You don't need to buy everything when redecorating your home – sometimes making your own furnishings can save you money!
That's exactly what Kay Pearson did when the time came for her to renovate her early 1900s home in Derbyshire.
She used her creative skills – and a dash of paint – to create her own dream home. Read on to find out how she transformed her house into a vibrant boho sanctuary.
I’m Kay Pearson, 33, a design manager, and I live with my cat, Vegas. You can follow me on Instagram @pineappleshed. I also have an Etsy shop at pineappleshed.etsy.com.
Where I live
My home is an early-1900s two-bedroom terrace in Derbyshire. I’ve lived here for two years.
What I wanted to change
The house has good bones and some lovely original features, but the decor really needed updating. As soon as I moved in, I had to strip the old brown carpet out and get a fresh coat of paint on the walls.
How I made it my own
By experimenting with colour and pattern – it’s amazing what you can do with a little paint! I’ve also tried my hand at a lot of upcycling projects to make this house my own.
My favourite part
It’s hard to say because every new room I do becomes my favourite, but I think I’d have to go with the kitchen. It’s become a really sociable space and I spend a lot of time there – hanging out, cooking, and dancing!
I came across this house after searching for a new home that was closer to the countryside than my previous place.
It’s not far from Matlock, Derbyshire, which has beautiful walks, and the property ticked a lot of boxes for me. Not only are there stunning landscape views from the main bedroom, but it came with lots of character – including exposed brick walls and an original fireplace.
It also had an outbuilding in the garden, which was a huge bonus. This had previously been a playroom, but I thought it would be the perfect space for me to set up my creative business.
'I love how a bit of colour can completely transform a space and I’ve really enjoyed experimenting in this home'
Kay Pearson
The house itself is surprisingly spacious, too, though you wouldn’t guess from the outside. Despite these positives, I did have my work cut out for me when I first moved in, as every inch needed a refresh.
Within a week of getting the keys I had pulled all the carpets up and got to gutting the house. I’m the type of person who will always give it a go first, so I did most of the decorating myself – though that’s why there are a lot of holes behind mirrors!
It’s predominantly paintwork that has made the most difference. I love how a bit of colour can completely transform a space and I’ve really enjoyed experimenting in this home and finding my own, eclectic style. This isn’t my forever home, but I’m proud of what I’ve achieved here.
Kitchen-diner
Thanks to a previous extension, the house has a generously sized kitchen-diner. I love this space and it gets flooded with light. It feels like a really sociable room, so I spend a lot of time in here.
The cabinets were all wooden when I moved in, so I set about painting them, as well as spray-painting the handles and wrapping the worktops in vinyl. One side is white and green with farmhouse-style wood-effect worktops, while the other side is orange with terrazzo tops. That’s just because I’m indecisive, and like both looks!
The size of the kitchen means it can cope with both styles and it helps zone the space. I also plan to paint the floor at some stage, but I’d like to see how the bathroom floor I painted wears first, before embarking on that project.
Living room
I’ve always dreamed of having a pink room, so I decided to just go for it here in the living room. Most of the furniture in this space is from my previous home, which had a darker scheme. This time around I wanted this room to feel lighter with playful pops of colour.
I upcycled an old cabinet by adding stained-glass paint to the doors, and customised the TV cabinet too. It was my old dressing table that was looking tatty, but still functioning well. So, I painted it black, then the drawers in different colours and changed out the handles to give it a new lease of life.
Snug
This snug is joined to the kitchen-diner and has an original fireplace, which gives it a cosy feel.
I wanted this to be a space where I could curl up with a good book or listen to music – no TV. I have my record player in here, and it’s just really lovely in winter to have the fire on with some music and a glass of wine. You can just switch off here.
As it lacks natural light, I decided to lean into this with a dark paint colour on the walls, and added brightness with pops of colour, like the yellow cabinet and quirky cat statue. I’ve also created a gallery wall with pictures from my travels – it’s a nice space to sit back and reflect.
Main bedroom
I originally wanted to wallpaper in here but couldn’t find a design I liked enough that was also affordable. I ended up hand-painting a design behind the headboard using sample pots and I found a free pattern on Pinterest for inspiration, so it cost me less than £10. Plus, I avoided the faff of attempting to wallpaper on old, uneven walls.
With a neutral cream backdrop, I chose to add earthy tones in the bedroom for a calm, grounding effect and paired these with natural textures such as the bamboo-framed mirror, wicker lampshade and pampas grass.
Bathroom
The whole bathroom, with the exception of the ceiling, had been tiled by the previous owners. It was going to cost a fortune to get them all removed, and I didn’t know what state the walls would be in afterwards, so I decided to leave them.
This isn’t my forever home, so I don’t want to invest thousands only to move in a few years. Instead, as the tiles were in a good condition, I painted them more to my taste in shades of white, terracotta and green.
I also bought a stencil to add detail to the flooring, though it didn’t work very well so I ended up painting most of it freehand.
Dressing room
I decided to turn the second bedroom into a dressing room, and opted for luxury vinyl flooring over carpet in this space as I knew it would be somewhere I’d be doing my hair and makeup regularly. I thought I could get away with something fun here, so I went for a bold patterned floor.
I also created an island in this room with two IKEA storage cabinets. The idea of having an island in my dressing room felt really luxurious, as well as being a practical piece of storage. The black finish gives an industrial-chic look, which also matches the clothes rails and mirror in this space too.
Garden
Fortunately, the garden was pretty well-landscaped when I moved in, so I haven’t done much to it myself yet. I’ve styled up the seating area, which is just outside the French doors of the kitchen, to be an extension of the house with an L-shaped sofa and coffee table.
It’s a nice place to sit and relax with a good book or spend time with friends in summer. I’m toying with the idea of painting the garden in brighter tones and adding some more plants, but these things take time and money, so I’m not going to rush it.
Garden studio
One of the main selling points of this property was the studio already built in the garden. It had been a playroom for the previous owners’ children, but I decided it would be the perfect spot to set up my arts and crafts, including my sewing machine, watercolours, and materials for my Etsy shop, PineappleShed.
It was hard to decide what to do with the space initially – some people suggested making it a bar, but with a generously sized kitchen in the main house I thought this could be a room where I could really get creative instead.
Unlike the bolder areas of my home, I gave the space a refresh with white paint. I wanted a bit of breathing space that allows my artwork to do the talking.
What I learned
- This house has really helped me learn to trust the process more. There have been many times where after a first coat of paint I’ve thought to myself, ‘what have I done?’ but it’s often worked out for the best.
- Have fun experimenting! I definitely get this from my mum. Growing up, I remember her rearranging things and changing lamp shades until midnight, and I wondered what she was doing. But I totally get it now.
- It’s important to get to know your walls and what you’re drilling into. There’s a huge difference between brick and drywall, trust me!
How to paint a glass cabinet
Transform a plain glass cabinet into a colourful statement piece, like Kay’s vintage multi-coloured design, with this simple how-to.
- You’ll need painter’s tape, glass paints, and an artist’s paintbrush for this project. If your cabinet doesn’t have glass panels like Kay’s, you’ll also need a pencil and paper to create a template to add the sections yourself, plus self-adhesive leading and a boning peg.
- Remove the doors and lay them flat, and clean both sides of the glass. Tape off the panels with painter’s tape on both sides and apply the glass paint to the interior side. Be careful not to overload the brush as this can cause the paint to run. Leave the paint to dry, then do a second coat to build up the colour. Leave to dry again, then remove the tape to finish.
- If you’re adding the sections yourself, stick your template to the exterior side of the glass. Then, cut strips of self-adhesive leading to match your template and press firmly to the interior side of the glass. Use the flat end of a boning peg to press along the length, then draw the pointed end along the full edge of the lead on both sides. Apply two coats of the glass paint to your sections as above, then, using the internal lead lines as a guide, repeat the leading process on the exterior side of the glass to finish.
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Feature by Yvette Filer. Styling by Kay Pearson. Photos by Carole Poirot. Expert Advice Anna-Lisa De’Ath
