Little House Updates

As you know, we have been making some updates to our home over the last few months. The whole process of deciding what to do and seeing it come to life has been such fun! Some of the smallest changes have made the biggest difference! I thought I would outline some of my favourite things we’ve done!

My TAYLOR SHUTTERS

There is absolutely no doubt that this has been my favourite addition to our home. We put shutters into our Bedroom (which has big stackable doors), our dining room (which overlooks the cars so not a very pretty view), and my office.

The whole process, from start to finish, with Taylor Shutters & Blinds was so great. I did a virtual consult (given Covid) and was guided on the best options – I literally walked through my home on a Whatsapp video call and sent through pics and rough measurements. I got a few quotes as we were unsure if we wanted to do some blinds and some shutters for cost reasons – the call also helped guide me on what was best for each space.

My second consultation was for proper measurements to be taken and this was done at our home. Wynand, from Taylor Shutters & Blinds, also bought samples of the different blind and shutter options which was really handy in guiding me on what it would actually look like in that space.

I opted for all-white timber shutters and we used this time to discuss how the shutters would be configured for each space. I then got my final quote and my shutters started getting manufactured.

Installation happened a month later and was so quick and efficient. I am absolutely in love with how they elevate our space so much. I also love the privacy they bring, whilst still letting beautiful light into the room. I now, unfortunately, need every window in our home done.

I used Taylor Shutters & Blinds and had an incredible experience, contact them for a quote here.

Reupholstering rather than buying new

I have wanted to replace our sofa’s in our lounge for a while, but they actually are great sofa’s and fit our space really well. I decided to go the upholstering route as I was advised that they can re-shape the couch (I want to the arms of the couch to be less rounded) and then also plump up sad-looking cushions. I also used The Sewing Room to assist me with new scatters and am delighted with the finished product: fresher, more adult-like and so much more sophisticated.

The Sewing Room has been the best discover yet. They offer a service where you can give your home a facelift in such an affordable way. I have loved using them so much and am getting them to sort out a few other pieces (like my headboard, our spare room, my office chair etc). Pop onto their website – they do reupholstering, easy scatter cushion selection and guide you with any decisions you may have. Honestly, dream team!

Lastly, you all know how set I was on getting white couches but with Forest in the picture, this was looking less and less likely. Two of my lovely readers told me about Home Fabrics who own a brand called Fibreguard. The fabric is basically the softest linen-like, super high-end quality, yet in stain-resistant. Literally red wine, chocolate, crayons, mud – you name it! You simply wipe it down with a cloth, water, and soap. It’s pretty unreal.

So, as you would have seen, I got my white couches in the end! I wanted to share the info here as so many of you hadn’t heard about Fibreguard – I went for the Angora Casual. The Sewing Room managed the reupholstering for me.

Paint!

This may be an obvious one, but an affordable upgrade in your home will always be paint. You can’t under-estimate the change this can make to a space; from the obvious wall painting to upgrading a piece of furniture with a good lick of paint!

We did a feature wall in our lounge using a beautiful, yet subtle, moss green colour. The rest of the room is very light and neutral, so this created some warmth – I didn’t want it to feel too stark. The paint we used was Dulux English Meadow. My office was Dulux Pink Hints.

I also did four different furniture pieces in various shades, which made them feel brand new and better suited to their new space in our home. The main point being, don’t shy away from paint – you can always paint over it if it doesn’t work. In fact, we started doing our passage in a dark charcoal and I got cold feet (it felt too dark for a space that already had little natural light). A few coats of a primer and we were back to our original white wall.

Plants!

Lastly, (what would a KBT post be without this?!?) plants bring such life to a space, and it’s a pretty affordable and fuss-free addition. This is also great if you are renting and don’t want to make any changes that are too permanent (or cost too much money).

If you really want to create a little home jungle, then propagating your plants will make this much more do-able and affordable. Sure, plants require a lot of TLC so don’t just expect them to flourish, but the effort is so worth it. A beautiful plant in a basket is also a great way to hide any unsightly house bits, like Wifi decoders, wires etc.

OK, that’s it for now. I’m sure I will do a few more changes as we go, but will keep you posted about that on Instagram. As I say, we didn’t want to spend too much and wanted to make use of what we own, where possible. It’s been such a fun process and one that hadn’t broken the bank.