Joanne McCauley was living in a home she described as ‘dull and uninspiring.’
When the first lockdown hit, she decided to finally do something about it.
Now, it’s a colourful pastel fantasy.
The 40-year-old said: ‘I have lived in this house for nine years but it was so dull and uninspiring.
‘I always wear colourful clothing, so the house didn’t reflect me at all.
‘Before starting the renovation in the first lockdown, I had barely picked up a paint brush.
‘But I learnt as I went along and even created a pastel ombre effect in one of the spare rooms.
‘It’s OK to make mistakes as I could always go over it.
‘I feel so much better waking up to a colourful home every day.’
Joanne calls her downstairs toilet the ‘disco loo’ as it has wallpaper with boomboxes on, a disco ball, cabbage patch dolls and a Rubik’s cube.
She said: ‘It is a wacky toilet, but I love it.’
Joanne’s favourite room is the beauty room, which is pink and yellow.
‘I instantly feel joy as I walk into it,’ she said.
‘It is the first room I decorated, and then I got the colour bug.
‘There is a lot of pink and purple in my house, but I have tried to compromise by making the living room with green and darker tones. It is a calm space.
‘I am mindful that my husband Deryl, 40, lives here too.
‘But he is happy as long as I am happy, and he loves seeing the final outcome.’
Joanne’s interiors include new, old and up-cycled items, including a print from a charity shop and framed pieces of wrapping paper.
She got all the rugs which include zebra and Aztec print and/or rainbows from Wayfair.
Joanne explained: ‘Most of my spending was on paint as I needed lots of it.
‘My walls before were grey, magnolia or white, and now they’re completely transformed.
‘The hall is orange with an art gallery filled with prints, and a clothing patch from when I travelled in a frame.
‘I also purchased a radiator cover and painted it purple.
‘The house décor came to about £3,000 – taking into account the new sofa and chairs, paint for each room, some faux plants and a lot of prints.
‘I also bought the red sofa bed in my beauty room, but I sold my bed and some furniture so that halved the cost to around £150.
‘My shoe wall for example cost me only £45 by using a sheet of MDF for £26, the wall brackets were £13 and then screws and leftover paint made up the rest.
‘Everyone’s favourite cupboard is in the kitchen which looks like an ordinary cupboard, but it’s actually a minibar.
‘I have learnt that decor doesn’t have to be so serious, matching and perfect. You can’t go wrong as long as you like it.’
Joanne felt ‘scared’ to add all these colours to her home at first, but now she couldn’t imagine having it any other way.
Even though it’s not quite the ‘norm’ for a house, she’s certain her work has added value to the house.
She said: ‘I know my house isn’t to everyone’s taste, but I don’t think it has decreased in value.
‘We spent a further £5,000 on an outdoor kitchen which is painted light blue.
‘It is perfect for entertaining guests.
‘The colours aren’t for everyone but anyone who sees my house can appreciate it.’
Do you have a story to share?
Get in touch by emailing [email protected]
MORE : Take a look inside a three-bedroom house that was 3D printed in just 12 hours
MORE : A real life fairytale home is on sale in London for £800,000
MORE : Rundown bungalow on sale for £300,000 hides an incredible secret garden in the back
Get all the need-to-know property news, features and advice from Metro every week.
var notifyQ = function () { var i = 0, l = awaitingReady.length; for (i = 0; i < l; i++) { awaitingReady[i](); } }; var ready = function (cb) { if (fbApiInit) { cb(); } else { awaitingReady.push(cb); } }; var checkLoaded = function () { return fbApiInit; }; window.fbAsyncInit = function () { FB.init({ appId: '176908729004638', xfbml: true, version: 'v2.10' }); fbApiInit = true; notifyQ(); }; return { 'ready' : ready, 'loaded' : checkLoaded }; })(); (function () { function injectFBSDK() { if ( window.fbApi && window.fbApi.loaded() ) return; var d = document, s="script", id = 'facebook-jssdk'; var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) { return; } js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.async = true; js.src = "https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); } if ('object' === typeof metro) { window.addEventListener('metro:scroll', injectFBSDK, {once: true}); } else { window.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', injectFBSDK, {once: true}); } })();
For all the latest Lifestyle News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
