Change
Since lockdown started over a year ago there have been a few changes, slight understatement!
The first being Corona virus; which leads on to working from home, while home schooling my primary aged son. Then making the huge decision to leave London and relocate to Yorkshire.
What have you done this lockdown?
I have been supporting my son transition into a new school in the height of a pandemic and starting the huge task of renovating our new home. I have also used the time to re-think my business model, with lots of exciting ideas for the future.
I have lost all my teaching work, there are no after school clubs and or craft exhibitions for the foreseeable future. Since writing this I have been told that the next Knitting and Stitching show will be going ahead, so I have submitted my workshop proposals and will be teaching there in October.
We have also moved!
We have wanted our own home for years and tried so hard to make it happen in London. Thankfully we have found an incredible home in the country, so leaving London was a no brainer when you see what we have gained. We found our dream home, a very old property built in 1882, that needs lots of care and attention. Some have said it’s a money pit, we see it as a labour of love. Some rooms however have proved to be a can of worms! We had no idea when we viewed this what we were taking on, it has been a huge learning curve that we are all strangely you may think, enjoying.
It has unlocked another level of creativity. I am loving everything that is interiors! My favourite part being the research and project planning. I have pulled together all my work experience and skills and thrown myself into the decorating (maybe more renovation with this property) world. So far I have painted ceilings and walls, made casts of cornicing, learnt wallpapering, restored floorboards, making curtains and cushions. We have nearly finished 2 rooms so far; the living room and spare room. I will share some images of these below. Being a household of design, art and textiles teachers, there is no surprise that we love pattern and this is evident in our choice of wallpaper and colourful paint, our home is a reflection of our joint love of everything design. The house has so much to give and we are loving bringing it back to life.
Ideas for the future:
I would like to start more blogging about our renovation journey. I have started sharing my daily decorating jobs on my instagram account, instagram.com/mcgillhomeschool but from now on I will share a blog for each room I renovate, including all the ups and downs, suppliers and trades.
I also want to start making bespoke soft furnishings, so if there is something you like in our home, I can transfer similar into yours.
Here are some of our favourite suppliers so far:
We used the wallpaper and paint in our living room from: Farrow and ball
We found so many amazing products here, a favourite being our chandeliers: Vintage sofa company
The wallpaper and fabric for what we now call the tiger room and for our Morris room are from:
Current restoration diary
I am currently working on three spaces in the house; the dining room, my sons room and the garden. The garden is another blog. We have just finished the floor restoration in the dining room, removing the laminated floor boards, revealing beautiful strawberry oak. We hired an industrial sander for a week. I have filled the gaps in the boards and then varnished them. I have stripped the old wallpaper, I say old as I found a 1974 date hidden underneath.
My sons room, I have stripped the wallpaper and this has revealed lots of cracks and holes, so another room to be skimmed. The plasterer is here this week, so hopefully I will be able start painting his room next week. As a result (can of worms) both rooms are slightly delayed.
I hope to do a room blog each month from now on. here are the rooms I have completed so far.
Before and after images of two chandeliers I restored: Some of the plaster was damaged, so I made casts and replaced the missing parts. There was no light fittings, so both rooms needed the electrics installed. The dining room coving I applied gold leaf.
Here is the before and after pictures of the living room. Several walls needed cracks filled and skimmed, all walls panels have been stripped and wallpapered. The ceiling and cornicing painted, the fireplace restored, the floor laminate removed and floor boards restored. We have now got some brass curtain poles and I have made curtains, hopefully we will get these up before the winter.
Before and after pictures of the spare room. I taught myself how to wallpaper, the room was skimmed and all painted using Farrow and Ball paints. A chandelier was installed, carpet removed and floorboards restored. The old bed was also restored. I made the curtains and cushions.