More Renovations

Since we (well M really) completed the renovations in the living room last September we had a little break from decorating. However, M was desperate to get started on the lounge as soon as possible. Once the Christmas and New Year holidays were over we decided it was time to make a start. There may be quite a few photos here but hopefully it will give you an idea of the before, during and after story.


The original decor was pretty plain with shiny cream wallpaper, dark woodwork and a green patterned carpet. There was also an issue behind the fireplace where the wallpaper and plaster were beginning to fall away from the wall.

A rather traditional looking lounge.

We managed to clear everything out except for the settee which was just too heavy for me to lift.

All ready for M to perform his magic.

The old fireplace about to go.

Then it's gone.

It didn't take M long to remove the old plasterwork to reveal no insulation but just struts attached to the brick wall. In the corner he found another alcove with shelves (as we had in the living room) which had been plaster bordered over.


The floor under the left window had dropped a few inches and was also in need of some attention.

The walls stripped back to the bare stone work.

The floor getting fixed.

And boarded over.

   

It didn't take very long until the insulation and vapour sheet were installed in the hope that the room will be much warmer.

We decided to go for larger grey tiles for the hearth, another little job for M.

   
The back wall was insulated and then the 3 external walls were all plaster boarded.

All the walls got the plaster treatment but as this can be tricky we had a very useful plasterer on hand.


It was starting to look almost like a room again once the plaster started to dry.


As always the new plaster had a white wash before it got painted with our chosen colours.


When we were out shopping we came across a dark colour scheme in a furniture store. With the dark teal and burgundy it seemed like a grown up cosy room. Therefore we thought we'd be bold and give it a go.


As with the orange in the living room we did have a few moments of "ooh, are we crazy".


Once it was all done we loved it although it's hard to show the true colours in photos.

Then there was just the fireplace to do.


Some dark red/burgundy tiles for the back of the fireplace.

Then the installation of the fire surround and stove. When we were contemplating the cast iron fire surround it seemed like such a great idea until we had to lift it backwards and forwards.


We spent a very long time looking for a tartan carpet which suited the colour scheme of the room.


This MacDonald tartan has navy and green which combine to match the walls perfectly and the deep red ties in well with the red tiles and our 2 armchairs.


With the carpet fitted and shiny new sockets it was time to start moving the furniture back in.


A couple of days later the lights arrived and we could finally see it all coming together (just needed to get the tv back in and we could actually start using it again).


The first fire made it all very cosy and despite having no curtains (we had a wait of about 3 weeks for them) it was wonderful.

Although it's not a great picture this is the room almost finished, the curtains were hung and looked beautiful (we even managed to get some matching tiebacks). If I could just get the 2 new cushion covers crocheted and a few pictures up then it'll all be done. Now just another little break I think until the next room gets the makeover treatment.

Spring Flowers

I do love to take lots of pictures of the many beautiful flowers which appear both in the woods and in our garden. Sadly I am not a great photographer and often the flowers disappear into the grass and weeds in the picture. Recently we were watching Beechgrove Garden and were interested to see a small item regarding garden photography. I was inspired to have a go and here are some of the results with a little bit of before and after to compare.

My original photo of a wonderful red tulip.

And the Closeup.

A large fern next to the byre wall.

The obligatory closeup of the new fern leaves unfurling. 

After these 2 photos I was hooked and couldn't wait to see if I could capture the colour and life in our garden and woods. Apologies in advance for the numerous photos but I was really having fun!

Geum.

Polemonium. 

Fritillaria meleagris alba with blue Forget-Me-Not in the background.

Blue Forget-Me-Nots.

Another smaller red tulip.

Sycamore buds beginning to open.

Ash leaf bud and flowers.

Red Tulip just starting to go over.

Bluebells starting to flower.

Narcissus Thalia in the white garden.

     

White Tulips on the white garden.

These Erythronium Pagoda (Dog's Tooth Violet) plants are quickly becoming our favourite woodland plants. At about 20-30cm tall they stand out above the growing weeds and are thankfully not affected by either slugs or snails. In fact we have only had one plant succumb to attack from wildlife. Hopefully they will naturalise and spread throughout the woods.

Calendula.

Narcisscus Minnow with Muscari in the background.

Another Fern in the woods.

Our one and only Wood Anemone flower.

A Pretty Primrose.

Azalea buds.

From the Orchard

Apple buds getting ready to open.

Amelanchier Lamarckii.

Damson Blossom.

Cherry Blossom.

Victoria Plum Blossom.

Walnut Bud.

Apple blossom just opening.

I feel the need to finish with a last little splurge of photos of tulips. We have quite a mixed palette this year and there are some real beauties in there.

     

Although I still have lots of room for improvement I hope you'll agree that the wonderful colours and vibrancy comes through in these pictures and that they are much improved from my previous attempts. Thank you for letting me indulge myself for a little while, I hope you enjoy the spring flowers and natural beauty of our garden.