When we bought this house I wasn’t into DIY and didn’t have a clue,’ says Jen. ‘So when we heard a small developer was building some detached houses in Clayton-le-Woods, Lancashire, the idea of a blank canvas with no wallpaper to strip really appealed to us.
Our previous home was an end-of-terrace house in the middle of Leyland, which felt quite claustrophobic and noisy. Having grown up on a farm, Nick wanted somewhere quieter, and four bedrooms were a must for our growing family.
It took a year to build and we sold our old house before this one was ready. Luckily we were able to rent it back from the buyer for a few extra months.
First steps
A lot of the rooms were white for several years before I began getting braver with colour, which started when I hand-painted some bears in the children’s bedrooms. Before long, I’d changed every room several times over.
Although I’ve found my style now, which is quite eclectic
