We moved into our new home back in October 2020, in the midst of a pandemic! Whilst I do not recommend this.. hear me out! We saw this house back in December 2019! Having seen the house on a whim and having no intentions to move prior to viewing the house.. I put our old house up for sale the very same day! I'm very impulsive like that. Our house was snapped up by the first buyers that viewed it - perfect we thought! However, throw Cornovarius, a global pandemic, and sadly probate into the mix.. It wasn't as straight forward as we thought it was going to be. Anyway, 10 months later we finally moved into our beautiful semi detached Victorian house in Brighton, UK.
The first room we are focusing our attention on is the living room! We're living in the house whilst we renovate which I know isn't everyones cup of tea but we've got enough space to shift from room to room and it suits us fine.
The living room is first because we spend most and if not all of our time in here. So in my eyes it makes sense to get one room looking lovely and have somewhere clean and functional to retreat to whilst we tackle the rest of the house.
The living room has some gorgeous original Victorian features - which is what drew me to the house in the beginning! I could see way past the floral wallpaper and interesting.. carpets. We've got high ceilings, a huge bay window, intricate cornicing and a beautiful ceiling rose to work with - the room has amazing bones.
I've attached photos below if you're interested in its current state. It's hard to believe the mismatch of pattern and brick tiles were once on trend!
So, the plan. I'm hoping to work with all the original features we have in the room, including the original wide floorboards we've discovered underneath that questionable carpet. I'm thinking of having them stripped back to their original state and just staining them with a clear oil to keep them looking lovely.
For the walls I'm hoping to find the perfect warm white. Our living room is west facing so we get some lovely sunlight until midday through the bay windows.. and after that its a little dark. So a warm white should pick the light up in the room. I've got testers of Farrow&Ball "School house white" and Little Greene "Slaked Lim Mid'
I've scoured Facebook Marketplace and so far picked up the marble surround for £100. ( I know, I hate me too.) The vintage Younger Toledo cabinet on the left I've picked up more recently for £150 - I'm thinking of stripping back the wood and giving it an Eyeswoon vibe!
I want to add hints of black around the room to really add some interest. So I'd really love to find some reclaimed 4 panel Victorian doors which we can paint black to make a statement in the room.
I think a Sofa will be the last item on my list as we're still in lockdown at the moment, Sofa showrooms are closed for the forseeable. Something neutral in colour, natural in material.. and lastly bloody comfy! A high back.. a deep seat.. something we can really sink into - I can't wait!
