Renovation is not just about the building work, the finished property needs to be decorated and furnished. This is a huge task in itself and takes a surprisingly long time to do, and can be incredibly stressful....
If you have renovated or redecorated you will understand the stress & frustrations that come with it. The constant self-doubt about your decisions. Will it work as a ‘livable’ space? Will the furniture fit? What if it looks ok, but it is really uncomfortable? What if you've invested all this time and money and it looks awful?
Add to that the stress of doing it remotely - I was overseas. I had to find suitable storage for everything from furniture right down to the teaspoons, and found a great storage company in Greenock, who also very kindly accepted deliveries on my behalf. I didn’t see any of the items I had bought until it ALL arrived from storage in a large van almost 12 months later, box after box. That was a daunting day to say the least.
A Google search found Mariessa at Devlin Interiors and she was a superstar. She went to across to Bute and took room measurements for me, so that I could buy furniture that would fit in the rooms, particularly important as the rooms were odd shapes. She also took delivery of umpteen fabric and carpet samples, video calling me to describe what they looked and felt like. More often than not, they were nothing like they seemed online. For those who are interested in such things, I will write a little about some of the interior décor journey, starting with the master bedroom.
I used Dulux ‘Milky Pail’ on most of the walls in the cottage, it is a nice neutral shade, but still has some warmth to it. Oh, the hours of my life that were lost looking at paint colours that were all variations of the same shade 🤯 My husband shrugging and saying 'they all look the same to me" whenever I asked for his opinion...
Due to the damp in some rooms, we had to strip out the walls, taking out the old lathe and plaster and then allow it time to air and 'dry' out. The walls were then 'rebuilt', but due to the addition of the thick insulated damproof boards we lost quite a bit of space in these rooms. The loss of space meant that wardrobes were just not an option. I found the most amazing range of clothing rails from an online shop called Pobishop. They make them in any style, size or colour of your choice, so they were perfect for an old cottage with its quirky shaped rooms.
I have a number of feature chairs in the cottage, and the one in this room was a Facebook market place find. It was a rather dark, drab chair with mustard coloured velvet upholstery. I handed it over to Susan Myler (Myler Décor), an incredibly talented local upholsterer, to work her magic on it and she transformed it into a stunning feature piece for the room. I spent many hours looking at fabrics for the various rooms and settled on a gorgeous fabric from Cream Cornwall called ‘Rockpool’ in an off white for the master bedroom, and I think it works really well.
I love the artist Emma Davis’s style of work. The prints I selected feature local scenes and the soft mauve tones are so calming and restful, great for a bedroom. One of which I purchased over a cup of coffee - the Bute Gallery (a gorgeous shop that is sadly no longer open) had agreed to display some of his stock in a nearby coffee shop, and I spotted it while I sat enjoying a scone and coffee with my mum. There are quite a few pieces dotted throughout the house that came from that shop including the lovely 'Gannet Rock' painting in the lounge.
The lovely big urn style vase and faux greenery are from another of my favourite local shops Simply Buteiful. The cream and buff cushions were from there too. …I can’t seem to go into the shop without coming out with something🙂
