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Cassidy House

Linda and Gaz, your house is a lovely family home full of character and memories and joy. I’m thrilled to be asked for some advice on bringing it some new joy!

This format is the best way for me to set out my ideas.

Living room

This is a great room but I think it could do with it’s own identity. So I propose we paint the three walls of it - behind the fireplace, the window wall and the one opposite the fireplace, in a colour different to the rest of the living space. This will enhance the intimacy of that room - make it stand up for itself!!

I also think the art hang could be improved - you have great art but I don’t think you’re showing it at its best. You said you’re looking to buy something new - and if that piece was large, I’d suggest hanging it on the wall facing the fireplace, then we can relocate the other pieces to improve the whole layout.

Paint colours

I think you can’t go past Dulux Natural White for all woodwork and ceilings. I also think for the kitchen and the hallway, this colour on the walls is perfect. But I think you should do something different in the living room to give it more definition. This room has lovely furniture with the linen couches and silk rug. I propose a Porters colour colour called Newport Blue.

My rationale is that this is a very gentle colour and it’s a strong move away from the yellow tones you’re sick of. It will go beautifully with your furniture and silk rug, with the dark fireplace, black floors, and the big wash of white in the family room beyond. It will really make the space dynamic without losing light. This swatch looks bluer than on my fandeck - so it would be a good idea to go to Paint Inspirations at the top of Spofforth St and get a sample pot of it.

Flooring

As we discussed Linda, those honey coloured boards make a bright house like yours feel ‘yellow’ and you’re sick of it!! To avoid spending a fortune on replacing the terracotta tiles, we need to work to reduce those overly warm tones by painting the floorboards in the hall and kitchen. My idea is that you sand the floors, Japan Black them, and finish with a semi gloss estapol. This too will contemporise the house and having lived with black floors myself, I can highly recommend them.

Family Room

By painting out the timber ceilings in this room, you’ll really lift the sense of space. I propose the good old Natural White to the rescue! I also think that the wall colour should be white because then we leave the living room to be the feature. Your big painting looks great against white and I think that to add a different colour into the mix here would be a mistake.

Very yellow…. because its coming from top and bottom!!! By painting the ceiling, all those rafters will suddenly lift the lid on the room and make it feel like it can breath - float even!! Again, the furniture is all great and I wouldn’t suggest you change any of it because once you’ve taken out the yellow of ceiling and floor, the timber of the dining table and chairs will find a refreshed identity too - no longer a part of the timber box!

But I do think that the rug has to go and I propose it be replaced with two large sisal rugs. I would put one under the couches and one under the dining table - but it’s important to keep scale in mind - make the rugs big and you’ll make the space feel bigger, more generous, more luxe. And it’s also important to have a thick rubber underlay and a ‘turn and stick’ edge - which means you don’t have a border of black linen edging, the material is turned and stuck so that no boder is required.

This colour is practical for spills and thrills, but the chunkiness of the material really adds to the texture of the whole room. And easy enough to carpet sweep up the crumbs without worrying about stains.

I can organise a quote for you from the guy who owns the Natural Flooring Centre - he’ll give you a good discount!

I can also recommend a good painter - he’s now in his 70’s but we are not ageists!! He did my mother’s kitchen and exterior windows and he has just done a client’s bedrooms in Paddington. He’s so much cheaper than others and I think that you’ll want to get some competitive quotes because those ceilings should be done professionally as they are tricky.

Yell out if you don’t understand any of the above - and please don’t feel obliged to take any of my advice if you don’t like it. Every one has an opinion and this is just mine - sent with love!

Henrietta xx