| HOME | My Interior Style

If I could describe my interior style, I think it would be “cottage/shabbychic/scandi” but really it’s just an accumulation of things that I think look pretty. Going back about 7½ years when myself and my partner first moved in to our flat, I had completely different taste. Before moving in, my “dream” interior was to have dark super-modern furniture, lots of chrome, faux fur throws and generally feeling very “luxe”. I lusted after a dark brown faux leather bed frame and I was thrilled when we managed to buy my ideal bed. After a year or so, we also painted the bedroom walls in a brown paint which had a hint of purple to it from Wilkos- I believe it was called “Earthy Hue”. I'd always wanted to paint rooms in brown (I think this was due to the fact that my parent’s house was predominantly painted in magnolia and my bedroom was wallpapered…I just needed to get it out of my system!) and I thought that this colour would make the room feel cosy. BIG mistake. Combined with the dark wooden furniture, the room felt so gloomy and oppressive.

I would say that in the last 3 years, (perhaps it’s due to me getting older- I don’t know!) I have had a real change of heart when it comes to the flat’s interior. I much prefer light neutrals, and subtle pops of colour. I do feel that from reading magazines such as my favourite Country Homes & Interiors and Country Living, and also scrolling through Pinterest and Instagram, I’ve gained so much inspiration to recreate my own little haven at home. For someone like me that suffers with anxiety, I relish a calming environment and to have as much of a light and airy interior as I can is very important.

The flat was originally painted throughout in my favourite (note the sarcasm!) magnolia. Apart from the bedroom, every other room needed freshening up. I decided to go for a very light beige/stone colour called “Natural Hessian” from Dulux. I painted this in our living room and in the entrance way. Next came the furniture. As mentioned in a previous blog post, I was incredibly lucky to be given a vintage Ercol dining table and chairs and sideboard from my Grandma after moving into a nursing home. I waved goodbye to my MDF television unit, bookcase, coffee table and Ikea bistro set, and set about painting my newly acquired furniture. These were painted in “Ivory Tusk” from Wilko, and were the perfect off-white colour. Over the years I’ve added different accessories such as lanterns, wall art, a large wall clock and a bargain Shpock purchase; a beautiful side table painted in Farrow and Ball for £25! I also replaced the cheap cushions on the sofa which had gone like pancakes and invested in some more expensive cushions with feather inserts (which by the way, is the best thing I’ve ever done!). I was also very lucky to receive a gorgeous cushion for my birthday from Neptune Home which of course takes pride of place!

In the bathroom which was also magnolia, I decided to keep it fresh and paint the walls white. We don’t have a window in the bathroom, so the lighter I could get it in there, the better. I’ve also mentioned before that for a good 3 years or so we had carpet on the floor which I asked the landlord to replace with tiles as it was starting to get damp and turn green in places- eww! I wanted to make the bathroom nautical themed, so I added blue towels, and purchased different beachy accessories (you can read more about my bathroom décor here).

Back to the bedroom- I really couldn’t stand my bedframe by this point, and it had actually seen better days. We purchased the Leirvik bedframe from Ikea and I threw out all my old brown bedsheets and replaced them with all white sheets. Unfortunately the walls are still the same brown, but I’m planning to paint the walls in Natural Hessian also. The wardrobe and chest of drawers are still the original dark brown ones from Littlewoods when we first moved in, and I’m dying to be able to get new all white furniture! I’ve seen some lovely pieces from Ikea which I will hope to purchase at some point. For now, I have had to make do with what I have. I had a pine desk from my old bedroom at my parent’s house which I painted the bottom half of in Laura Ashley’s “Cotton White” paint. I also recently made some bunting which hangs above my bed, and gives it a country cottage vibe.

Overall I'm so much happier with my flat these days. I feel like I've achieved the perfect balance between light and airy when the sunlight floods in during the day, but warm and cosy in the evenings. I love the mix between different elements of Scandinavian style, Shabby Chic and your typical English country cottage; I think it all compliments each other perfectly.