The almost 4m x 8m room which was I wanted to transform into an elegant kitchen diner in under two weeks was a bit of challenge. Whilst the boys busied themselves getting prepped and getting all the tools in, I sat in the middle of the room and pondered. We didn't have a massive budget... Continue Reading →
Half Built House Eastbourne – Planning a large open plan kitchen / diner
So, two houses down, two to go and Team HBH travelled down to the south coast and the genteel resort of Eastbourne for our 3rd Half Built House. The boys didn't have that far to go, just down the road from Crawley but Mr M and I couldn't exactly pop back to Manchester to feed... Continue Reading →
How to create a contemporary fireplace opening with a timber mantelpiece
Unlike in the first floor bedrooms, where the original cast iron fireplaces were still in situ, our Exeter dining room featured a rather ugly, tiled, post-war fire surround. Sorry to all you mid-20th-century design lovers and we did try to sell it, but there were no takers so into the skip it went. No way... Continue Reading →
Half Built House Exeter – Ikea Abstrakt kitchen / diner with added British design extras
A white high gloss kitchen ticked boxes for both Chris and Amie's design aspirations but they were unsure how to prevent it looking too clinical and crisp looking for their home, an older property with period features like the cast iron fireplaces and fitted chimney recess cupboards which we were definitely going to incorporate into... Continue Reading →
Half Built House Exeter – Charcoal, amber & oak form the mood boards
Chris and Amie wanted a cool and contemporary style but without the look being too clinical, their home is a red brick terrace after all, not a city apartment. Within the house remained some of the original features including two painted but potentially gorgeous cast iron fire surrounds upstairs. Amie was especially keen on keeping... Continue Reading →
Half Built House Perthshire Spindlegate – rescuing some dangerous stairs
Ah Spindlegate. The straw that almost broke poor Danny's joinery back right at the end of our Scottish project. It had been touch & go throughout the job whether we'd the time and could stretch the budget to help the family out with their dangerous stairs. The kitchen and treatment room were the main priorities... Continue Reading →
Half Built House Perthshire – The treatment room & making a driftwood mirror
The front of this Perthshire home was divided by the front door / hallway into two rooms, one which the family used as their living room and one which was destined to become a treatment room where hypnotherapy work could be done with clients. When we arrived the room was filled with furniture and had... Continue Reading →