This Clever Home Strikes The Perfect Balance Of Work & Play

Thank you! I am really interested in color psychology and have always read about how blue is symbolic of the sky and the sea. I find the color blue to be really calming, so it made sense to put it in the bedroom.

I used blue on two walls, keeping the other two walls fresh and white as I wanted a cool and airy feel. The plants I've chosen for the master bedroom are ones that have great air-purifying qualities, and I've grouped them together to create a sanctuary feeling.

Since I was spending all my time at home, projects that I probably would have put off became more of a priority. I also wanted to learn new skills and pull some positives from the situation.

The first change was to the garden: I created an outdoor "living area"—a space that we could enjoy as a family during the day and where my husband and I could go to chill out during the evenings.

I also made quite a few changes in the kitchen. We added open shelves, and I completed my first attempt at tiling! We removed a large shelving unit and created a "mini pantry" in the kitchen too, which has made a huge difference.

I also decorated the nursery for my daughter, Banks, and added a pink ceiling, which has completely transformed the room.

My husband has always had our home office for work. However, I redesigned my desk into a space that I could enjoy working from and seek out some peace and quiet when needed!

The oldest thing in our home is the parquet flooring, which is an original feature that covers the downstairs of the house. We have recently uncovered the parquet flooring in our living room, too, and are in the process of restoring it.

We have three dogs and two young children, so there is usually lots of noise at home! Often, it's lots of giggling, and you can hear the babies playing—or Peppa Pig on TV in the background! I usually have one of the doors open as I like hearing the birds outside, too. We live in quite a secluded spot, and the birds are always beautiful to listen to.

I actually have quite a lot still packed up to go on our walls (would you believe?), but I do have one "Welcome to the Madhouse" sign that my parents got us a while ago now. Originally, it was a bit of a joke, but it has proven quite appropriate recently thanks to the chaos of small children and three dogs (and a very loud husband!)—especially during the pandemic. Although it's not that old in age, it's something that I know we will have forever.