The Money Pit

A lot of you will know I have recently moved to a new house which I guess my Mr and I class as a bit of a 'fixer-upper'.

We have been working hard and spending hard on it for a while and to be honest we are getting a little fed up and in desperate need of a holiday (NYC I mean you!!). So ... we have slowed down the progress so we can still enjoy the finer things in life.

One of the first rooms to be trashed and rebuilt was the bathroom.  It's not finished yet, we still need to paint a wall and replace some bath fittings that were delivered faulty :( However, it is getting there and I can start to see it take shape.

I thought I would show you some of my inspiration charted against how my bathroom looks currently.  This should give you an idea of what it should look like when it is finished.

Naked art whether it be sculptural or illustration, i love it!

A chandelier and a rolltop bath were always top of my list

Dark walls against warm rustic pieces look awesome

I wanted brick tiles, marble and vintage touches

In my head I had the idea of a 50's/60's era New York City style bathroom with brick tiles, monochrome colour scheme and a bit of marble thrown in for good measure.  You won't see in the photo but our shower cubicle is covered in brick marble tiles and a retro rain shower head.  The rooltop bath was debated over for weeks, we originally wanted a modern rolltop but this reproduction was too lush to resist.  I am a little obsessed with grey and black walls at the moment so I painted the bathroom a Valspar shade 'Caviar for the Tsars'.  I want to paint at least one wall in every room black for some reason while others desperately try to talk me out of it. Go figure. 

I'm also obsessed with fur blankets, rugs and taxidermy so as well as the Ikea sheepskin rug in the bathroom, I plan on adding a few extra creepy bits and pieces that will act as a talking point/incite disgust ;).  TK Maxx has been a bit of an interiors paradise for me lately.  I don't know what I would do without that shop.  I always find interesting and 'on trend' pieces for a fraction of the price.  I found these 2 framed naked lady illustrations there for £10.  whoop! 

rolltop, chandelier, black walls, sheepskin rug

TK Maxx bargain 'art'

Currently we are adding a pop of yellow/gold to the room to help warm it up and add a modern/vintage balance.  Hopefully we will have finished it soon and I can post some final photos.

Oh and a quick edit for you - I forgot to post a pic of the bathroom BEFORE I got my hands on it so here it is. It's small and blurry but it's all I have.

BEFORE the makeover

As ever, I would love your opinions of my humble abode :) 

Who lives in a house like this ....?

The last 4 weeks have been a little chaotic to say the least.

I'd hardly set foot in the door of my new house before the renovations were kicking off.  Three and a half weeks after it all started, the building work is nearly done and soon it will be time to start decorating.

We decided to avoid hassle further down the line by getting all our work done at the same time so we don't have the disruption in the future.  To sum it up, we have moved our kitchen into  a completely different room, split the original kitchen into 3 separate rooms to create a study, utility room and 'powder room' (downstairs loo to you and me) and a complete makeover of the main bathroom.

While all this has been going on I have had limited internet access, no cooking or washing facilities and a house full of unpacked boxes.  We have managed to get by living out of a bedroom and a small space of couch in the living room.  Needless to say the novelty has started to wear off and we just can't wait to get our house back to really put our own stamp on it.

I plan on posting some before and after photos over the next few months as we manage to finish off rooms but I will leave you with some snippets of my new home through the eyes of Instagram....

The view from my couch until yesterday ..!!

new purchases for the garden :) 

restoring my old singer sewing machine table

one of the gorgeous chandeliers that came with the property

my new bath! 

Drumroll .... here is the first of the before and afters!!  This is what will be my dining room which leads onto the back garden.  I wanted more light in the room and the space to feel bigger. I love the idea of bringing the outdoors in and think that this space will be one of my favourites in the house.

Next project after the house is finished will be Project Green Fingers! The garden needs a serious update.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Ta-da!

These wardrobes came with the house, I am undecided if I should keep them? What do you think?

The bones of my new kitchen - it will be finished this week :) 

I've started filling the cupboards - exciting! 

My new shower area in it's early stages - the full bathroom will be complete this week too! :) 

I will keep on sharing photos in between the usual beauty, fashion, lifestyle posts.  There is so much decorating to do, I am sure it will keep me busy for the foreseeable, so any decor tips, send them my way!  :)

x