Bathroom door - September

As with most of the house, the door to the bathroom has been painted several times in its colourful past.

And when we say colourful, we mean it! 

This one door has been white, cream, turquoise, green, black and wood-varnished!

While we have painted all the other doors in the Secret Space black on the outside and white on the inside, this door is causing a bit of a dilemma.  It's one of only two traditional wooden doors we have, and we feel it needs treating slightly differently to the other, standard doors.

First job is to strip the layers of paint away and see what's underneath, then sand down until smooth.

On the inside, after a coat of primer, we think we'll go white.  But we've left the outside as it is for now.  We quite like the rustic look...

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Fireplace restoration - September

Isn't it funny how previous generations sought to cover up original features?  It seems criminal that the fireplaces in the Secret Space have been painted over so many times that their beauty was totally hidden.

But, with a lot of hard work and patience (and various methods attempted before success) they are finally looking as they should.

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Upcycling - September

We love a bit of reduce, reuse and recycle so, when it came to closing off our courtyard, we decided to  use an old door from the community centre next door.   A few old floor boards sanded down to fill the gap and job done!

Next, a tired garden table and chair set was soon spruced up with a bit of time and effort - and some cans of Hamorite!  A hand-sewn cushion finishes off the look.

Some more seating getting a new lease of life were some stools that were gifted to us.  We thought they'd be handy in the kitchen, but the colour was all wrong.

But, underneath all the layers of varnish, we discovered a really wonderful light pine - which is a great contrast to the black.  So much better!

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More corking! September

It has been a steep learning curve - preparing, measuring, cutting and sticking. 

We even surprised ourselves at how well this ultra curvy piece fitted!

It was well worth the effort, though, we love our new cork flooring!

Cork is sustainable, hard-wearing and easy to clean while providing a softer feeling underfoot than wood floors.  It's pretty easy on the eye, too, with the warm colour complimenting the white walls.

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Corking! September

While we love the quarry tiles downstairs and the old floorboards upstairs, we want a slightly different feel to the lounge.  A cork floor with a large rug is the way to go...

The adhesive smells as bad as it looks...!!

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Fireplace - August

Tiling our fireplace was never going to be a straight forward exercise.  Particularly in an old building such as ours, where none of the walls or floors are straight or level.

It was a bit like a giant jigsaw!  But, with some careful planning, and a bit of help from a more experienced family member, the finished look is worth it. 

Anyone for a giant game of checkers?

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Monster Pipe - August

Over the last few months, we've painted many many pipes black, though none quite compare to this monster in the bathroom!

It was a bit of a job to paint as it goes right up to the ceiling, and it wasn't easy getting our pallet wood to fit around it either. But it's now become a feature and looks a million times better than it did!

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Small spaces - August

Painting skirting boards in such a tight space was never going to be easy but, with a bit of squishing and squeezing, we managed it.

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Nessy! August

Meet Nessy!

We couldn't resist adding a little something to an odd bit of pipe that pokes its head up through the floorboards.

When you visit us, you'll have to go on a hunt to see if you can find her!

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Bathroom - August

So, after a lot of hard graft from us and a fair amount of expert help along the way, our bathroom is starting to look usable.

Just a few decorative touches, like painting the radiator, and it'll be ready for guests! 

It's the small changes like these that usually have the biggest impact.

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Pallet cladding in the bathroom - August

We decided to make the screw heads a feature on our pallet board cladding in the bathroom, by adding some matching cups...

After a lot of hard graft from us, and a fair amount of expert help along the way, our bathroom is staring to look usable.

Just a few more decorative touches and it'll be ready for our guests!

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Pallet wood - August

 While we work on the Secret Space, we are trying to keep to a small budget and to reduce, reuse and recycle wherever possible.

So, we decided pallet wood was a really good resource to cladding and shelving, as it's usually very cheap or even free to collect.

First task is to get them apart...

Next step, prepare the wood for sanding by getting the old nails out...

Pull up the point of the nail with pliers

Hammer them out 

Pull them out with the claw of the hammer

Sanding is next.  There's a lot to do to fit out the whole bathroom, but it'll be worth it.

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Waxing - July

The stripping and sanding is finished, and the boards all clean, so it is time to get those floorboards shining.

A couple of old t-shirts or socks and a HUGE pot of Briwax should do the trick!

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Wooden Floors - July

 With most of the big jobs out of the way, we can prep the floors, ready for waxing.

Yes, that is a Prosecco bottle.  Honestly, it's all we could find to fill the mop...😉

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Dining Room - July

We've come a long way since our first decorative purchase bounced along a local carpark...

Today, our giant light fitting is being safely attacked in the dining room.  Phew!

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Bedroom Cupboard - July

 The chipboard shelves in the bedroom cupboard just don't match our vision for the Secret Space, so they have to go!

We don't even know what those wires are for, so they're coming out too!

Next, get rid of the baby pink walls, with a few coats of white, then add some black to the pipes for a bit of contrast.

Lastly, paint the shelving white, add a rail, some hangers and a mirror.  We now have ourselves a small walk-in wardrobe!

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