To be the first owner of a modern house is fun. You can choose your own color schemes even before the house is completed, and all you need when you move in is your furniture and enough imagination to give the house a look of its own.
Everything is so much easier than a move into an older house : no dry rot problems, no modernizing of the bathroom or kitchen--it's all there and all planned for practical modern living.
The owners of this modern Georgian-style house in London tackled their house in an unusual way. Rather than complete it slowly room by room, they concentrated on one particular aspect at a time. First it was the wall coverings, then the floors, next the furniture and curtains, then shelving, lighting and so on.
Planning your home often means looking at each design aspect separately so you can give your whole attention to the particular problems involved in, for example, supplying each room with efficient and attractive lighting.
Here they decided that one of the best ways to give the house a different look was to use bright wallpapers combined with stripped and sealed floors in all the main rooms. Fitted carpets throughout would have been far too expensive, and stripped floors made the house seem much more spacious anyway. Apart from the wall papering, which was done by the builders, the owners did all the rest of the work themselves.
Any family with two young children needs play-space and this is often hard to ‘steal' in the average modern home. Here they decided that the play area would have to be on the ground floor within easy reach of help if needed.
On the ground floor are the garage, cloakroom, kitchen and dining room. Out of these, only the garage presented possibilities for conversion into a play area. It was carefully re-planned to serve as playroom and utility room and garage if necessary. It was given extra light by fitting glass into the top panels of the door, which was securely draught-proofed with a foam strip.
Converting any area which was not primarily intended for living should involve meticulous draught-proofing or it will be impossible to stay in it for any length of time ! The main problem was the concrete floor obviously too hard and cold for children to play on. The ‘garage' might still be needed for the car from time to time, so a permanent lino or tiled floor was impractical. In the end they painted the concrete with deck paint which effectively sealed the dust in and gave a tough, durable finish. Then they put down inexpensive and attractive rush matting for the children to play on.
They painted the breeze block wall white, built in the electricity cables for safety and produced a workable multi-purpose room. There was enough room to house the home freezer, the washing machine and dryer. With the addition of toy storage trunks and some low seating, plus cheerful posters on the walls, the area took on a completely new look. And if they needed to bring the car in, all they had to do was lift the mats from the floor. This imaginative treatment for a garage proves that, even within the average family home, space used wisely can double its function without too much upheaval.
The small neat kitchen is well planned. The inset sink has a waste disposal unit. The storage cupboards are deep blue and fitted with a laminated worktop. The owners made some extra shelves-always useful in any kitchen and spotlighted one to display an attractive set of deep blue and white china. Picking out particular treasures by using interesting lighting effects is an idea any home owner can copy.
The adjoining dining room shows what can be done with a collection of junk shop buys. An inexpensive old dresser was teamed with budget buy table and chairs--and given a facelift. The owners shortened the legs of the dresser, cut down the high back, fitted brass knobs and then painted it white with a bright kingfisher-blue-top, drawers and doors. The old table and new whitewood chairs were painted to match. One of the best, and cheapest ways of furnishing a home is to buy up furniture like this-with a lick of paint and some new handles it takes on a new lease of life, and fits most homes perfectly.
They found an old cast iron kettle on a rubbish heap, removed the rust with the sanding attachment on an electric drill, oiled it and gave it a new shine with boot polish. It now holds pride of place as an attractive and unusual plant holder, Old pots and pans like this are easy to find and it's a simple job to turn them into decorative objects in their own right.
A small side table with 'barley-twist' gate--legs was another bargain, and this was painted white, a color that blends well with any decor. The blue and green sisal matting was bought as a remnant in a carpet sale-a sensible choice, being cheap and extremely durable. Carpet sales are ideal places to pick up bargains length of floor-coverings in a surprising range of colors--particularly if you ‘re looking for a relatively small piece.
The wallpaper looks like hessian and is practical because it is easily wiped clean. This tones with the flower-patterned curtains in blue, purple and green.
The spacious first floor sitting room leads off a wide landing that has been utilized as a study it always makes sense to use every inch of space.
The easy chairs and sofa in the sitting room are the only large pieces of new furniture in the house-the rest is either renovated or made by the owners. And these chairs were chosen because they would give years of use. They are upholstered in a practical dark green-pale colors would only make extra work with young children around.
The pictures-all painted by the owner-are one of the main features of the living room. They offset the color scheme which is composed of shades of purple. There is a large white shaggy mat on the floor.
The main bedroom which leads off the first landing has its own bathroom. This has a warm look with a mixture of bold pinks and purples, and a sanded and sealed floor. The huge brass double bed was a junk shop buy-so, too, was the attractive chest beside it. Originally covered with about six layers of paint, the chest has been stripped down to its basic pine finish, then sealed with polyurethane-the end result is well worth the effort of stripping and varnishing old furniture.
Old furniture can often be bought for half the price of a modern counterpart and by the time it has been renovated may well be worth more.
Getting a perfect finish takes time, but a good result is satisfying and looks attractive.
The main bathroom echoes the pinks in the adjoining bedroom and has pink fittings, The wall round the bath is sensibly tiled and the whole room is brightened by the pink, turquoise and green paper. Only too often bathrooms are the poor relation of home decor, looking insipid in pastel shades. In all color planning, it is essential not to be afraid of experimenting--the results will probably be a success.
The children sleep on the second floor and the wide landing is used for extra playspace. Their room is colorful with bright wallpaper, and two old chests, one painted with bright green gloss paint and the other white, house toys and oddments. The owners made a useful shelving unit to give yet more storage space for further accumulations of toys. The rooms is completed with dark blue curtains patterned with daisies. A dark background color like this is good for a young child ‘s room because it doesn‘t let in too much light early in the morning and the child, hopefully, stays asleep longer I With the minimum outlay on furnishings, and the maximum use of imagination, the owners have given their house a highly original finish.
--------------- Top left. The garage is transformed into a pleasant playroom
with the minimum fuss and the maximum effect. The door panels are securely
draught-proofed with foam strip.
Top right. A bold color scheme flatters the whole of the first floor. Shades of pink and blue in combinations of plain and patterned wallcoverings make up the decor.
Bottom left. The dining room is elegant in its Georgian colors of green and blue. The sharp white bentwood chairs add a modern note, and provide an eye catching focus. Bottom right. The kitchen is a well planned 'galley' shape, with everything easily to hand. The pink and blue wallpaper is unusual for a kitchen and effective.