A little money, a lot of work, three children, a dilapidated house and a dream to turn it into a cozy family nest ... And here is the result!
When a photographer, Debi Treloar, bought this house in northwestern London ten years ago, it almost collapsed.
"Once upon a time my friend lived here, and I remembered the magnificent garden and the way I loved to sit in the shade of a huge fig tree." - says Debi. However, when she and her family just moved in, the house did not even have a bath and had to go to a nearby gym to take a shower. First of all, the house was cleaned of debris and rubbish, the extra walls were dismantled, ceiling lights were installed and everything was painted white.
In the home improvement, Debi still does not adhere to any plan. “Everything happens naturally, as if by itself. I bring some interior and decor items from trips, friends give me some things, and I buy something or find it myself purely by accident,” - Deby admits. Sofa cushions, for example, are covered with old tablecloths that Deby collected. The kitchen rack is made of floorboards, which previously covered the floor in one of the rooms on the ground floor. It looks rustic, authentic and harmonizes with the overall style of the house.
“I’m never in a hurry and change things only when I find a really suitable option,” - says the hostess of the house. And since Debi is a photographer, the shooting is often carried out with her - and now the color of the walls is changing or some kind of props appears and stays as if he had always been here.
"Although I don’t get attached to things, but they delight me and inspire," - Deby admits.
Less walls and more light
In the spacious open kitchen, an ethnic mirror hangs on the wall above the sink that Deby brought from African Cape Town. It is made of bright plastic bottles and caps. The wooden countertop next to the sink was once part of the Detroit home ceiling - Deby found it on the Internet. On the shelves in Deby's kitchen, coffee mugs with portraits of the royal family are stored.
Deby's favorite colors - blue and turquoise - shine on the white background of the bedroom. The leather armchair in the living room is covered in pink paint. A mobile sofa on wheels provides an excellent opportunity to accommodate all guests.
Second Life
Saw off, paint and hang - but it turns out great! So home-made objects suddenly come to the fore.
THERE ARE HANGERS!
If you saw off the backs of old chairs, then sand them off, cover them with spray paint and attach metal hooks, you will get stylish superhangers on which you can hang anything you want.
You will need: old kitchen chairs; ruler; pencil; hacksaw; sandpaper; soft rag; acrylic paint of the desired color; brush; plastic coat hanger with hooks; hammer; drill; thin drill for wood; Pattex adhesive 100% (Henkel); matches, if necessary; nippers.
Description of work: using a ruler and a pencil, draw lines for sawing backs, then cut out the necessary wooden parts with a hacksaw. Using sandpaper to process sections, polished surfaces and edges to be sanded slightly to better absorb a new coat of paint. Use a soft cloth to remove dust. Then back cover twice with the desired paint.Leave the paint to dry completely.
Remove metal hooks from the plastic coat hanger. To do this, hit the shoulders with a hammer at the attachment point of each hook until the hook is released. Mark the middle of the top edge of each back. Drill a hole in the middle with a drill, then a drill. Pour a couple of drops of glue into the hole, insert the hook. If necessary, remove excess glue. Leave the construction to dry glue.
Tip: if the hook hole is too wide, insert a match with the hook. After drying, stick out the sticking match with a pair of nippers. If necessary, mask the hole with a drop of paint.
Racking potpourri
Long live the variety! Under this motto there were various drawers, a wall cabinet and a stool. Paint them with paint of the same color, set a few color accents, “put” on wood glue and screw it for stability - here you have the original shelving.
You will need: stool; drawers; wooden wall cabinet; masking crepe / scotch tape (Tesa); sandpaper; soft rag; acrylic paint of white, bright pink, yellow and green colors; brush; wood glue Ponal (Henkel); drill; thin drill for wood; wood screws; screwdriver.
Description of work: clean all parts from dust and dirt. Surfaces that should not be varnished should be glued with paint crepe. Sand the remaining parts with sandpaper to better absorb a new coat of paint. Use a soft cloth to remove dust.Then all parts are coated twice with white acrylic paint, as well as those surfaces that will later be painted with colored paint. Against the background of a white primer, colored paints shine better. Allow the primer to dry well. Then paint the necessary details with colored paint. Leave all parts to dry the paint.
Assemble all parts into a single design for inspection, then disassemble again. For final assembly, glue the corresponding surfaces of the individual parts with glue, connect them and leave the glue to dry. Then fasten the parts with screws. To do this, drill holes with a drill and a drill.
Tip: those who can draw can additionally paint the surface of the shelf. For example, draw a poodle.
Photo: Miriam Fruscella; production: Dagmar Murkudis.
