Knock, knock, knocking on Jasmin’s door
There are some people who shy away from a challenge, but Jasmin Robertson isn’t one of them. Currently renovating an Edwardian semi in Hove, with her fiancé Liam and their two small children, she’s the creator of Brick Dust Baby — a blog documenting their renovation projects. Oh, and she's a PR-specialist-turned-interior-designer too.
Jasmin stands proudly in the garden of her beautifully renovated home in Hove 🏠
Safe to say, there were a few reasons we wanted to catch up with this powerhouse of a woman, but perhaps the most important for us was the sheer length she’s gone to to restore her original front door — complete with new brass hardware, of course. And let’s not ignore her keen eye for detail. Here’s what Jasmin had to say about it all, including the lessons she’s learned along the way.On first impressions
We first saw our house in June 2020, after coming out of the first lockdown, and it ticked all the boxes. It was in the neighbourhood I grew up in, had plenty of original period features, a good-sized garden and lots of scope to extend and improve. But if I’m honest, after walking through the front door, I was sold by the banister rail alone.
Jasmin (@brickdustbaby) selects brass highlights in our BEAUMONT Door Numbers and CAMPBELL Door Knocker
Going with the grain
We restored the front door in our last house, so we knew what to expect. The difference with the front door on this house was that it was caked in so many layers of lead paint that we had to get it professionally stripped. We used a company based in Lewes called Back to the Grain that dips doors and furniture in huge vats of acid in their workshop, to quickly remove the paint. They offer a same day service which is handy as you don’t really want to be without a front door overnight! Primed for success
After it was re-hung, it needed to fully dry out before we could sand it. Our door is quite big and chunky and we had lots of wet weather at the time, so it took a couple of weeks. The bottom of the door is always the last bit to dry out.
Once it was sanded, I primed the door using Zinsser 123 which also prevents any stains coming through from knots and can be painted over in any type of paint. We then primed it and filled the many knocks and nail holes while caulking the gaps around the moldings on the door. I find this job really tedious, but it really does make a huge difference to the finished result, so it’s well worth doing.The fun bit
Liam took over at this point — most of our DIYs are a team effort in one way or another. He had the fun job of applying the door colour. We went for Nomad (Exterior) by COAT Paints. We’ve used this colour in our hallway and wanted to create a visual connection with the inside and out. Choosing a front door colour is always a bit nerve wracking but we’re really happy and know we made the right choice. It looks great against the brick and brass hardware.
A time-saving tip
Always learning the hard way, I wasted quite a bit of time masking the edges of the 12 small window panes in the top of the door. An hour in, I realised I’d only done half of one side of the door so I gave up and decided to razor blade any paint off the glass once it was dry. This was a tip gleaned from Greg of @manwithahammer and it worked a treat. It was SO much quicker. The finishing touches
That brings me onto the fancy new door knocker and numbers — the all-important finishing touches! We went for the BEAUMONT Brass Door Numbers and CAMPBELL Hex Door Knocker. I chose them for not only their look, but also the sizing. As our front door has quite a bit of panelling and molding, I had to work out the space we had available as well as practical positioning. It did affect my selection so I’d definitely recommend measuring up before buying.Jasmin’s “D.I.Why” – why do it yourself
Our main motivation is cost saving. Labour is expensive and it can often be tricky to find good tradespeople. Our view is that if we can do it ourselves and we have the time to do it, then we will. Often, especially with decorating, we’ve been disappointed with the finish and when you know you can do a better job yourself, it can be incredibly frustrating. Especially when you’ve parted with hard-earned cash. We’re a house of perfectionists!The other aspect of DIY, which is not to be underestimated, is the sense of satisfaction. Both myself and Liam work on screens and phones for most of the day and we’re both the kind of people that need a physical outlet. DIY gives us that but in a creative way, and we all get to enjoy the results while increasing the value of our home. It’s an all-round win.What she consumes on her Tea Break
Writing this, I’m one day away from giving birth so my tea breaks are plenty at the moment — in every way! I’m drinking a lot of decaf breakfast tea (not my usual choice, but caffeine is killing me with reflux) and my sweet tooth is out of control right now. Yesterday my tea break was accompanied by a spoonful of Nutella from the jar and today it’s French Fancies. Don’t judge 😂The soundtrack to her DIY project
It depends on my mood and the type of job I’m working on, but motivational favourites include Daft Punk – Harder Better Faster Stronger – as well as Fearne Cotton’s “Happy Place” workout playlist, then Hed Kandi and Defected playlists.For late nights spent painting woodwork and varnishing floorboards, when I have to be mindful of keeping the noise down, I do like a podcast. I love The Great Indoors for all the interior chat and listening to old episodes of How to Curate Your Life, as well as podcasts on psychology and health. Our eight year old daughter, Molly, is also discovering all sorts of music at the moment, and now insists on her choices being played. We’ve been enjoying a Spice Girls revival, which I’m not at all sad about – and I think Liam is secretly loving it, too! Thanks to Jasmin for joining us for a TEA BREAK. Why not follow her renovation journey at @brickdustbaby?
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