LOO
TIRED OF QUEUEING FOR THE LOO? WE ASKED THE EXPERTS WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN INSTALLING THIS SMALL BUT HARDWORKING SPACE
Rustic glamour
A NEUTRAL PALETTE WITH LUXURIOUS BRASS AND MARBLE DETAILS CREATES THE PERFECT SPACE FOR NATALIE FORBES-JONES TO RELAX AND UNWIND
A sunny outlook
A SOUTH-FACING EXTENSION AND A VIVID YELLOW KITCHEN GIVES LAURA, JEREMY AND THEIR SON, RAIFE, THE PERFECT SPACE FOR FAMILY LIFE
COUNTRY blow up
USING CLEVER HACKS AND SHORT-TERM FIXES, HAYLEY AND LUKE BLYTHE HAVE CREATED A HOME FULL OF SOPHISTICATED NEUTRALS AND ELEGANT STYLING
IT'S COLD outside
DANIELLE TOLSON HAS CREATED A MODERN LIVING SPACE THAT'S FULL OF TRADITIONAL TOUCHES FIT FOR THE FESTIVE SEASON
HOME FOR the holidays
INSPIRED BY THE LOCATION, LOUISE CLARK AND ADAM GRAHAM HAVE GIVEN THEIR BUNGALOW A COSY TRADITIONAL FEEL