Wardrobe hacks & reno’ mishaps, with Lucy
Have you recently bought a house and want to make it feel more like home? Why not to take a leaf out of Lucy Willis' (@homeonthewharfe) book by rolling up your sleeves and doing it yourself.
Lucy hacked her IKEA PAX into a bespoke statement wardrobe, featuring ROEBUCK ✨
Taking it one room at a time, Lew & Lucy are renovating their first 1900’s terraced house in Yorkshire. With plenty of vision & ambition, they have heaps to share about their renovation journey. Let’s get comfy with a cuppa and talk all things renovation – from inspo & style to imperfectly perfect DIYs ☕Sticking to tradition
"The house is a three bedroom mid-terrace from the early 1900’s, so we’re really keen to restore any original features and maintain that traditional feel throughout, making sure to add some modern touches and a good lick of colour." One room at a time
"Planning this renovation is definitely a slow process, we're just taking it one room at a time. There’s been plenty of hurdles so far, we had to wait 2 months for our electrician to come back to finish the rewiring, so patience is definitely key. We’ve also learnt that nothing is ever perfect (particularly in old properties) so to just roll with any small mistakes or mishaps. Trust me, once it’s finished no one will notice the slightly wonky picture rail."
Developing a style 👩🏻🎨
"I’d say we have an eclectic style with a hint of mid-century modern. Developing your style takes time and is always changing (I know ours is anyway!) so my advice would be to make sure any big purchases like beds or sofas are timeless but to play around with wall colours or smaller details that are easier to change as your style develops."
Lucy chose our ROEBUCK Handle for its clean & simple design
IKEA made bespoke
"We knew the bedroom was in desperate need for more storage and we have loved the built-in wardrobe style for a while. We explored the option of having our wardrobes fully custom made by carpenters but the cost was far too high for us (first time buyers renovating on a shoestring), so we looked into the IKEA PAX system. The PAX unit wasn’t quite the right size so we had carpenters build around it.We were then keen to get stuck in and add panelling detail ourselves. We’ve used Plank hardware elsewhere in our home already so we knew it would be the perfect finishing touch. We chose ROEBUCK as we wanted something clean and simple. The handles really took it from a DIY project to a professional looking wardrobe"
Lucy’s DI-Why
"Not only does DIY’ing save money, you can also create something bespoke and exactly to your own style or colour scheme. Plus the sense of achievement is second to none!"G&Ts on the Wharfe 🥂
"My favourite pick-me-up brew has got to be a cup of Yorkshire tea (we’re @homeonthewharfe after all). A few bourbons or two don’t go amiss either! Then once we’ve put tools down for the day it’s definitely G&T time."The bank of Insta inspo
"Instagram is the best source of inspiration for me – my saved folders are full of incredible houses and projects. You might follow all of these wonderful accounts already, but if you don’t, where have you been? – @katespiers, @dustsheets_and_decor & @jessrosehome" El-ton of tunes 🕺🏻
“I’m definitely a podcast gal, nothing better than having a few laughs while decorating. My top picks would be Shagged, Married, Annoyed or Help I Sexted My Boss. Lew is the music man in our house so we switch between podcasts and his playlists, his top picks are:"A massive thank you to Lucy for joining us for a TEA BREAK. Why not follow her rental hacking journey at @homeonthewharfe?
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