'This house was A BIG PROJECT'

Clara and Nick watched DIY tutorials, rolled up their sleeves and cracked on with the job of breathing life back into their home

- IFE ADEDEJI

COME ON IN!

ABOUT US I’m Clara McGillan, 31. I’m a secondary school teacher and I live here with my partner Nick, 35, a geography lecturer.

OUR HOME A 1930s three-bed semi in Bridgend, South Wales.

WHEN WE BOUGHT IT The house was stuck in the 1930s style-wise and there had been some very quirky updates made to it.

AND NOW It’s still a work in progress, but we’ve got a much brighter, more modern home.

STYLE TIP Pick colours that you love. Our colour palette is pink, green, yellow and grey because these colours give a sense of happiness, and your home should make you smile. Being colourful and adventurous can be daunting, but if you love colour, then do it!

The fact that Clara and Nick’s future home hadn’t been updated in decades wasn’t going to put off the pair from buying it. ‘The property was in the perfect location in Bridgend, which was exactly where we wanted to be, and it had plenty of unique features, such as the large stained glass bay windows and original fireplaces,’ says Clara. ‘We snapped it up, and because we had no experience of renovating, having only ever rented since we left home for university, we had to hit the ground running! We’ve charted our progress on Instagram @dustandbricks.

No time to waste