Scandi white floor like on all those proper interior design blogs

The music room is being repurposed ready for an imminent arrival (well not before Jan 28th we hope). So this seemed like a good opportunity to try and emulate some of those lovely rooms you see on proper blogs about amazing homes. After much deliberation we opted for a white floor to make the room look big and airy.

Using Neville's sander to make light work of the floor boards

Final curtain pole!

Nearly a year after we got our new windows fitted we have finally erected the last curtain pole. Nothing more to add. Except maybe in a years time I will have made some curtains.

Re-tooling in the studio.

I'm holding a drill like a gun!

 Pee-yow!

Brute force.

So, eagle-eyed readers/viewers will have spotted the bent drill bit. This has happened before. I think we've got a bent drill. They sometimes break off completely. It's obviously nothing to do with my technique. You will also have noticed NO keyboard on the very top shelf-rack arm things.

So, add these to your Xmas present ideas for Jon and Hannah;

a.) Drill

2.) Keyboard

An expensive way to make a rustic coldframe

Just a reminder of what the house looked like before the upstairs windows disappeared.

This is why our windows disappeared. This man took them out!

Look! No window.

And the back.

Our new window about to go in.

Filling the gaps.

Eeeeek!! (Don't worry, they made good!)

We're keeping the old windows for a cold frame!

Spot the difference

p.s. sorry we haven't made the coldframe yet. Next job for Stephen?

I knew it couldn't last

Remember when we had a keyboard corner in our living room in Acton? Remember how we moved to a house in Walthamstow so that Jon could have his own music room?

So explain to me, how has this happened?

Why is Jon in our bedroom with FOUR different synthesizers when he has a WHOLE ROOM for playing synthesizers?

Cockland Studios!

We had a mental move-around this weekend. Studio and sewing room swapped places (!) because my things take up more room and are better and more important than Hannah's. This is a temporary solution before we can afford to expand into the loft and build turrets and stuff.

This is how the room looked before.

Hannah wasn't sure she needed Michael's table anymore, so, jealous of tinkermuffin's studio big table, I used it to put my stuff on instead...

...so that it looked like this. I did it like this because that's probably how you're supposed to have this kind of stuff.

Close up of the digital side (+ electric ukulele). Digital stuff is necessary in this modern world. I really think it might revolutionise the way we live our lives.

The (mostly) analogue side. Analogue stuff is better because it just is.

I also have a record player, cassette twin deck AND 4-track, because... well, if you don't already know why, I shouldn't really waste my valuable time explaining to the likes of you.

Finally used one of the Ikea lamps we got before we realised actual Angle-poises are just better and nicer (notwithstanding the fact that one of ours is an electrocution hazard). This clamps on nicely to the worktable though.

And then I wasted hours in there, because I can.

And Hannah spent hours in her sewing room, which you will see shortly.

p.s. Also insanely jealous of Mark Metaverse's studio build.

Music/Sewing mash-up!

We had another rethink the other day. With us both (yes; the both of us, thanks!) having hobby/past-times placing demands on our premium E17 space, we realised that something had to give if were ever to have the longed-for and elusive spare room.

 As you can see here, there are keyboards AND sewing machines in the SAME room! 

Admittedly, this is now a lot more cramped than the photo would imply, but...

 ...now we have what you might call a spare room next door.

 The luxurious double-double futon (two layers, for two people) folds up into a sofa for comfortable loft-style living for young, chic, jet-setters whilst interning at famous London auction-houses. Features chill-out zone by the window.

A few Saturday jobs while we pray for heating and hot water

The plumber is here. He has been a while. Apparently someone bodged jobs on the boiler before and that's making it all very complicated. I can believe it. It seems to be a pattern in this house.

But being stuck in the house on a lovely sunny October Saturday has meant we've got some jobs done.

I finished our bedroom curtains and added curtain rings. Now we just need to get the curtain pole up.

Jon put up two of the lovely prints that Nell and Paddy gave us a house warming present. Don't they look wicked? These are the first pictures we've put up in the house, exciting!

And we've been thinking about shelves in the kitchen. I had the idea of painting our wooden bookcase. Jon's not convinced yet so I though I'd run it past you. What do you think? Should we put it up as shelves?

maybe above the table?

Or above the radiator?

Sliding doors

As a marker of how far the house is coming on we've put the doors back on the sewing and music rooms. That means we've finished painting them! Actually that's not quite true as Jon's room still needs the wood painting but Ellen and Robin are staying on Friday night and we thought they deserved a door.

Magic decorating

I went to work this morning and didn't even think about decorating. But when I got home things had changed miraculously.

aha! That explains it. Dr Lloyd kindly spent a day in the Stow painting our house. Thank you Stephen!

our naked fireplace. Not sure why, will consult Jon.......So Stephen could paint the chimney breast. What a star!

and he cleaned our light. Now we can see what we're doing in the kitchen.

Jon gets all artistic documenting the moving of a wardrobe.

ta da! it's in place!

what a stunner.

In other news our washing machine arrived today so look out for news about that! What a cliffhanger.....