Hillfoot House

The girls’ bedrooms are (more or less) finished, and we’re delighted!

Caroline’s room before

Posting ‘before and after’ pictures – I’ve tried to take the photos from similar angles.  When we moved in, the carpet was grey-blue, the curtains were green velvet and there were wooden pelmets.  The walls were a shade of magnolia.  Caroline had very little adult bedroom furniture -neither of the girls did.  In the previous house, their rooms weren’t big enough to take double beds, so we had refrained (and that was one factor in moving).  The bedroom furniture they both had was the furniture we’d bought them when they were seven and eight; Caroline’s chest of drawers, for example, was the one that went with her bed on stilts. As part of the project to redecorate their rooms, we’ve also chosen new furniture for both of them and, in fact, all of the furniture is new in both of their bedrooms. For both girls we also gave them carte blanche in Laura Ashley to choose their wallpaper and paint.  We arranged to have the same carpet laid in each room – a wool twist from John Lewis – and then we set them loose with a furniture budget to choose what they would like to fit into their rooms.  Caroline chose her furniture from the Pine and Oak showrooms on the A4.

Caroline’s bedroom after

We have had three of Caroline’s walls painted in Laura Ashley’s ‘Soft Truffle’ shade; the fourth wall is papered, using the Oriental Garden wallpaper.  Then the curtains are made in Lille Stripe fabric, and the carpet is a cream shade from John Lewis.  She chose a double bed with two bedside tables, a wardrobe, a chest of drawers and a dressing table; and she went for a chandelier style of lamp from Laura Ashley. To finish it all off, she’s got new bedding including pretty cushions and a soft wool throw – Merlot loves the throw.

Round the fireplace, we had oak strips laid to hold the carpet but still expose the slate hearth – she is particularly taken with this.

The photos make the paint look different colours: but one photo was taken at night (and shows a more accurate colour) and one in day time.

View towards the door

The views from this room are amazing: I think they are arguably the most hypnotic in the house (though I can spend a long time hanging out of the second floor windows too) and Caroline gets to see Bella’s Copse, the woods across the fields from the house.

View of Bella’s Copse and the fields in between

You get deer there, and there are lots of rabbits in the fields.  Haven’t seen anything more unusual yet: but I’m sure there are other lovely creatures out there.

We’ve realised that we didn’t take any ‘before’ pictures of Liz’s room, which is a pity.  It was pink before, with the pink up to the beam across the wall. The pink has been replaced with a duck egg paint colour, and the line of colour goes up to the height of the beam.  Above that it’s simply white.  On the long wall opposite the beam the wallpaper is the Sycamore pattern in duck egg shade.  We haven’t yet got the blind, but she will have a duck egg and white Roman blind in the window.  At the moment she relies on hanging a blanket in the window to keep the light out!  We bought her a bed, two bedside tables, a tall set of drawers and a dressing table; her lamp is a set of glass prisms.  She has just acquired a rug for the floor too. She has some stunning features in her room: not only does she have the fabulous beam, she has a lovely little corner in her room leading to the door which is closed with a barn-style latch.  She also has a circular window, and we have yet to work out how best to decorate that.

Liz’s bedroom

I have seen an article in a magazine which showed a circular wooden set of shutters, but this might be incredibly expensive.  As Liz is still at university and is away in term-time, it means we can afford to think and plan how best to manage that particular feature.

Liz’s room looks out over the front garden, which gives her quiet joy.  You can see one of the weeping willows through her bedroom window.  Cleo is on the bed: she has adopted this room as her home within the house and can be found on the bed most of the time.

Liz’s room towards the circular window (right) and the door (left)