Slowly slowly - the gradual evolution of a home

When you move into a new house, especially one that requires a lot of work, a lot of thought and a lot of inconvenience, it's tempting to want to rush through the process as quickly as possible so that it's liveable and homely.  I think it's a natural impulse to want things to be 'sorted'.  I also believe that if your house is in chaos, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and disorganised in other areas of your life so that it is tempting to bury your head in the sand and try to forget how much work is required.
I am sure that in many ways it is a lot less stressful to move into a house that is completely modernised and finished but that just wouldn't work for me and it's not really my cup of tea.  If you look at it from a different perspective, there are definite advantages to renovating/decorating a home gradually and letting it come to together in a fluid way rather than forcing and rushing the process.

Firstly if you focus on one area at a time and in smaller chunks it's less stressful and easier to focus on what needs to be done.  I find that making lots of lists is key and if you break them down and tick them of it feels more achievable.  When you aren't living somewhere and trying to decorate everywhere in one fowl swoop it is easy to overlook key details such as where plug sockets are most conveniently located and which way doors should swing.  When you are living somewhere and getting a 'feel' for the environment, you realise that things that seemed like great ideas in theory are actually impractical and just don't work in the space that you are inhabiting.

This is a before and after of the kitchen/dining room and apart from the kitchen (which was fitted in one go) it has all been done bit by bit and still isn't finished as yet. Everywhere had to be plastered and rewired first.

Before

After

                                                           

Secondly by doing things gradually you get more time to really think about whether items that you are purchasing are things you love and whether they will work for longer periods of time. You can go home and really give it some thought rather than buying things for the sake of it and never using them.  Over time you may buy things you really love and find ways to fit them into the scheme of your house.  I have a number of items I have bought and don't know where they are going yet, but love them and know I can make them work somewhere.  In this way, each item is carefully considered rather than purchased hurriedly to serve a purpose for a limited period of time.

Finally there is a continual sense of achievement when you gradually do things, bit by bit.  You appreciate it more because you have saved hard for it and really thought about it.  It's lovely to see somewhere gradually come together and it takes longer for the novelty to wear off.

The thrifty bit:

• When we pulled the carpet up there were original floor boards underneath but they had a layer of white paint.  Rather than strip this off  I decided to go for a vintage/Scandi look.  This is actually very economical as you only need paint for the floor and a bit of patience.  If the floor becomes scuffed over time, you can either touch it up or leave it to look weathered.
• If you have a focal point in the room such as the table pictured you don't need lots of furniture, which can look cluttered anyway. The table was £170 from a charity shop with 6 chairs (not all pictured as they still need to be painted). My mum helped sand all the top and then we applied two coats of wax for protection.  We also used Annie Sloan chalk paint on the legs but you can find cheaper options in Homebase.  It's much quicker and does not require much prep or any sanding, which is one task I hate most in life,

• Since the walls are all white we created a focal point with the chimney breast wall.  The wallpaper was far from cheap but since it's only one wall and savings were made elsewhere it was possible to splash out a bit here. 
• The fireplace was salvaged and cost nothing.  It does need a surround though.
• Because the room is white it is possible to inject colour with accessories, which can be changed and updated when you feel like it.  That's the next thing to do in this room,  along with finding a sideboard for extra storage.