I have a whole house to redecorate - quickly... Help!

[abbey44]

After trying for God knows how long to sell my house (the "tired" one I posted about a couple of weeks ago) I had an offer on Monday, the surveyor is coming in tomorrow, and they want to expedite the sale. Which is fine by me, of course. They have an assured buyer, who's pushing them, and I've (luckily) got a house to move into, so the chain is basically just them and me. Ideal.

But here's the catch. The house I'm moving to is one I've owned, but has had tenants in for eight years, and it really is looking tired. I originally bought it to live in long-term, so the stuff I had done was done properly, but you know, it needs a major amount of titivating now.

It's lovely - 1880 Victorian square house, four rooms downstairs, conservatory across the back, utility room to the side, four bedrooms, en-suite and family bathroom - and I'm remembering why I fell in love with it to begin with. I'm not sure whether I'll be staying long-term, or selling to downsize in a couple of years, so that's something to take into consideration.

I'm sure you'll have some ideas, and I'd love to hear them. Colours, window finishes, carpets, new bathroom...? What colour front door - I do like the silver grey, but would a dark blue be a bit more ahead of the trend again now...? I'd quite like to keep the curtains (ivory and grey silk, handmade and beautiful still) and blinds (black and white) in the bay window of the living room, but what do you think...? I loved the silver and white wallpaper and the mirrors in the hall when I did them, but ten years on, I think they need a change. That floor, through the hall, kitchen and conservatory is staying, but all others are negotiable. So, same carpet throughout, and if so, what colour...?

I need to sort this soonish, as I'm hoping to be moving at the end of next month (or sooner if it can be done), so I need to get my act together a bit sharpish.

Any ideas...?

www.rightmove.co.uk/house-prices/detailMatching.html?prop=29850880&sale=39848289&country=england

Just a good clean and a lick of fresh paint will tart it up.

I would wait with the kitchen and bathroom until you've settled and have had the time to think and plan carefully. Otherwise, it could end up a basic rush job.

And by the way, it's a lovely house.

I don’t mean to be rude, but there’s a mishmash if modern and old in the photos. That would need sorting. It is an old property, so the interior should reflect this.

That's interesting that you say that Longdistance - do you not think you can put more modern style into an older house...?

Thank you JoJo - I wasn't actually planning to do anything with the kitchen, as that's the one that I put in, and it wasn't cheap I like it, too, actually. The bathroom, though (picture 7), is pretty dated. Although I'm not going to be using it much, and I would imagine if I sold it, anyone who bought it would want to do it in their own style.

I've been looking at similar houses on Rightmove and there's an awful lot of grey about - I can see the appeal, but would it be better to go for something different...?

The only thing I hate is the bathroom, I love all the rest - especially the kitchen

Yes, it's pretty grim It's the one that was in when I bought it, and twelve years ago I thought it wasn't worth changing. Now though...

It's a dated bathroom but it isn't a disaster.

I think I'd go with a more modern bathroom just because the kitchen is modern. If you come to sell, at least the modern finish will be consistent so it'll appeal to buyers wanting a modern finish. I'd also stick to the same beige/brown colour palette to make it coherent.

Firstly, your house is gorgeous.

It's a period house, so I don't actually think the bathroom is too bad. Is it sheet vinyl flooring? It's a very orangey pine colour - if you replaced it with a black and white "faux Victorian" style patterned floor (tiles or tile effect vinyl) it would look better. Ditch the blue loo seat too - plain black or white would be better. Big mirror above the bath rather than a painting.

The blue walls in the kitchen with the brown units is a bit of a dated combination. I'd probably just paint it white, to freshen up. Add some succulents or other green plants for colour, or colourful kettle / tea and coffee jars?

The wallpaper in the hallway is ok, you could redo with something similar, although the pattern seems a little small for the space if that makes sense.
The IKEA mirrors don't add to the look. I'd go for one large mirror with a nice surround - a bit of a focal point - and an eye-catching light fitting. It's a good sized space so maybe some coat racks with a storage bench for shoes or similar?
It's a gorgeous period house from the front but the entrance doesn't match that so feels a little jarring - I'd suggest that space is a little more traditional in style as a "transition" through to a more modern kitchen?

The link doesn't work for me, sorry.

The hall feels all wrong for the house - the front door is a Georgian style with the fan light. I'd change it to a solid panelled door and put a large mirror hung landscape above the radiator and loose the other mirrors - the IKEA wibbly ones don't look right. Maybe put coats hooks on the wall opposite where those mirrors are currently.

I'm not keen on the built in glass shelves and are there mirrors behind them? I'd remove the mirrors and put wooden shelves in.

Hi op, do nothing and move in. Paint everything white/warm white if you really need clean it up, but do nothing else.

It’s a big house, it needs careful consideration about how the rooms feel, how you live in the house, which rooms get sun/shade/draughty etc. Where do you spend your time? What furniture are you bringing?

It’s easy to throw a load of ideas at a place but you more often than not end up with a confused outcome that you want to do again or don’t feel happy with. I did this exact thing with my first place and won’t ever do it again.

Budget, work out a schedule to do it room by room, find an overall colour palette for the whole house. Live with the existing kitchen for a few months to know what works, layout and storage wise, and what doesn’t. Shop around for your fixtures, fittings, cabinetry. Take design consultations. Also, don’t take specific advice from anyone who hasn’t been to the house - it’s a recipe for disaster. FWIW, I’m trained as a designer and I’m working toward becoming an interior designer. Hope this is helpful x

Thanks for your ideas - quite a lot of food for thought there.

Funnily enough, I did paint it all white when I first bought it (you wouldn't believe every some of the colours that were there!) and it's pretty much been kept like that during the time it's been let. Now I want to bring it all together and more up to date, which is why I'm asking for ideas about a colour palette to think about.

I'm not planning on replacing the kitchen - I put it in and it works well - but I did wonder about replacing the horrible black tiles in the bathroom with painted tongue and groove panelling...? And yes to a change of floor - that vinyl is horrible.

The house is east/west facing (east at the back) and the conservatory is probably the room I'll use most during the day. The furniture I'm taking is pretty neutral - think grey & white striped ticking upholstery and grey/white painted other stuff - and I'm thinking I'd like to go with that, but without being completely bland, if you know what I mean.

I do agree that the Ikea mirrors have to go, though . I have a lovely big framed one that will go in there over the radiator. There is a shoe storage rack in the cupboard to the left of the front door, and I have a coat rack for the corner on the other side. I have a pretty antique wooden table or a mahogany chest of drawers that I was thinking of putting in there for keys and letters and stuff.

Most of it seems nice to me, I certainly wouldn’t do anything in a hurry except perhaps get carpets, cooker etc professionally cleaned. I think my main priority would be to get the wooden conservatory painted a lighter, heritage colour.

Link doesn't work for me either. Can you re-post?

See if this link works...

www.rightmove.co.uk/house-prices/detailMatching.html?prop=29850880&sale=39848289&country=england

CoolShoeshine - I like that idea for the conservatory - it hadn't occurred to me before.