Interiors: small changes to make a house feel like home.

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My wonderful planner prompts me to note down three things I’m grateful for and without fail one of those things is always something to do with the house - I take stock of the opportunities it gives me, how I have space for the things I want to do in the house and how I’m able to make my mark on it.

When I had the offer accepted on the house I thought I would have it whipped into shape in a matter of months. Little did I know that almost two years down the line I’d still have a fair amount to do. But those rooms I have finished and added the finishing touches to have felt so good.

Today, as I was doing a few small jobs, I was reflecting on all the rentals I’d had and how fortunate I was to able to make some changes. Some of them I was limited to painting the walls a neutral colour and others I was able to be a bit more creative. Here in this house I own, I can really go for it and be a lot bolder and I’m learning so much about the impact choices can make.

While I’m not in a financial position to change all the floors as I’d like them and put the kitchen of my dreams in, I have turned to impactful changes that have both been affordable and made my home feel more ‘me’. In many ways, I still think I am finding my style - all these years of living in someone else’s style means I’m only just starting to experiment.

My job as a interiors and portrait photographer means I have seen a lot of folks homes - a lot of the people I photograph are incredibly creative and I’ve learned a lot over the years from these wonderful folk. What has stood out to me is small changes can make a room and I wanted to share some of the ways I considered bringing my own style in.

Play with windows.

Windows are such a major part of our homes - and often we leave the white or forget about them. There are many ways to give a window some love - in my home I’ve painted the uPVC black in the downstairs. I really wanted to go for a clean, modern feel with mid century nods. I hated the discoloured white uPVC and felt it tarnished the views out of the windows - the front room has the most epic views and the smaller window in the dining room looks out into the garden where the most enormous and gorgeous fern grows. I found painting them black almost framed the view and bought your eye to it. It has made such an impact and all for the cost of a pot of uPVC paint.

Something I love to see when browsing Pinterest is colourful windows - I would absolutely adore gorgeous sash windows with wooden frames, maybe one day! One artist who I photographed recently had painted their entire sash window frame and surround bright yellow and it was abs0lutely glorious.

What could a pot of paint do for your windows?

Bring colour to your doors and frames.

I cannot wait to get my upstairs landing stripped and painted so I can get colour on my doorframes! This is such a great way to bring personality to your home without going all out on colours in your rooms - if like me you’re not overly comfortable with colour walls this is such a good alternative.

When I first painted my leaded kitchen door I went with a bright yellow. While it was cheerful and I did like it it just wasn't me. Instead I had a rethink and went for a colour that was more ‘me’ - a deep, dusty rose colour that bought a warmth to my north facing kitchen and still had an impact without being loud. I absolutely love the doorway now and it gives me all the feels every time I walk through it.

With the living room I went for a deep charcoal on the living room side and the same dusty rose for the hallway side. These allow for a more neutral, light colour on the walls and the doors bring depth and personality.

Change up your knobs.

Do not underestimate the difference changing your door hardware can make. From new handles to locks with more personality - I feel like it’s such personal choice and changing them can really change the feel of your home. I have spent so many hours searching for affordable door hardware - I’ll do a dedicated blog post soon as I’ve used solutions like spray painting existing handles to buying new brass knobs. My go to is Handlestore as their products are a really good price so excellent for those of us on a very tight budget. For the link to each handle in the images, click the image.

Forget trends and hit the boot sales.

We’ve all been there - hours spent on Pinterest and feeling like we want to recreate every photo in our homes. But what if you create your own type of corners led by what items you really connect with? I was so tempted to fill my home with high street homewares but I’m so glad I waited and instead slowly collected pieces that really spoke to me from car boots, flea markets, antique shops and fairs and charity shops. In fact is has become a bit of a pastime to scour these places and the thrill of a find is wonderful. As is the appreciation I have for the item. Don’t worry if others will like it - if you like it, enjoy it.

Also, make room for family hand me downs - my Nan gave me some beautiful brass herons and I remember them from my childhood sitting on their curved sideboard - my grandad was a bird lover and taught me a lot about my love for nature. I adore them. And a big old flour pot was sitting outside my Mum’s house growing greener with every winter - I asked if I could have it, cleaned it up and now love it every time I take a wooden spoon out of it.

Display your favourite books wherever you can.

There is nothing wrong with books being to hand throughout your home - it’s not clutter, it’s soul. Wherever you might sit down with a cuppa place books - and rotate them regularly. Anything to tempt you away from the scroll and go for a page turn instead.

Use lighting to define areas.

Lighting is so subjective to how you live within your home. Want to read in that favourite armchair? Make sure your lighting illuminates the exact spot your book will be - extending arm lights are good for this. How about your dining table? Want soft but not hard lighting to feel relaxed while eating? Trail a flex from the ceiling into a low pendant that you can dim.

Have a think about every room in your house and how you can improve the lighting and then get searching - you’ll be amazed what you can pick up on Facebook Marketplace with lighting.

Would love to know if you have any ways that you make your house your home - comment below and inspire others!