Sharing clever ideas for injecting country charm into her new-build gained Charlie Hobbis a large Instagram following, as well as a new-found confidence
Feature Maxine Brady Photos Colin Poole
SOPHISTICATED RESTYLE
My story
‘We stumbled across this estate when we were on our way to the supermarket. It was a total fluke! We loved the location of the development, which has great links to the city, so booked a viewing for that day and put in an offer the same afternoon on one of the remaining properties.
As we purchased our home as a ‘stock plot’, all the fixtures and fittings had already been picked out by the developers. We loved the kitchen and bathroom design, but the other rooms lacked character. I knew that injecting personality into a new-build property would take a lot of imagination, but I was willing to give it a go.
Shortly before moving in, we discovered that our garage had no electricity. David planned to use the space for his workshop and needed power for his tools, so the developers had to dig a cable trench through our lawn, destroying the grass. So, unexpectedly, our spending pot for decorating the house went on landscaping the garden instead.
The developers advised us not to paint for the first year while everything in the house settled, so I focused on buying furniture for the rooms. I didn’t have a cohesive look in mind, so everything ended up mismatched. Due to our limited budget, I bought pieces based on price point rather than style, and I soon regretted my purchases.
Later in the year, I set up a home decor Instagram account and noticed I was drawn to modern country-style interiors. I made moodboards based on this look, which gave me the confidence to swap out the dull grey furniture and mismatached accessories for warmer tones.
Inspired by my success on Instagram, I decided to give up my job in international events and started working in marketing. In 2022, I set up my own marketing agency. So, you could say that my home kick-started a big career change! Not only that, but this house has taught me to be confident in my style, and I’m proud to say that my home is my favourite place to spend my time. I’m a total homebody these days.’
