she calls a “board of love” – a piece of quartz board that matches the kitchen worktops and is updated every week with something new. “It’s nice to change the feel of the room and it means it never becomes stale,” she explains, adding that it also satisfies her restless ingenuity. “It lets me be creative, otherwise I’d probably be saying ‘right let’s do our next project!’” They also wanted to make a strong use of
colour, which they felt confident doing in part due to Ian’s expertise as a furniture painter. He also influenced the choice of kitchen: “I’m not really a fan of modern but actually it goes so well with that 60s style; I’m glad I let him have his say!” Laura says.
Laura also used the expertise of two interior designer friends when it came to lighting, who firstly advised her and Ian to take their time choosing. They gave tips including layering lights at different heights for ambience, and to think how they would use spaces so light could be usefully placed in certain areas. “It was never a case of downlighters everywhere for us!” When asked if she’d change anything, Laura’s only niggle is that they didn’t “kango up” the floor and install underfloor heating in one corner of the kitchen – money was getting tight and it was to be covered by the units anyway. “On very cold days we lose heat – for the sake of £1,200 – we should have done it.” Laura’s goal was no less than to achieve “total happiness.”. She says that as she works long hours, she wanted their home to be “a sanctuary – I want to absolutely love it.” Despite that
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Laura recalls a day when she was attempting to homeschool two children while the builders were installing a two tonne piece of steel above their heads
demanding goal, she says she couldn’t be happier with the end result, including the fact that now their kids can bring their friends round. “We’re really pleased with the size, which means we can incorporate things that make it really fun to be here.”
Looking to the future, Laura and Ian are virtually certain they’ll do a project again, but not until the children have finished school. And the cost of land in their area means that while a full self-build might be “the ultimate dream,” Laura says that as they know they want to stay in the area, it’ll most likely be another renovation. “We’ve found our home.”
sep/oct 2021
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