Our sTile Consultant's Home Tour

The house is pretty small so it was important to try and maximise the space and give the illusion that it was bigger therefore in the hallway I chose Andira in the gorgeous smoky brown tone. Laid in a horizontal chevron it helps make the hallway seem wider and then it continues into the kitchen and the living room that feed off the hallway. This gives the house a continuity and flow but it also gives that illusion of length when you look through the doors to the rooms beyond.

Another consideration was the lack of a utility room, eventually a pet will be scampering about so I wanted something versatile, hardwearing (scratch and mess proof!) and a floor that will clean up easily. Both the front and back door lead straight into rooms so I wanted to avoid any mess coming in from outside.

The only regret is that we didn’t install underfloor heating; the tradesman talked my partner out of it saying it was too expensive and knowing very little about it he then refused to consider it. Always do your research and don’t just take on board whatever the ‘expert’ tells you!

The living room is the only reception room and serves as both the lounge and dining room but it’s really small. The bright white walls left by the builders didn’t do it any favours and it just felt like a small, stark afterthought. With all guns blazing, I transformed the space with a dark blue paint on all the walls, woodwork and ceiling, it’s now a cocoon oozing cosiness. Just because a space is small it doesn’t necessarily mean a neutral colour is going to make it feel bigger so work with what you have, how you want the room to make you feel and of course how you’re going to use the room and when.

We only really use this room in the evening so it made sense to make it a cosy haven. I maximised this effect with some heavy forest green velvet curtains, dark mid-century furniture and a velvet sofa. Then I added elements of different textures like glass, metallic, rattan and a light fluffy rug to lift those darker, heavy shades and create contrast.

The room is south facing so in the summer we have a wonderful afternoon light so I make sure to change up the accessories to light pastels and burnt oranges and we only use the thinner linen curtains on the double rail, leaving the heavier velvet for the colder months. It’s a great way to create a different feeling in a room from season to season.

We couldn’t design the kitchen layout but we did get to choose the unit style and colour as well as the work top. To complement the parquet style flooring I chose cashmere coloured unitary but in a sleek flat matt style to create that contrast but also to make them more hardwearing and easier to keep clean. For the worktop, we managed to negotiate the finest white granite on offer as we’d chosen cheaper units so it only has a delicate sparkle rather than big chunks like more traditional granite.

Working with these colours as a starting point, I chose an off-white on the wall and skirting, a slab of brown marble as the splashback and some walnut coloured shutters, we chose a bistro style to get as much natural light into the room as possible, as the room is north facing, whilst retaining privacy from passers-by. Since moving in, I’ve added layers of colour into the room with accessories like a blush pink bin, some Bowie art and of course, the all-important tea towel!

The family bathroom is possibly the tiniest bathroom I’ve ever seen, and the sink the builders had put in was meant for a WC! Some aesthetic changes have helped but one day we’d like to convert it into a wet room to for more space. For now though, I chose a white square tile for the walls with an ash grout, this gives the room a classic touch that won’t date whilst feeling on-trend. I purposely finished the tiles three quarters up the wall so we had room to add colour and accommodate the sloping ceiling. For the floor, I chose a large stone effect tile, again a classic touch but the fewer grout lines help the space feel bigger.

When it came to colour, I wanted a deep forest green (I even got to make my own particular shade at Dulux HQ!) but unfortunately I couldn’t convince the other half so oddly we compromised on black! It creates a lovely contrast between the bottom and top half of the wall and by painting the ceiling and the skylight too, the room feels much bigger. And finally, the sink. My amazing Dad actually made it for us, as it was such a bespoke size required. We moved it closer to the bath and added depth rather than width, we now have a full size sink, a decent (matt black!) mixer tap and actual storage in the cupboard underneath, an essential in the bathroom!