I love styling our home at this time of year

MODERN MEETS VINTAGE MAKEOVER

My story

‘I loved this house from the moment I walked through the front door on our first viewing,’ Louise recalls. ‘We had viewed quite a few properties by that point and none of them were right for us, but I knew straight away that this house was just perfect.

What drew me was the size of the rooms and the layout of the whole property. It immediately reminded me of my childhood home, which was a Victorian house with large rooms – even though this place was practically a new-build it had the feel of a period property, which I absolutely loved. After eventually moving in, it took us a while to make the home our own. We gradually painted every room in muted, pastel tones, and I remember my husband and I staying up very late one night painting the dark purple dining room a lovely pale pink before visitors arrived to stay the next day. It was quite hectic!

It was worth it, though, to be able to have this space to share with our loved ones – particularly at Christmas time. It’s my absolute favourite time of year, and right from the start I could visualise how the house would look decorated for the festive season with twinkly lights, trees in every room and the living room fireplace being the focal point of our yearly celebrations. I like to make a real effort at Christmas, and I love opening up our home to family and friends this time of year.’

Kitchen

‘The kitchen had pine units with orange walls, very bright multi-coloured tiles, and the floor was covered in farmhouse-style terracotta tiles. I loved the layout but hated the décor, so we eventually ripped out the whole kitchen four years ago and I had my dream kitchen installed in powder blue with brass hardware. I more or less kept the same layout, as it worked well, but made a few changes, such as installing a large stove (rather than an integrated oven) with a mantel above it and a baking cupboard. The kitchen is definitely the heart of the home and I love to decorate the m