Charlie’s solo trip down DIY Lane
'Daunting' is an understatement when describing how it feels approaching those DIY projects you've turned a blind eye to, especially when you’re living on your own. That’s why we’ve got Charlotte Simpson (@chateau.simps) to walk us through her solo DIY journey.
Charlie’s (@chateau_simps) bathroom vanity looking brand new with our BEZEL Knobs.
Charlie is a one woman DIY army, renovating her tiny Victorian terrace whenever she can find time. She's definitely not one to shy away from picking up a saw and bringing her vision to life. Charlie sits down to talk all things interior style, inspiration, and must-listen tunes. A ‘thrifty connoisseur’
"I did a quiz recently and was told my style is ‘elegant connoisseur’, but there’s not much ‘elegant’ about me! My house is full of second-hand, preloved bits of anything and everything I can get my mitts on, from wardrobes and drawers, to bits of wood and paint – I think ‘thrifty connoisseur’ suits me better!I love anything with a bit of character, I tend to go for older furniture and throw in a few modern things here and there to keep my Marketplace algorithms on their toes if nothing else."Ready, Research, Go!
"I. LOVE. RESEARCH. I research everything, I also over-plan and over-visualise. It’s not particularly productive, but I’m a firm believer that getting your head around a project before you start will save a heap of DIY time, energy and money. My advice to first time reno’-ers would be to just have a go, you’ll be surprised at what you can actually do, but remember, masking tape is the enemy – it will not respect your freshly painted walls!"Contemporary meets Victorian
"The BEZEL Grooved Knobs are modern but, to me at least, they also resemble Victorian beehive knobs. They’re a happy mix of contemporary and heritage style, and they change so much in the light! I wanted something which I know will last the test of time, both design and quality wise, and the BEZEL Grooved Knobs ticked both boxes for me."
Charlie chose our BEZEL Grooved Knobs for their vintage-inspired style.
‘D.I.Why not?’
"D.I.Y? D.I.Whhhhy not? DIY is my go to place of calm, which I realise sounds absolutely insane given the noise, power tools and stress of not knowing if you’re doing anything right, but it’s my little happy space away from the world." 
Charlie worked long & hard to transform her bathroom vanity 💪
Break for bubbly water
"I am powered by tea, lots of it, but if I’m still flagging and need a DIY pick-me-up I’ll turn to the strong stuff – fizzy water. I’d get crazy migraines as a young‘un and realised only recently that watery bubbles taste very similar to the dissolvable tablets I used to take - a few mouthfuls of bubble-water later and I’m good to go. As I say this, I realise it’s likely I’m just constantly dehydrated, but I’ll pretend this bubble-placebo is what’s really at work here and not the general intake of fluids..."
A ‘fount’ of inspiration
“Instagram is the fount of all my DIY and interior inspiration, there’s a heap of lovely people on there and I’ve got so many albums of saved “how tos” on the go, I can’t keep track. I especially love @northern_key_interiors and @oldhousenomoneynoclue as they keep me happy, and I adore everything that @hannahdoesahouse touches!”The DIY soundtrack
"My bathroom vanity was powered by SOUND, so much sound – I’ve had Ed Gamble and James Acaster’s Off Menu playing – if you were wondering, I’m a plate of pickled cabbage, followed by a sausage cob (with butter) and finally, a sugar-free jelly sachet dissolved in as little water as possible, whisked with evaporated milk and left to set. Perfection!I’ve also been clocking up the Spotify hours, so here are my top DIY tracks –"A huge thanks to Charlie for joining us for a TEA BREAK. Why not follow her renovation journey at @chateau.simps?
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