Renovation Update: We Got Planning Permission!

This week will mark one year since we moved into our “new” house. I don’t think we could possibly have foreseen in July 2019 quite how much time we would be spending in it during our first 12 months of residence!

Moving Day July 2019

Two slightly nervous new home owners trying not to panic about the number of Roger’s Renoval boxes awaiting them inside

The day we moved in when we still had a nice green lawn that hadn’t been obliterated by football mad boys

Over the course of the last year we have made a start in making it feel a bit more us with renovation projects on the hallway and living room and most recently a budget revamp of the kitchen/diner. But behind the scenes we have also been working with Detail.Architects to draw up bigger plans to transform our Pebble Dash Princess into a Modern Rustic Swan.

Actually I lie, getting rid of the massive radiator cover that hogged the hallway and adding a lower radiator and scaffold bench is my favourite change!

My latest DIY project, sanding back the kitchen floors

I never thought I would be a power tool owner 12 months ago

Adding paneling painted in Farrow & Ball’s Ammonite to the hallway is one of my favourite changes we have made so far.

As I think I have mentioned before, gaining extra (house) girth was one of our main motivations in buying the Pebble Dash Princess (our affectionate nick name for the house). It is at least a third wider than our old house creating the possibility of having the open plan family living space downstairs that I have always dreamed of. However, in its current configuration the ground floor is a bit like the layout of the Crystal Maze so part of our brief to Reah our architect was to redesign the floorplan so that it doesn’t feel like you have to navigate the Aztec zone to get to the utility room.

Welcome to the Crystal Maze! The existing downstairs layout is a bit of a rabbit warren of rooms

Upstairs has the same number of bedrooms as our old house but they are not quite as big and as the kids get older we are conscious that the younger two, who currently share, might not want to go on doing that forever. So we also wanted to add a fifth bedroom and an extra bathroom and then, by removing a hot water tank the size of a small submarine from an airing cupboard, also make the family bathroom bigger.

The submarine size water tank is sandwiched in between the toilet and bathroom

So now you have seen what we were starting with do you want to see the design Reah came up with that achieves everything on our wish list and more?

The final design worked up by Detail Architects

What do you think? I hope you love it as much as I do! We are extending at the rear but actually not by much - filling in an unused passage at the side that leads to the utility room then going out a little bit on the right hand side to fulfil my ultimate dream of having a window seat. Inside we are going to take down the wall between the kitchen and second reception room that currently makes this room feel narrow and dark.

Crystal Maze be gone the new layout creates a much better flow to the downstairs space.

We will then move the utility backwards from its’ existing position, borrowing a bit of space from Mr Malmo’s beloved garage. This, along with the extra space we are adding, will hopefully give us a nice big wide, open and airy room with great connection to the garden. These 3Ds that Reah put together really give you a sense of what the space will ultimately be like.

There is a pillar through the Island shown here but we are hoping the structural engineer will come up with plans that allow us to avoid this.

Upstairs we will be adding a loft which will have enough space for a bedroom, dressing room and bathroom. On the middle floor taking out the small submarine will enable us to new, bigger family bathroom that has room for a separate shower. I have shared the plans for the loft in a previous blog. Click here to have a read.

Externally the look I am hoping to achieve is what I would describe as modern Scandinavian farmhouse - I thought that had more of a ring to it than New Nordic Agricultural. The pebble dash is hopefully going to be replaced by a smooth render unless I find out chipping it off will cost the same as a new car in which case I will be seeking to persuade you guys that pebble dash is a material favored by hip Scandinavian farmers. The ground floor will have timber cladding (expect detailed chat about how different types of wood weather coming your way in 2021) and I will be paring that with slimline glazing, with crittal style doors to one side.

The vision for the exterior. Pebble dash replaced with smooth render and timber cladding

The journey through planning has not been without its bumps and compromises. Our original design was turned down owing to concerns about how the roofline would look in comparison to other houses in the street. If I could go back in time I would definitely have paid to have formal pre planning discussions with the council at the outset so that we could have understood their views and incorporated them into the design from the get go. However, we got there in the end and the changes we have had to make to address the Council’s concerns don’t materially alter the space we will end up with internally so all is well that ends well.

I don’t think we can afford to do all of the work at the same time and, to be honest, after the way 2020 has panned out so far, I am not sure I am up for cooking us meals on a camping stove in the garage with only the outside tap and a hose to shower under right now. The current plan (bar a lottery win) is to start with the loft and first floor and then tackle the ground floor work later on when we have saved up a bit more.

The next immediate task now that we have secured planning permission is to get a structural engineer on board to help with the structural drawings and to then get builders quotes for the work once we know how much steel etc we will need (Laksmi Mittal if you are reading call me :-)). It obviously goes without saying that I already have about seventeen pinterest boards on the go to help me plan out the interiors and I am excited to start sharing my ideas with you once we get going but for now here is a little snapshot of what has been inspiring me. I hope you will enjoy following along with our renovation ups and downs.

With planning permission secured I can now start pinteresting with purpose to pull together my ideas for the interior

Updating My Kitchen/Diner with Timber Cladding

A couple of weeks ago on the blog I revealed my plans to revamp the second half of our kitchen/dining space.  The project is my lockdown sanity saver – giving me something to focus on other than Twinkl worksheets and how little it turns out I know about how to calculate and teach improper fractions. The space is fairly non descript at the moment meaning I have a blank canvas to work with but it is also quite narrow and doesn’t get much natural daylight so it is potentially a bit of a tricky beast to breathe some Scandi Rustic style into.

Top left image from Plain English, Top middle, Middle left and Bottom Left images from Neptune

One of my main revamp conundrums is what to do with the wall that I over enthusiastically stripped wallpaper off before Christmas with no real plan as to what to replace it with. In hindsight that gin fuelled decision may have been slightly hasty as the wall below the paper was not in great condition and in its naked state it is currently lending the kitchen more of a 1970s squat than Scandi feel. Over Christmas I added a festive sprinkle to it with three rustic wreaths but with Saint Nicholas having long since returned to the North Pole it is time to find a more permanent solution to the problem.

The wall after my Friday night wall paper stripping frenzy

Because the dining space doesn’t really have any distinguishing/interesting features I don’t just want to paint the wall as I feel like it needs something that can help to add (non seventies squat) character and texture to the room.  On a pre-lockdown visit to the Wimbledon branch of Neptune I stumbled across the perfect solution. The ceilings of the store (which is a new build) were clad in a really gorgeous timber with a white washed/grey finish that created my ideal Scandi- Coastal look.  Upon quizzing the store manager (yep I know I have great chat) I discovered that it was in fact Neptune’s own Cranbrook Shiplap cladding which I already had pinned to lots of my Pinterest boards! It is made from Norwegian Spruce (no less) and comes with a silver birch finish but can also be customised to any of the other colours in the Neptune paint range.

Because the dining space is quite narrow and doesn’t get much natural daylight the light wash of the Cranbrook Shiplap cladding is perfect for adding texture without making the space feel gloomy or oppressive.  With Neptune having made all my interior dreams come true by teaming up with me on the revamp I can actually now give you guys a first peek at what it looks like in my house because work had actually begun on installing the cladding before lockdown began ( I was just a little behind on my blog writing and Instagram documentation of the project!)

Goodbye depressing wall hello Cape Cod Clapboard vibes

As you can probably tell from the amount of power tools in the above picture this was a task above my DIY pay grade but if you have a better grasp of a spirit level than I do and wanted to take on a cladding project of your own then the basic principles are pretty straightforward. The first step is to attach batons (hark at me with my technical terms) to the wall to create a frame on which to attach the cladding and then, once this is done, saw the planks to size to fit the wall and affix them to the batons with screws.

Although work had to stop when lock down began so some of the boards still need a colour wash applied it has made such a huge difference to how the space feels. I can’t wait to get to work painting the floor to take the David Dickinson factor down several notches.

When lockdown is lifted and work can resume all that is left to do is to colour wash the remaining boards with the silver birch finish so that it has a consistent look overall. Hopefully by then I will have also made more progress on the other aspects of the revamp like the painting of the bench seat, floor and other walls so that I can give you a better idea of the final look. However, I already absolutely love how the cladding has transformed the space - it is giving me all the Cape Cod Clapboard feels.

I love the rustic natural feel of the Norwegian spruce boards. When we do the longer term renovation of the kitchen we will reuse these planks in the utility.

Five Great Ways to Use Timber Cladding to Update your Decor

If you fancy taking on a cladding project of your own I have rounded up below some of my favourite ideas for how you can use it in your home. From hallways to bedrooms and lots of rooms in between there are plenty of ideas to get your timber juices flowing. The cladding I have used in our dining space has a rustic appearance but I also love how both more contemporary cladding or traditional tongue and groove style boards can look.

Image Credits. Top left image Domino Magazine, Top Right Project Felix via the Local Project, Bottom Left Mollies Motel and Bottom Right from Remonis

Whilst I ultimately used panelling rather than cladding in our hall it was a very close call because I think cladding can be a really great way to zone a space like a hallway. For example, I love how the contemporary cedarwood cladding in the first picture below has been used to create a backdrop to the pegs. But it can be equally effective if you go bold and clad the entire space

Image Credit Oak House, Derek Swalwell . Pictures below left hand Vosges Paris, right hand M Arkitekur

When the dining room revamp is done (some time in 2025 judging by my current rate of progress) I have my sights set on updating the wardrobes in our master bedroom and the boys bedroom. They are fitted and although structurally sound I would love to bring them more up to date. I have a whole pinterest board devoted to them (no you are too much fun) and one of my favourite ideas is have new cladding style doors made to fit the carcasses. I absolutely love how Simply Scandi Kate has done something very similar in her bedroom so that it looks like a wall of cladding rather than wardrobes. The blush pink wardrobes below are actually MDF with lines scored into them to make them look like Tongue & Groove.

Image credits Top Image Suzy Hoodless

Although we don’t have a kitchen island in our current kitchen (unless you count our jazzy breakfast bar) I think using cladding on an island can be a great way to make it stand out. If you don’t have an island or wanted to keep yours more neutral then you could look to the walls or the cupboards to clad instead. The tongue and groove style cupboards in the kitchen of Imperfect Interiors are some of my favourite on Instagram.

Image credits Main image EST Magazine, Bottom left Gloria.Fi and Bottom Right Imperfect Interiors

There has been a lot of talk about the ceiling being the fifth wall of late and if you can get up there with a drill and some timber without ending up accidentally adding rustic character to your head it is the perfect place for some cladding. I think it looks particularly good in more modern style or new build homes where it can introduce real character and warmth.

Image credits Main Image M Arkitekur , Bottom left House Doctor and Bottom Right EST Magazine

I know not everyone is a fan of wood in a bathroom as they worry about it getting damp and mouldy but we had tongue & grovve pannelling to a half height in our old ensuite and we never had any problem with it. If you are on a budget and want to make use of reclaimed materials then using scaffold boards like in the picture below is a great way to add an industrial edge in an eco friendly way.

Image Credits Main Image Project Felix via the Local Project Bottom left Unique Home Stays and Bottom Right EST Magazine

I am a particular fan of using cladding to add texture and interest in loft bedrooms as they can very often feel like bland spaces. Adding a scaffold plank wall to our old loft bedroom was certainly a game changer for me. and using reclaimed boards is an inexpensive and environmentally friendly way to add a statement wall. I also love the idea of using cladding as an inexpensive way to create a statement headboard. If you are after inspiration for this idea when lock down ends then book yourself a night a Mollies Motel where I loved the contemporary cladding headboards in red cedar wood.

Image Credits Main Image Remonis , Bottom Left unknown source Pinterest, Bottom Right Malmo & Moss old bedroom

I hope that round up has given you some ideas for creating statement wooden walls in your own homes. With the cladding part of my revamp now almost complete the next task I am planning to tackle is my radiator cover colossus. Brace yourself for big questions coming your way about my best option for minimising its presence in the room!

The Cranbrook Cladding was supplied to me as part of my paid partnership with Neptune

Creating a Relaxed Rustic Bedroom

One of the main attractions of our house when we bought it was that it had 4 double bedrooms with the loft already having been converted to create a large master bedroom with ensuite.  However whilst that meant we had all the space upstairs we needed, the finish of the loft conversion was about as inspiring as the interior of a portakabin.  It had clunky white pvc doors with a metal rail across the outside that lent the room a feel that was one part dentist surgery to two parts lunatic asylum.  The previous owners had installed laminate wooden floors in a shade I would describe as satsuma and the ensuite was En Vogue around the same time the girl band of the same name topped the charts.  I will leave the story of the bathroom renovation until another day when I have finished the course of therapy I had to embark upon following my dealings with Brian, the right wing misogynist tiler with strong views about my abilities as a housewife and the Enfield cycle lane scheme. For now let's stick with the bedroom.  We carried out an initial round of cosmetic changes including painting the floors and walls and wallpapering a corner to use as a dressing table space

The bedroom after we had carried out an initial range of changes to tone down the satsuma floor by painting it in Farrow & Ball Strong White

This wallpaper was on the front cover of Living Etc and I loved it at the time although it is not my usual Scandi Rustic style!

After a couple of years we saved up enough to get rid of the #lunaticasylumdentistdoors and replaced them with a big picture window instead which gives us an amazing view out over the garden and makes the loft extension blend (or speak as Kevin McCloud might say) much better with the contemporary style of our kitchen extension. 

The newly installed big picture window. We also have a smaller window to the side which opens.

The new gallery wall with prints from We are Amused and Desenio

I also went for a darker paint shade on the walls (Dark Lead from Little Greene) and added a gallery wall to create more of a focal point.  The room started to feel a little bit less portakabin but I wanted to make more a feature of the wall behind the bed so I wallpapered it with some faux wood effect wallpaper from Andrew Martin.   Whilst it definitely made the room more interesting and looked pretty convincing in photographs I couldn't ignore the nagging feeling that my dad (who I usually don't defer to on decorating decisions on account of his love of #clutteredgothicchic) might be right when he said it looked a bit naff up close.  

The faux wood wall

I also couldn't get this picture from my pinterest out of my head which featured a bed against a wall of reclaimed wood.  I loved the texture and warmth it created.  However I was pretty sure that my DIY skills didn't extend to cladding an entire wall in wood on the basis that they are yet to encompass changing a light bulb so I got my next door neighbour who is a carpenter to give me a hand.  Note to self if you ask your neighbour to nail a ton of old scaffold planks to your bedroom wall he will regard you in much the same as way as if you are asking him to nail Sanitary Pads to the wall.  However it was worth enduring #AlwaysUltraWallFace because I absolutely loved the finished result.  If you are London based and looking to recreate the look then Forest Recycling Project based in Walthamstow is a great place to source your reclaimed wood.  They have a huge stock of scaffold boards all for a reasonable price compared to some I have seen being sold on ebay for the same price as a small convertible car.

The inspiration behind my wooden wall spotted on the Herdy Sleep website

Scaffold planks lined up and ready to go

Step one was to attach wooden planks (or batons as I believe carpenters may call them!) to the wall to help hold the weight of the planks which were then just nailed on to the vertical planks

The final big change I have made is to upgrade our mattress and bed which, after 10 years and the arrival of three kids had seen a lot of action (although latterly probably less of the kind Mr Malmo would prefer!).  The fabric on our old bed had started to fray and the mattress was getting saggier than my spaniel's ears.  I had always wanted a button back head board but they can stray into foootballers wives territory (and alas I am not Victoria Beckham).  I wanted to find one which was less Rooney and more rustic.

The picture I spotted in a magazine of my dream bed from Button & Sprung

I therefore jumped for joy when I spotted this picture of a Button & Sprung bed in a magazine featuring not only the bed of my dreams and with a wooden wall behind it to boot! Button & Sprung are a predominantly online bed & mattress retailer (although they have a showroom in London) and all of their beds come a right to a free return within 100 days.  However there is no chance I will be sending my bed back.  The fabric and frame are both brilliant quality and it fits perfectly with my rustic/scandi style.  It is the Foxtail in Nickel soft wool but there are a range of other great fabrics to choose from including some lovely linens and velvets in both neutral and brighter colours.

Model not included

I loved the way the wool looks against the wood

When it came to the mattress I was lucky enough to be approached by Emma Mattress and asked to try out one of their memory foam matresses.  I was, I confess, initially quite skeptical when it arrived in a box that looked liked it contained a hole punch rather than a kingsize mattress but after a couple hours out of the box it was ready to roll.  If you like your mattresses firm without it feeling like you are sleeping on a concrete slab then this is the baby for you.  It genuinely delivers an insanely good night's sleep and having err fully road tested it so to speak, I can confirm it also copes well with activity of a slightly more vigorous nature than sleeping.  If you would like to see for yourself (the mattress rather than us road testing it) then you can get £100 off any original or second generation Emma Mattress with the code Malmo100.

One mattress out of the box and ready to be road tested once I have moved those instagram styling props!

With the new bed and mattress in place our duvet and pillows, which had seen Mr Malmo through his student days at Manchester and somehow joined us in marital life, were seriously letting the side down.  The duvet was about the same consistency as cold rice pudding and the pillows could easily have been used as sandbags should the Environment Agency require extra flood reinforcement this Winter. Their replacements are from the Secret Linen Store and it now feels like we are sleeping in Angel Delight (in the sense that the duvet and pillows feel gorgeous, light and fluffy rather us emerging covered in pink mousse of a morning).  We went for a goose down all season duvet which means it has an extra layer of fluffiness you can clip on when our weather front once more steps back in line with Siberia rather than Spain. Secret Linen Store were also kind enough to gift me some of their bedding to try out. 

Bedroom makeover complete with the arrival of a new duvet and pillows from Secret Linen Store

Slubby bedding perfection achieved with the Pebble linen bedding from Secret Linen Store

I went for the pebble linen bedding and dove grey striped undersheet.  The linen is just the right kind of no need to iron but still looks amazing slubby and I can really tell the difference in quality compared to budget linen sets I have bought in the past.  I am also a sucker for beautiful packaging so I loved how all of the bedding arrived parcelled up.

No ironing required, just out of shot Mr Malmo having a crumbie induced meltdown about croissants on the bed....

There are still a few tweaks I am thinking of making to finish the renovation of this room off, including most importantly acquiring either curtains or a blind for that big picture window as am fairly sure my neighbour doesn't want to see #MalmosMuff when he is taking his bins out.  But for now I am pretty happy with how it has all come together. 

Many thanks to Button & Sprung, Emma Mattress and Secret Linen Store for partnering with me on this project and helping me to transform it from #SuburbanPortaKabinPants to the relaxed rustic bedroom of my dreams.