Sally Green uses pops of bold colours to give her home a pick-me-up

A full structural revamp transformed this detached home near Leeds. Heather Dixon reports. Pictures by Colin Poole.

It was business as usual for Sally Green while her house was being dismantled around her. “We were sleeping on mattresses on the floor and getting dressed for meetings in the middle of a building site during the worst part of the renovation,” she recalls.“It was quite stressful, but you just have to keep focused.”It took a year to give the detached house in Guiseley a structural transformation, which took it back to a shell before it was remodelled and modernised into a spacious family home.

‘We needed a bigger house, closer to where we were both working, and this gives us the best of both worlds,” says Sally, a part-time interior design consultant who runs Tweed Lounge.“It’s close to town yet sits on the edge of the countryside. It was clean and tidy, but needed updating.”

What began as a cosmetic revamp quickly turned into a major renovation as the fixtures and fittings came out, the rough plasterwork was stripped off the walls and ceilings, and a wall between the kitchen and dining room was removed to create the open plan family kitchen area. The house was replastered, replumbed and fitted with new doors, floors, banisters.

“By the time we got round to the kitchen it was March and snowing outside. There were props holding up the wall where the bifold doors were going, and we just had a plastic sheet between us and the elements. It was a bit of a low point,” says Sally.

Her mood soon lifted when the new kitchen and bathrooms were finally completed and she could get on with the more pleasurable business of decorating and furnishing the new-look house, with its large, open living areas and free-flowing rooms.

“I love the clean lines and contemporary style of a modern house but I like it to be welcoming and homely at the same time,” says Sally. “I like quirky, slightly edgy things which are individual and interesting. I didn’t want every room to look the same but I was keen to make sure they linked together so that the whole house flows well and draws in plenty of light.

“Now we have settled in properly and I love every bit of the house, but the kitchen is definitely my favourite room. It has such a good atmosphere and there’s nothing I enjoy more than sitting in here and taking it all in,” says Sally. “It doesn’t matter how stressful a day has been, or what the weather is like outside, inside this house it’s always warm and cheerful.”Tweed Lounge www.tweedlounge.co.uk

Sally's Solutions

How do you create a look? I’ve always loved bold wallpapers and bright colours, and I also love textures and beautiful textiles such as silk, tweed and leather. I build up layers of both, creating cheerful, comfortable rooms which are easy to live with and work throughout the seasons.How do you budget? I do lots of research to get good prices for the things I like. My mum helps out by making curtains and blinds to my designs, and I make my own cushions and throws. I keep my eyes open in the sales but I will push the boat out for a few key pieces. I pay attention to detail, like the handles on the kitchen cupboards and the lovely lamps I’ve accumulated over the years. I will splash out on something really special, like the Lapicida hand-made wall tiles, set with semi precious stones into mosaic, behind the cooker in the kitchen which would have cost £1,500 psm, but I got them for less because they were left overs from a big commission. It’s a small area but they are hand made and very unusual. I also try not to waste anything, so I sold the old kitchen units on Gumtree and sold the old Victorian fireplace on ebay.What has influenced your style? Among the biggest influences in my home have been the pictures and textiles I’ve accumulated on my travels. I’ve tried to bring out the jewel-like colours – especially cerise and turquoise – in the décor and fabrics. I’ve also introduced bright orange into the kitchen to lift the dark cupboards. You have to work with the age and style of the house. Traditional furniture doesn’t work as well as contemporary pieces in a modern house.How do you ring the changes? I do get bored with things quite easily and always like challenges and change, so I am constantly reinventing rooms. I make new soft furnishings and change the mood of a room by swapping cushions around or painting a wall a different colour. I don’t like to get rid of furniture if it can be reinvented, so I often get the paint out and change handles to give it a fresh new identity.