I love looking for inspiration from fellow interior bloggers, and how they have designed their space from scratch into literally a masterpiece. One of my favourite house makeovers comes from Nest Twenty Eight – brought to life by Lucinda Mitra.

As a child she was always inspired by home improvement programmes, such as Changing Rooms, and loved seeing how you can transform a space on a budget. Her family were also members of the National Trust, so she would love visiting stately homes, looking at the beautiful patterns, fabrics and furniture.

I can’t wait to learn how Lucinda transformed her first home, as she takes us on a tour of her beautiful property…

WHO LIVES HERE: Lucinda, husband James and their 2-year-old daughter, Sienna

LOCATION: East Sussex

PROPERTY: Detached four-bedroom house

Living room: This room used to be magnolia on the walls, and had no personality. So I painted three wall in Hague Blue (Farrow and Ball), and the fourth wall in Kalk Litir lime paint for a textured concrete look. I am a massive fan of dark walls because they add character where rooms are lacking them, or enhance character in period properties.

I have been lucky to get amazing hand-me-downs from my parents- the cowhide drum, the Arab chest, the mid-century style side table and the Egyptian pouffe are all older than me and add so much character to our 1980’s house.

I have complimented these items with our mid-century style DFS Zinc sofa and a monochrome IKEA rug. I like to add interest too, seen in the use of hanging branches and eye catching art.

Kitchen: This used to be cream, and instead of ripping out the units (as I saw that they were still in excellent quality), I primed and painted the units in Railings (Farrow and Ball). The difference was amazing, and it’s now one of my most popular rooms on my Instagram feed.

I sprayed the door and drawer knobs and the extractor hood hardware in copper. On the opposite wall in the kitchen, I ripped out the units to create a more open space, and put up a reclaimed scaffold board for open shelving- they’re a lot of fun to style!

Master bedroom:  Our bedroom has been a bit of a work in progress and continues to be, so it’s a bit of an awkward space to style. I bought a vintage ladder and chest from a local antiques shop in Lewes, which I absolutely love- it also acts as fantastic storage!

I love the loft style look, and love subtle vintage/ boho elements too. I bought the rope and big bulb from I Got Big Bulbs, print with black lips from Desenio, wish you were here print from soouk and the bedside lamp from Aldi.

Guest bedroom: I I love Scandi, rustic and industrial decor, and I have incorporated all those looks into my home. Some rooms fit more into one category, like my newly revamped guest bedroom. I have recently updated this room from white walls to Railings, to create a more cosy, modern rustic feel.

 

It has made the world of difference, as I tried neon colour pops and amazing art on the walls before, but for me, the character was still missing. I also primed and painted the laminate floors using Chalk White Rustoleum floor paint, to create a calmer vibe and primed and painted the laminate wardrobes to match the walls.

Again, I was considering ripping them out, but realised they are actually quite nice, they just need to be a different colour.

Bathroom: As we were on a budget, I didn’t want to spend loads on high end products, so I had to think about where I could save money. I recycled the taps and showers and used high street retailers for all my sanitary ware etc. I bought a standard white sink unit for the main bathroom and upcycled it by priming it and painting it with a tester pot of Farrow and Ball’s Plummet, it was a great way to cut costs.

I love adding wood and greenery to add texture and colour pops, this breaks up the monochrome. I love hexangonal tiles, as they also add interest to the bathrooms.

I have been lucky that I haven’t faced any major challenges. I don’t enjoy painting- especially cupboards that need several coats, but I enjoy seeing the finished result!

Photo credits: Lucinda Mitra

Special thanks to Lucinda. Do check out her Instagram to see more of her amazing home and design inspiration!

Have you recently finished a home or room renovation/makeover? If you have and would like to share your masterpiece, I would love to hear from you.