Inside Shez’s cool, coastal home
Short on cash, but eager to create the colourful home of your dreams? Luckily, Sheree Millington, aka. Shez (@chez.shez), is here to show us how it’s done. 
Moving away from the city to purchase a beach-side home, Shez is living a quaint, coastal life. She renovated much of the home with her bare hands, creating artsy paintings and aesthetically-pleasing upcycles to inject some personality into her space. Her distinct interior style has recently led her to star in Season 5 of BBC One's 'Interior Design Masters.'
Here, we'll be digging deep about her most recent, trendy project – a maximalist kitchen upcycle. Seeking inspiration across Instagram and the home of Luke Edward Hall, Shez is making her vision a reality and is here to talk all about it. Moving to Margate 🏖
"I visited Margate about 5 years ago, and as soon as I stepped off the train I felt at home and said 'I’m gonna live here.' It took a while but I got here in the end. It's a Victorian house – I grew up in a similar Victorian home so I’ve always been drawn to high ceilings, fireplaces and bay windows. I love the character of a period home."
Low-budget kitchen renovation
“Ideally, I would love a whole new kitchen, but my budget doesn’t allow for that (yet). So I’m working with what I’ve got and getting creative. It’s amazing how much of a difference paint and clever styling can make! I’m trying to make each room in my home a different colour – pink, blue and beige were taken so I went green(ish) with the kitchen.But a incident with some pasta sauce meant I had to repaint my lower kitchen cupboards. I didn’t have enough of the original pale green paint left, so I used one of the many blues I have in my paint cupboard (there are lots). The house is slowly but surely becoming more and more blue…it’s in its Violet Beauregard era 💙"
Creative upcycles 🎨
"A lot of my art and upcycling comes down to budget, to be honest (if I was rich it would be over for everyone). Having a limited amount of cash forces you to be creative. So I scour vintage shops, eBay, my mum’s cellar – anywhere for unique pieces that don’t cost the earth. My dining table and chairs were under £100, but quite scruffy, so I painted and reupholstered them. I’ve taken to creating tester pot art too, as huge prints are crazy expensive – and I get something no one else has."
Mix n’ match hardware 👯♂️
“It was hard to choose one handle for my kitchen – there are so many beautiful styles. I have chrome taps and silver appliances so I chose brass hardware as I think mixing metals is a bit more modern than matchy-matchy. I chose BECKER with DERRY backplates for my drawers and they look sooo chic, and then to add a point of difference, the swirly whirly SEARLE handles for the cabinets. They feel so much better than the cheap builder-grade handles I had before – I just keep opening cupboards now.”
Rewarding results ✅
“When it comes to DIY, the ends justify the means. I admit to finding DIY quite difficult, it’s certainly a learn-as-you-go process for me. But the sense of satisfaction knowing you did it all yourself is unparalleled, especially when you see the ideas in your head come to life. I feel really proud of my finished projects, despite moaning while I’m doing them." TEA & mini roll BREAK 😌
“My favourite pick-me-up brew is tea. Cut me and I bleed tea (I’m from Yorkshire). The kettle has always just boiled in my house. And I am addicted to Mini Rolls, I don’t even chew them, just shove them down. Gosh, they’re good.”
You’ll rarely spot Shez without a cuppa in hand ☕
Interior inspo’ 💭
Luke Edward Hall
“Luke Edward Hall (@lukeedwardhall) is a genius! He’s my main source of inspo’ for my home. I love how he mixes different influences like Ancient Greece and Old English country homes. I also don’t like anything to look too ‘done’ or contrived and his interiors look like they’ve organically happened. And obviously, I love his use of colour. Monochrome interiors depress me a bit.”
Luke Edward Hall sat comfortably in his living room alongside his partner and pupper.
Instagram interiors
"For interiors, you can’t beat Instagram. Pinterest is also good, but I prefer to get to know the people behind the pictures and I love following renovations. Here are three accounts you should definitely follow."Tess at @pistachio.terrace
"Their kitchen is so original."Missy at @_missy_logan
"She's a fellow Margate resident and has fab DIYs."Ashia & Jason at @no2.hastings
"For their use of colour (and adorable children)."High-energy tunes 🎧
“I love a good podcast and have probably listened to 100 episodes of My Favourite Murder while decorating. Who Weekly is a hilarious one about D-list celebs.I like to listen to very upbeat music to help me paint, so my gym playlist doubles as my DIY playlist (both are great workouts).”A big thank you to Shez for joining us for a TEA BREAK. Why not follow her DIY journey over at @chez.shez?
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