/2026
When I’m not busy with work, I enjoy improving our house. It’s an ongoing project that will probably never be finished, which is exactly what I love about it. I’m unlikely to ever run out of things to do.
Welcome
As soon as you walk into our house, the first things you see are the chair and a set of legs going up the escalator. (Well, aside from the balloons, but those are just party leftovers!)
Kitchen
Our kitchen has an unusual L-shaped layout, with the units running around the outside rather than the inside of the L—try explaining that to a kitchen designer! Luckily, I was the designer this time. It was simply a case of levelling both sides of the awkward corner and fitting in all the appliances.
Blue room
A sliding door and a full blue scheme made this room possible. I managed to find a vintage lampshade with beautiful green-blue marbling. I couldn’t believe my luck!
Airplanes
My friend’s art work has a special place in our house. It took us several years to renovate the hallway so we can finally put it on show. I can’t imagine anything else in this space.
Art work by Haim Sokol
Materials
metal, paint
Size
Each airplane is about 26cm x 19cm x 9cm
I had to have it
I was obsessed with Tulip tables for quite some time—not the chairs, just the tables. I finally got one, bought second-hand with a few cracks and scratches, but who cares? I think it’s perfect.
Messy business
If you’ve been through a renovation, you’ll understand the pain. It was horrific; everything was falling apart: the walls, the floors, and it took time to put it all back together. Not sure how builders do it every day.
Fireplaces
We have a few in our house. Some were boarded up and hidden away, while others were still in their original condition.
In our living area, I kept things simple: I removed the plaster, exposed the brickwork, and created a surround using eucalyptus branches. It’s a really easy, inexpensive way to make a fireplace look good.
Vasiliy
Vasiliy (or Vas, for short) loves sitting in his chair in the morning when it’s sunny and warm. He wouldn’t get up for anything, not even his biscuits.
The garden chairs
I’m a bit of a magpie and love picking up slightly unusual pieces. In this case, both chairs came from an Emmaus charity warehouse. Different in style, but that’s part of the charm.
Fireplace in the green room
This fireplace was completely boarded up, but I had a feeling there was something worth uncovering behind it. I wasn’t quite sure what I’d find. Part of me hoped for a beautiful, untouched original hidden behind crumbling MDF, but that wasn’t the case.
In the end, eBay came to the rescue. If you search locally, you can often find pieces that suit the age and character of the property. The surround and insert actually came from two different places.
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Three Chinese wise men
A wonderful eBay find that I treasure.
Mirror Mirror
We had this IKEA mirror for a while. It was perfectly fine, but it didn’t quite have the right character. I wanted an antique, smoky-effect mirror in a simple frame; something contemporary but with a bit of texture.
After experimenting with a few chemicals and honestly scratching the hell out of a perfectly decent mirror, I finally got this!
I’m really pleased with how it turned out. It might not make you look any better in the morning :), but it definitely gives you a bit of an edge and some cool lines.
The truth
Another fireplace renovation. This one needed a complete remodel. The one we had before was OK, but a bit dull for the main room. Again, eBay came to the rescue! I found this fine example somewhere in Devon! It was delivered and installed with the help of a few very strong men.
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The skirt in a soup bowl is just for styling.
Art work by
Robert Chaplin
Haim Sokol
The tulips
Our garden is quite tricky. First, it’s on a hill, which gives us stunning views but not the easiest access. Second, the soil is chalky and low in humus; not many plants enjoy that. Third, the wildlife seems to go a bit WILD for my plants. I don’t understand why; there’s plenty around, but they always seem to target mine.
This year, I was really lucky. My tulips survived, and they looked amazing!
Fireplace
in the bedroom
This fireplace was previously boarded up. I was pleasantly surprised to find the original tiles and some of the original surround still intact underneath. With a few eBay finds and some hard graft, the fireplace was brought back to its former glory.
Two obsessions
Fireplace
in the Drawing/
Library/Lego room
When we bought the house, this room had an odd 60s rockery-style fireplace. The only photo I have of it is one of little Alex, busy taking a picture of something (I’m still not sure what).
Now it’s been brought back with a much simpler approach. This time I didn’t need to buy anything. I just moved the surround from the living room and added new tiles. The tiles came from Mexico, though they have a strong Arts & Crafts feel.
2 Cliff End
We didn’t have a house sign for a while, and I started feeling a bit guilty watching postmen wander around trying to work out where we lived. So, eventually, I designed our house number! Of course, it couldn’t just be a simple number. I had to make sure it worked with all the AM/PM sensors and motion sensors controlling the lights around the entrance. I then had a laser-cutting company I found on Etsy make the sign.
