Real homes

The bedroom is quite big, so one of the challenges we faced was filling the space without exceeding our budget,’ says Sameera. She wisely chose a few investment pieces to elevate the look of purse friendly, high-street buys

Bedroom makeover: ‘We swapped plain walls for boutique luxury’

‘Although I went for a sleek, all-white kitchen, I still wanted a relaxed look. Adding textiles, like a simple tablecloth, is an easy way to soften a room. The kitchen is from Lubina Kitchens and the sofa is from Next. The textured porcelain floor tiles are from Tile Mountain and are great for hiding marks’

Home makeover: ‘I wanted to embrace a calm home’

Colour is important to Sisi’s wellbeing, and she uses her home as a canvas to express her creativity. The gold wall decoration, from Maisons du Monde, was originally white mango wood. Sisi simply sprayed it gold to create a statement piece of art

Pink living room makeover: ‘Bright colours make my rental feel like home’

Aisling went for Shaker-style units painted in a deep green shade, while the Silestone worktops add a modern touch. For a more rustic look, the couple exposed the stonework on the original cottage and fitted wooden flooring found in a local salvage yard

Kitchen makeover: ‘Our kitchen is a mix of old and new’

A dated and dull living room has been made into a cosy sanctuary with lots of blue paint, smart new shutters, a hard-wearing carpet, a classic rug and plenty of accessories

Living room makeover: ‘From beige to blue… I love my cosy room!’

‘I chose to house our fridge
and freezer in the bank of
cabinets to create a
streamlined look. The print of
all the things we love, from
Etsy, was a house-warming
present to us all from me.
The island was top of my
wish list, and we configured
the units so that we could sit
comfortably at the worktop
without bashing our knees
on cupboards, and we can
also slide the Danetti bar
chairs underneath and out of
the way when not in use’

Real home: ‘My brand new home is full of character and charm’

Emma chose a black granite worktop with silver flecks to reflect the light in the room. The textured brass handles from B&Q add a luxurious touch

Kitchen makeover: ‘We spend so much time in our pink and green kitchen’

‘We doubled the storage by taking out a door’

Kitchen makeover: ‘We doubled the storage by taking out a door’

'My green tropical bathroom reminds me of holidays!'

Bathroom makeover: ‘My green tropical bathroom reminds me of holidays!’

Charlie has grounded her colourful room with navy blue walls, and grey and vintage wooden furniture, so the space feels well thought out. Painting the stairs white, and giving the back wall a splash of lighter blue, stops the room from feeling too dark

Living room makeover: ‘From ugly and dull to a riot of bright colour’

Blue vintage bathroom with roll top bath

Bathroom makeover: ‘Our new grey bathroom has a vintage look’

Home makeover: ‘I breathed new life into a neglected house’

Home makeover: ‘I breathed new life into a neglected house’

green hallway artwork

Hallway makeover: ‘We chose two bold green hues to make it cosy’

Anthea has made the trendy pink-and-green combo her
own by adding black taps and pipes, while injecting a glam
glow with her copper bath

Bathroom makeover: ‘I reworked the floorplan to fit a showstopping copper bath’

Nadia has transformed her dated blue kitchen into a much brighter space with a Scandi feel, with fresh white kitchen units from IKEA and a pale wooden floor

Kitchen makeover ‘We chose an all-white scheme for a fresh feel’