Bedroom Project - Part One

So everyone loves a room makeover don't they?  When we moved into our modest two bedroom terraced house, the previous owner had divided the master bedroom into two rooms with plyboard nailed together.  It was a real mess.  Once we had removed all of that, it was possible to see that the room had potential. Good dimensions, solid original flooring and the light coming through the window was lovely.  Once the room had been replastered, rewired etc, we could get down to work designing it and making it more comfortable.

I really do believe it is possible to decorate and furnish a room within a budget.  I don't see the point in spending a small fortune when styles, tastes and the function of a room are likely to change. I see it as a challenge to make a room look lovely for less.    I am a massive fan of vintage decoration and style but I don't like a lot of clutter so I wanted the room to reflect both of those preferences.  We painted the room wide, which allowed us to view to room as a blank canvas and made it appear larger and more light filled.  The accent wall was painted a medium/dark toned grey, as a backdrop to display some pictures and art.

One of the things I knew I wanted was a shelf above the bed to hold some of my favourite pieces of art.  I had my eye on this ribba shelf from ikea for a while as it has a ledge so that you can display books with pretty covers, art and ornaments.  It also means you can change the items on the display when you get bored! Sorted.
7

The fireplace is the focal point of the room on the opposite side.  I scrubbed this to within an inch of it's life, as it had all sorts of grime lurking in the crevices.  Then it was painted with a black metal paint and looked much better.  I considered putting a mirror above the fireplace, but got freaked out at the idea of seeing my reflection in the black of night.....

Part two of this makeover to follow soon.........

Bill's Loft

So, like many people St Ives is one of my favourite destinations in the UK.  As a child I often visited and felt like the place had some strange sort of magic attached to it.  It is a beautifully picturesque place and there is lot to see and do in the area.  Last year, I was looking through some photos on google and happened to see a beautiful converted retro loft/apartment. You can't really mess around with booking for St Ives due to its popularity, so I snapped it up and booked for the April this year. So glad I did!

A hearty breakfast was needed for the long drive!

The loft is an open plan living place with retro furnishings and the attention to detail is amazing.  The bubblegum pink and pastels hues may not be to everyone's taste but for mine it was perfect.  The novelty factor alone makes it worth a visit.  Did I mention there was a jukebox?? let's not forget that part....

Bill's Loft is compact, but it really does have everything you need and would be perfect for a couples get away, hen nights and trips with your mates.  Hell, any occasion is an excuse in my opinion. My friend came down for the first part and then my parents and partner.  The sofa bed pulls out into a double bed so you can accommodate more bodies! The total price is £535 for the week but this was at a peak time and was split between five of us in total, making it an extremely economical break indeed.  Here are a few more snippets....

The welcome gift was also lovely. Locally baked bread, Cornish butter and Brie, Olives and a bottle of Merlot (milk might have been useful as well to be honest!).  There was also a Cactus plant, which is now sitting on my kitchen window ledge....they say its hard to kill Cacti... we'll soon see.