From Mum and Suburban House Wife to Interior Designer!

My name is Julie and I have recently moved with my husband and three kids into a lovely detached house in Richmond. Up until now we have always lived on the outskirts of London, however as both my husband and I want my youngest son Joshua to go to one of the local preparatory schools, we felt it necessary to move closer to avoid all the issues we have had in the past with the commute. 

My two other boys Jack 25 and Jason 18, have now both moved out and are working in the city. Both of them went to the same preparatory school as we want Joshua to go, however back then we didn’t have the finances to move to Richmond. Since then we had a loss of a close family member, however it meant that my husband has become a Property Manager and has a small portfolio of properties, which has drastically improved our income.

Up until the last 5 years I was pretty much a house wife when I first had Jack, and as much as it’s been great to be a stay at home mum and watch my kids grow up, I have to say it was a relief when Will asked me to go into business with him, in the property market. Both Will and I make a great team and whilst he looks after all the manual labour, I take on the role of the interior designer.

As each property in our portfolio is for rental I tend to make sure the design is fairly minimal, as we will have do the maintenance on it from time to time. Given that I apply most of the same designs to all the properties, you can imagine my delight at doing something a little more creative for my own home. First things first the exterior! I absolutely love the sash windows that our new home incorporates, however they are slightly rotten and desperately need replacing. I have been looking online for different styles, and I have found a selection that I particularly enjoy and also some polished nickel sash window fittings. If nickel isn’t quite your style then have a look at some of the polished brass window fittings in the market!

The polished nickel window fittings I found were from A & H Brass, who are an ironmongers in London, you can browse their full collection here https://ahbrass.co.uk

With a lick of paint and a new front door our house looks polished and good as new from the outside. Moving onto the interior, I want the living room to be nice and cosy so I’m thinking of a large family sized sofa surrounded by oak furniture, with a log burner in the chimney cavity. The Kitchen suite will have marble tops, and black gloss cabinets. I’m also thinking of light grey walls to compliment the kitchen with warm orchid accent colours.

The bathroom will also be fitted with a brand new white suite, with Moroccan style floor tiles. As for the hallway and bedrooms these are yet to be decided, but I’m so excited to watch this project transform into the perfect family home.

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Interior Design – Think About Practicality When It Comes To Installations

When you’re renovating your house you need to consider every detail to create your ideal home. Some of the more important features can often be overlooked when getting carried away with interior design. People often forget that items like windows and doors, serve a purpose other than just looking the part. As you can probably tell I tend to have an eye for practicality over appearance, which is why I wanted to highlight to all those undergoing a home makeover, not to overlook the key requirements particularly when it comes down to installing windows and doors. 

Windows and doors are instrumental to a home for many a reason…..

• They are essential for keeping in the warmth of a room / house.
• They keep out the damp in harsh weather conditions.
• They can prevent outside noises from penetrating the walls.
• They help regulate the room / house temperature.

For these and many more reasons it’s important to make sure that they are installed correctly. When installing windows it’s essential that you call in the professionals to fit them properly, as these jobs can particularly put your safety at risk when working at higher levels. As for fitting doors this will vary depending on the type of door you intend to fit. For example a front door will tend to be more complex then fitting doors between rooms in the house. Although many people have confessed to fitting them themselves I would still recommend you enlist the help of the carpenter to fit it properly so you don’t accidently cut any corners, figuratively speaking. 

From a decorative perspective you will have plenty of options to choose from when it comes to fitting a door. You should consider what frames you would like, what style of door you prefer, and what extra fittings you would need, to coordinate it with the rest of the room. For example polished brass continuous hinges would go well with a polished brass door handle.

 

Personally I prefer stainless steel as I find it’s more versatile when it comes to matching up the decor in each room, particularly as I wouldn’t exactly say I had a keen eye for interior design. I bought my polished stainless steel hinges from A&H Brass in London. However if you’re not local to the area they have an online store where you can browse their full collection of hinges, door knobs, locks and so much more. They are definitely your one stop solution for all metal fixtures and fittings you need when refurbishing your home.

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Metal Work Should Never Be Overlooked When It Comes To Interior Design!

When it comes to Interior design artisans will make sure every interior aspect has been factored into the transformation, to tie a look together effortlessly. From bigger tasks such as the structural changes to the tiny detailing on the appliances, not one element is over looked. 

These days’ ironmongery tends to play quite a significant role within the interior industry. Whether you like the more traditional finishes such as polished stainless steel, or you’re partial to accents of polished copper or brass, you will continually find new and inventive ways to how individuals are incorporating such metalwork in their homes, hotels and restaurants. Said ironmongery can come in a range of different forms including curtain pole fittings, carpet strips and trims, rail fittings, kick plates and also different bar and tube fittings.

I have recently been renovating my house and I love the idea of using more industrial textures to give a modern perspective to my home. I have particularly used polished copper brass tube fittings in my living room, to match my exposed brickwork on the chimney breast and the wooden floor boards.The remaining walls have been painted optic white so the room feels really modern and crisp. 

In the bathroom I have chosen to utilise the more traditional polished stainless steel brass tube fittings for my towel rails, with polished stainless steel accents on the cupboard handles, bath and shower, and also the sink. This is more in keeping with the white porcelain bathroom suite, and the duck egg highlights. 

Living in the London area I am lucky that I have had a selection on ironmongers in the city, who provide a range of different metal work. Alternatively if you aren’t so fortunate to have a stockist on your doorstep, I would highly recommend A & H Brass. They have one of the widest collections I have seen, with something to suit everyone’s tastes! Check out their online store today over at https://ahbrass.co.uk/tube-fittings

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