Welcome back to the blog for Part II of the Liverpool Living series where we dive into the minds of our favourite Merseyside interior creatives and garner some juicy insight into their home design choices. (If you missed Part I you can read it here!) The wonderful contributors share the thought behind their beautiful homes, tips and tricks for making your home your own and ample inspiration for your own interior projects!
This second post welcomes contributors Claire of @rightbacktothestart, Lauren of @theliverpoolhouse, and Laura of @thevictorianterracehouse.
Right Back to the Start (@rightbacktothestart)
Everyone welcome Claire - a forty-something university lecturer and married mum of two with a keen interest in interiors, travelling and parties! Claire is originally from Liverpool and is now living in Southport. She absolutely loves Merseyside because you're a stones throw from the coast as well as two of Claire's favourite cities - Liverpool and Manchester. Claire started her Instagram account back in 2019 when she and her family were thinking of selling their last home, and starting a new adventure. During a remodel of their last home, which included adding an extension to the ground floor to create a huge family room, Claire found a love of the process around interiors, and as she says "it snowballed from there!"
How would you describe your interior style?
"I’m not sure I can put a label on it - it’s simply that - ‘my style’. It’s what I like and think looks good in this house. I suppose I do favour mid-century simplicity and design when used in rooms with Victorian features but I don’t feel there’s a theme that runs through my home."
Where do you get your inspiration from?
"Inspiration is everywhere around me - I read interiors magazines and see fabulous accounts on Instagram, but also from travelling. Being in different countries inspires me to try colourways or create quirky features in a room - things that might be unexpected. For example, a hotel we stay at regularly had a huge neon sign- well before they became so popular and we added one to our home back in around 2016. It was custom-made with real glass and neon gas and was a real focal point in our then-family room. I’ve also been inspired to have a bar built in our more formal lounge and added smoked glass to give it that retro luxury feel having seen something similar in a book/film. I just think I’m not afraid to take chances. I love Rockett St George, and I love mid-century furniture by ercol, Macintosh etc. One of the first and most inspirational interior design books I ever had was ‘Styled’ by Emily Henderson but equally her book ‘Bohemia’ is also inspiring me in terms of thinking wistfully of a home abroad that I’d love to have!"
What’s your favourite part of your home & why?
"I’d say my kitchen as it’s somewhere with a little breakfast nook as well as an island but I also love - and this sounds weird - walking through my hallway and up the stairs as I can’t believe we are so fortunate to have the lovely space. The bedroom suite we created is also fabulous for lazy Sunday mornings as without going into the corridor we can access a dressing room and bathroom and so it feels like a hotel suite 😂"
What’s your least favourite part of your home & how would you change it?
"I’d love to do something with the spare bedroom as it was a rush job as was our informal lounge at the back of the house. We just gave the spare bedroom a lick of paint and we did the basics in the back lounge just so we had somewhere to sit that felt a little like our home. I’d like to add crittall style windows in the back lounge and replace the fireplace to create a tiled wall with some built-in seating on one side."
Biggest interior design “ick” or pet peeve?
"Ripping out period features as opposed to restoring them. I guess I think if you don’t like the features why buy a property of that period? There’s so much choice these days. Having said that it can be prohibitively expensive to undertake a restoration."
What is your top interior design/renovation tip?
"Don’t be afraid to trust your judgement and also - take time to live in a space before you take the plunge and make the changes."
If you could give one piece of advice to a first-time buyer looking to decorate/renovate their first home what would it be?
"Think about how you want to use your home along with how you want it to look - the best results come from a combination of both - oh and have fun with it. Make your home reflect who you are!"
What is your top thrifty tip for home design?
"Bagging vintage bargains."
What is something you had to learn the hard way when designing your home?
"Things don’t go to plan and usually cost more than you think!"
What’s your favourite colour palette?
"Pink and green together."
What’s your favourite season and what subtle changes do you enjoy making to your home during this season transition?
"I love autumn and the run-up to Christmas as I like to make the house look cosy. I tend to change things around to suit the seasons and even swap the use of rooms. I’m currently sitting in what used to be our dining room and is now a lounge - just because I wanted to make a change without a budget!"
Which local interior accounts or businesses inspire you?
"Hard to pinpoint really as there are so many but on Instagram, I am always inspired by Lisa Dawson and Jen from @cracktheshutters- I’ve also made some fabulous friends there and love following accounts like @myliverpoolhouselove"
Your period home is just beautiful. What original features have you kept?
"Coving in many of the rooms (though I want to strip it back as there’s still too many old layers of paint on it!), the stained glass in the vestibule doors and panels, in the large landing window and in the back lounge. The beautiful decorative spindles on re stairway and the tall skirting boards and original doors. I wish the previous owners had kept the sash windows and there are some stained glass panels removed too from the back lounge which is sad."
The Liverpool House (@theliverpoolhouse)
Next up we have Lauren, a 28-year-old mum of 3. Whilst not originally from Liverpool, Lauren hails from Runcorn, just over the bridge, and having lived in Liverpool for 10 years, she absolutely loves the city. As she says " I really couldn’t see myself living anywhere else!" Lauren started her account back in 2019 as a hobby. She says: "I wanted to start an account long before I actually did but always put it off with the thinking of 'is my home really good enough' until I realised none of that matters. All that matters is being your authentic self and trying new things." Very well said! Since she was a child, Lauren has had a keen interest in the creativity of interior design. She attributes this to her mum, who loves to decorate and who she would go wallpaper shopping with: "I'd go to school and come home to the living room being a different colour scheme!"
How would you describe your interior style?
"My interior style is just anything I like! I wouldn't say I have a preference, my style has changed a lot over the years, I love neutrals and bright, but also can't resist a pop of colour."
Where do you get your inspiration from?
"My interior inspiration comes a lot from the Instagram community as there are lots of fab ideas with homes of all shapes and sizes and the shape and period of my home."
What’s your favourite part of your home & why?
"My favourite part of my home is my living room as that's where I spend most of my day, it's light bright and airy but also cosy."
What’s your least favourite part of your home & how would you change it?
"My least favourite part of my home is my bathroom as it's way too small but the design of the house means there isn't much room to change that."
Biggest interior design “ick” or pet peeve?
"My biggest interior pet peeve has to homes with no personality and only functionality. I think it's so important to put your own stamp on your place whether you rent or own, we spend a lot of time indoors/at home and it should be a space that makes you feel positive."
What is your top interior design/renovation tip?
"My biggest tip for interior design is really think about the natural light you get in particular rooms and spaces, and do what makes you happy! You have to live in it, no one else."
If you could give one piece of advice to a first-time buyer looking to decorate/renovate their first home what would it be?
"My advice for first-time buyers/renters is to try to build depth and layers, lighting, lamps, rugs and mirrors all really make a bland space cosy and interesting."
What is your top thrifty tip for home design?
"My top thrifty tip for homes is to reuse and recycle pieces of furniture, mirrors, pictures and ornaments around your home. Move stuff around and rotate. Sometimes when you're bored or tired of certain items it may look better somewhere else completely. Also paint and spray paint vases, frames of mirrors, and lamp bases to give them a new look and lease of life."
What is something you had to learn the hard way when designing your home?
"Some things I've had to learn the hard way through decorating my own home is always to paint behind furniture/mirrors/pictures hung up, I've been known to be a bit slapdash in the past and when it comes to changing things up at a later date, I've had squares of completely different colours behind things I didn't move 😂"
What’s your favourite colour palette?
"My favourite colour palette will always be a neutral base with earthy tones to compliment, I also really love sage greens and burnt oranges."
What’s your favourite season and what subtle changes do you enjoy making to your home during this season transition?
"My absolute favourite season has to be spring, I love all the new life growing and daffodils, and everything becoming greener again! Every year I get out my spring door wreath with lots of lovely flowers and tulips."
Which local interior accounts or businesses inspire you?
"There are lots of fab accounts on Instagram that inspire me, also following interior hashtags brings you to lots of new accounts and people."
You’ve made the most amazing home in a rented property. What’s your biggest tip for all renters out there who want to make their homes their own?
"My biggest tip for renters has to be don't be afraid to ask to make changes, paint can be painted over, sticky back plastic over kitchen worktops, tables and tiles can all be peeled off, command stripes instead of nails and screws, rechargeable lights, instead of hard wiring lights into the mains, there are lots of little things you can do that aren't permanent but still make a big impact!"
The Victorian Terrace House (@thevictorianterracehouse)
And last but certainly not least, we have Laura from the Wirral, and the face behind @thevictorianterracehouse. Having grown up in the Wirral and living most of her life there, aside from brief episodes in London when and Liverpool city centre, Laura gushes about how it is "a lovely part of the world!" She "absolutely love[s] living on the Wirral, it’s great living somewhere that feels quite rural, but only minutes away from Liverpool!" As a creative person, Laura has always loved interiors, being exposed to home design at a young age due to her mum's love of interiors. She finds self-expression in her home and loves spending time at home with her loved ones whether it over a cuppa or hosting Christmas.
How would you describe your interior style?
"I would say it’s quite bold! I’m not afraid to use bright, strong or dark colours. I also love period properties - my home is Victorian so I like to mix modern styles with period features, like coving, fireplaces and ceiling roses."
Where do you get your inspiration from?
"My main inspiration is the house itself - I look at the room I’m decorating and think about what would look good. I also get a lot of inspiration from Instagram and Pinterest, I love seeing other people's homes! I love H&M Home, M&S, Zara Home and I can’t resist a good rummage around Homesense!"
What’s your favourite part of your home & why?
"It would probably have to be the kitchen - it’s such a social space and I adore cooking and entertaining in here! I’m also really proud of myself for painting the cupboards and making the space look totally different and refreshed on a small budget."
What’s your least favourite part of your home & how would you change it?
"I don’t really have a least favourite part of my home - I genuinely adore the whole house. I would however like a second/downstairs toilet but we don’t really have anywhere to put one! We could go under the stairs but I don’t want to disturb the original Minton tiles, plus we’d lose lots of valuable storage."
Biggest interior design “ick” or pet peeve?
"I’m really sorry if I offend anyone, but I hate the colour grey - it’s just not for me! Also, any mirrored furniture and crushed velvet - just no!"
What is your top interior design/renovation tip?
"Paint your ceilings a different colour than white! It can make SUCH a difference to your space. Whether it’s a completely different colour to the walls or the same as the walls, paint them!"
If you could give one piece of advice to a first-time buyer looking to decorate/renovate their first home what would it be?
"Just go for it! If you want to paint something a bright colour, try it! You can always paint over it again if you decide you don’t like it. And don’t listen to parents or friends if they say ‘I wouldn’t do that…’ it’s your home, express yourself and enjoy it."
What is your top thrifty tip for home design?
"For me, it was painting our kitchen cupboards and adding new handles. There was nothing particularly wrong with the kitchen, it was just tired and very bland. Painting them, adding new gold handles and reeded glass film made so much difference on a small budget and made the space feel so much more modern. There are some great paints and gorgeous colours out there now."
What is something you had to learn the hard way when designing your home?
"Expensive doesn’t always mean the best! A lot of the time, you’re paying for the brand name and all the marketing behind it. Shop around for that paint, get colour matches from decorating centres, don’t go for the big name flooring…"
What’s your favourite colour palette?
"Based on our house, I would say greens, pinks, blacks and off-whites. And gold! Who doesn’t love a bit of gold?!"
What’s your favourite season and what subtle changes do you enjoy making to your home during this season transition?
"Definitely Autumn/Winter (I’m a winter baby, born in December). I don’t make many changes but I do love it when the house feels really cosy, with lots of warm lighting, candles and big blankets & throws (I think that’s what the Danish call hygge)"
Which local interior accounts or businesses inspire you?
"I love @myliverpoolhouselove - it’s run by two lovely women and they share loads of gorgeous homes across Merseyside. It’s really nice to see all the different houses and people's individual styles. There’s a lovely community of house accounts on Instagram too with some really great people behind them!"
Your home is so beautiful and every room seems to have a cohesive thread tying the design together! What’s your biggest tip on creating a seamless flow in terms of style?
"Ahh, thank you! To be honest, I’ve not thought loads about how each room flows, it kind of just comes together naturally, based on my favourite colours. I also think that the house has lent itself to this - we have amazing fireplaces and period features in every room which helps the flow!"
Follow our wonderful contributors over on Instagram @rightbacktothestart, @theliverpoolhouse, @thevictorianterracehouse.
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