The only thing we are still working on is the garden but this has been sidelined for a while for a new project (more about that later), although I did buy some planters and plants to try and make it look a little more attractive and welcoming to sit in, especially as we've had some amazing weather this year.
Meanwhile, I realised that I hadn't done a final post showing what the cottage looks like now, fully furnished. I've therefore included some before and after photos to show you the journey our little cottage has been on.
I'll start with a photo of the front which is the cottage I first fell in love with and knew immediately I wanted to buy. Not so for Mr M who I think so eloquently said "It's a nut job, why are we even looking at it?" He's since had time to eat his words as I hope you can see from the after photo below.
When we first walked through the door this is what we saw.
And now it looks like this! We took the stairs out and turned them around and these now occupy the opposite wall along with a TV and console table. To the left of the sofa is an oak cupboard which we took the back off to hide all the electricity fuse boxes but which now doubles as a shoe cupboard to reduce clutter.
This footstool gives us additional seating (you can actually get 2 people on it) and is a great place to plonk your bum whilst changing your shoes. The shutters have only been in for a couple of months but they finish everything off and give us some privacy in the evening instead of us relying on some black paper blinds which did the job but were pretty unattractive.
And finally (for this post) the kitchen.
Which has been transformed to this....
There used to be a loo in the corner which whilst I'm sure it would have been handy, has had to go! Excuse the pun : ) We also managed to find room for a drop leaf table & 2 chairs but I also have a couple of collapsible stools which fit neatly down the side of the fridge, which means we can cater for four people. It's all about being compact in such a small space.
And this is the view from the lounge looking out of our fabulous bi-fold windows onto the back yard (not so fabulous) which as you can see still needs some serious work.
I'll leave it there for this post and I hope you've enjoyed the before and after photos. I'd also like to thank you for joining us on our renovation journey and hope you will continue to do so when I reveal our next project which I'll update you on next time along with more photos of the bedrooms, bathrooms and back yard. Until then enjoy this amazing run of sunny weather and I'll be back soon....promise!.
