A Little Bit of Life Size Design.....

My children are all grown up and live away from home for 45 plus weeks of the year. The two youngest are at university and my eldest is living the life on a graduate programme in a lovely area of London. So at the moment I feel as if we are living in a family home in limbo, kids all gone but not quite left.

 The year before my eldest was due to apply for his secondary school we moved into a village with a co-ed comprehensive to enable all three of the children to attend a school they would all be able to walk to. The house is a typical 1970's square box house that had been badly extended some time in the '80's with a small back garden. 

 Up until this move I had always lived in Victorian houses, I had never lived in a house built after 1899 and have found it quite difficult to get used to this modern family house. My furniture was wrong, my paint colours did not work and I could not get the right feeling at all.

 Many years have now gone by and my dream of moving back into the country and the Victorian vicarage look like remaining a dream so I have had to take stock and accept that this house may be the one they carry me out of.  

 Time for some post-children redecoration and an attempt to simplify, lighten and brighten. To fix all the little bits and pieces around the house that did not seem worth worrying about with a house full of teenagers and sports gear.

 I have begun with the main living room or front room as it was always known in my family. This was painted in a very dark Farrow and Ball drawing room colour but I have gone for an all ivory look with a bit of Laura Ashley.

 The fireplace, woodwork, furniture and walls have been painted in Dulux Subtle Ivory 4 that you have mixed. I have painted everything the same colour as I didn't want too many different shades of cream, I wanted a very uniform background.

As you can see I haven't even put in the photographs yet!!

 I have had a hankering to go lighter for a few years now so luckily our leather chair and sofas have blended in well which saved quite a lot of expense. This light is from Laura Ashley who seem to be having a permanent sale and I bought a whole range of bits and pieces for anywhere between 40 and 50% off. 

 The window end of the room with two pieces of furniture I have not been allowed to paint or get rid off as they came from my husband's grandmother's house........hmmmm, the things we do, but I shouldn't complain as he doesn't interfere to much in the decorating decisions.

The curtains and cushions are all Laura Ashley from the Hydranga range, I do like a bit of co-ordination with my soft furnishings. My friends tell me it's because I have no imagination!! I am very safe I know because big mistakes cost so much to rectify in the real world! Much easier in my dolls houses.

 Lily was not happy with all the upheaval over the last couple of weeks but loves her new furry throw upon which she can sit and watch the world go by in absolute comfort.

All in all I am very happy with the over all look. I have lined the old display cabinet with left over wallpaper and my ivory Sylvac collection looks very pretty inside. I have sprayed lights, lanterns and frames but there are still quite a few gaps here and there. I love the idea of living minimalistically ( is that a word? ) but I don't think I am capable of doing so, the look will probably end up a lot more cluttered as time goes on. 

The walls are pretty bare but I want to get some black and white canvas wall art pieces done from old family photographs but that will have to wait until after Christmas.

The worst thing about decorating.....clearing up all the mess afterwards, my how dust and paint travels!!