All posts filed under: Make Over

New Project – The Red Room

Published by Karen Knox

New project time everyone! Yeah yeah!! This time it’s a 1930’s house that’s recently had a lovely extension across the back. This has given them a light and airy, family friendly, open-plan kitchen-diner. And two sitting rooms. None of which they really like anymore. Including this one, which they admit they never actually use. It’s accumulated bits of furniture over the years, but now it just doesn’t work as a dining room, a living room, a study…. Let’s just say it’s lost its way. Time for a re-design, a new layout and a new purpose. Oh goodie. This room is to become the new family TV room, but in its current set up, it’s really tricky to configure the space so the seating can all get a view of a TV in one of the alcoves. After spending a good few hours playing around with potential layouts, here’s what I came up with. It’s going to be fun. The biggest change we’ve made which completely free-d up the room was to block the original entrance …

A mini makeover (for Chooch the cat) with Sandtex Rapid Dry Paint

Published by Karen Knox

I have a theory, and I’m not 100% sure if i’m right, but I put it to you, dear readers, that interiors nuts, home-birds and people that rather like being by themselves (me) are cat lovers, whilst fans of the great outdoors, fresh air and company are dog owners. What do you think? Is this a load of crap? Or am I onto something here? It will be no surprise to see I’m a cat mummy. I really couldn’t hack the needs of a dog. I like dogs, don’t get me wrong, but i’d never want to walk own one. Despite my son, aged 3, saying we should take Chooch back to the “animal shop” and get a refund and buy a dog instead. Because she stood on his foot the week before. Fair enough. Our recent Garden Makeover from earlier this month Chooch was rescued from the RSPCA on my 30th birthday, eight years ago now and she makes me laugh (and curse) every day. She’s put up with a lot over the last few years. …

My Summer Style with Primrose - Garden Makeover #UKHomeBlogHop

My Summer Style with Primrose #UKHomeBlogHop

Published by Karen Knox

Welcome welcome one and all to my small part in this summer’s #UKHomeBlogHop organised by the super sexy Kimberly Duran of Swoon Worthy. There are 27 of the UK’s best interiors and home design bloggers taking part in this “hop” and we’re all sharing with you our summer style for 2017. Big thanks to Kate from Fabric of my Life for sending everyone my way. For those of you that are new to Making Spaces (and if you’re a nosey bugger), you can have a snoop around our house here. In the meantime, let me catch you up. We completed our loft conversion at the beginning of the year which gave us a great new second floor to our 3-bed semi. You can read all about the 17 week process over here. Oh my god, i’m so ashamed. Don’t judge me. What it didn’t leave us with, however, was a very nice outdoor space. The scaffold and building work had taken its toll on our patio, driveway and lawns. It was a complete disaster zone. So much …

The Drawing Room – Final Reveal

Published by Karen Knox

Am so excited to share the final reveal of this project with you. I’ve been working closely with the homeowners for the last five months and i’m kind of wow-ed with the final design. If you’d like to read all about the beginnings then, jump over here for a catch up. Today’s post is all about the final photos and a shopping list for any of you out there that fancy any of these pieces for yourself. Let’s go. Before Here is their large Edwardian front room at the beginning of July this year. These guys had just moved in and were wanting a formal, but statement front room fit for drinks, music and entertaining. After And here it is now. It’s just so cosy isn’t it? In fact, after doing my final hour of faffing and half way through me taking photos, I was desperate for a quick cat nap on the sofa in front of that roaring fire. So nice. Before Everything in the room was going. Apart from the two made.com Ritchie sofas and …

An Eclectic Living Room – Final Reveal

Published by Karen Knox

Ages ago, back in April, I introduced you to some of the projects I was working on. I can’t always feature every project on the blog. Not because I don’t want to, but time doesn’t always allow me to. Well, that…. and an angry dog that didn’t really like me being in the room I needed to work in. This is the room, on my first visit: It had a great log burner, original chimney breast and stripped floorboards, big bay window and some lovely pieces of furniture. The homeowner’s love of white, vintage finds and Scandi design (baskets) was more than apparent. But she just wasn’t feeling this space at all and couldn’t quite work out why. It’s a north facing room, so doesn’t get the best light. Flat white and grey weren’t doing this space any favours. Their plan was to keep it minimal. But it kinda just felt a bit cold and unfinished. The two seating areas felt disconnected and the L shaped sofa was awkward in the space. So how did I make …

The Pod

Published by Karen Knox

I last mentioned “The Pod” in the Peignoir and Worsted reveal post. You can see the flash of Farrow & Ball’s Inchyra Blue through the door at the top of the landing here: The Pod, named mainly due to its size, 1.5m x 1.9m is just about big enough to fit a single bed in. A single bed and one small book. It’s actually used as the home office. Not the most successful one, however: Before It had gotten so cramped the homeowner had set up office-camp on the kitchen table downstairs. Not great when you’re working from home. Seeing your computer all the time means you’re switched on 24/7. I know a few of you out there can relate to that. It’s not good for a healthy work/life balance. Things that needed sorting were: The desk was too deep and interfered with the door architrave. There’s not nearly enough storage but the amount of “stuff” (which needed downsizing). Electrical trunking ran across the top of the desk meaning cables were trailing all over the place. It felt cold …

Making Spaces in Print – Pt 3

Published by Karen Knox

It’s June! When the hell did that happen? Last time I checked we were all dancing around a maypole. Blimey. So, yeah, May has flown by, and as they say, “time flies when you’re having fun”. And I was. The Houzz UK feature, which was wonderfully confidence boosting, prompted an avalanche of emails. A new project on board already and another consult booked for next week. Making Spaces was interviewed for Yorkshire Living, a complimentary magazine, still available to pick up in and around the God’s own country. Keep an eye out, you can’t miss it. Making Spaces only bloody made the FRONT COVER! Look! Sherwood Forest in all its glossy glory. Then my very first design project from October 2014, before Making Spaces even officially existed was in Homestyle Magazine. Take a look and have a read. It’s pretty cool to think the whole living room was made-over for £1000. And if that wasn’t enough, i’m currently in this month’s (July) edition of Real Homes magazine. I’m sitting on a chair this time as …

The Magnetic Wall – Pt 3 – Final Reveal

Published by Karen Knox

Just over a month ago, I introduced you to a playroom re-design I was working on in collaboration with Thistle Magnetic Plaster, by British Gypsum’s “Rooms Made For You“. The plan was to transform the room overlooking the rear garden into an interactive family space. A room that connected the large, recently completed living space to the great outdoors. Part II, was all about the magnetic plaster going up on the wall, what it was like to work with, how it dried and what was next on the plan of action. Here’s a brief visual catch up… It was now time to start getting the mural i’d planned up on the walls. I’d sourced some designs for the decorator and with the help of a projector, the design went from a 2D image on a screen up onto our magnetic wall. In two days, the room was transformed from a cold white square room to a warm, light, creative space filled with colour and extra special detail. Three window blinds were fitted into the window recess by …

My concrete wall

Published by Karen Knox

As you may remember, I’m currently running a project involving magnetic plaster. The decorating, design and finishing for that project begins tomorrow, yes on a Bank Holiday. That’s what you call commitment. Thistle Magnetic Plaster, by British Gypsum’s “Rooms Made For You” I mentioned in that latest post how much I LOVED the colour of this magnetic plaster when dried. A most gorgeous concrete colour with subtle detail and organic nuances in tone. I also mentioned I was going to have one of these magnetic, concrete coloured walls of my very own. My exact words; “It shall be MINE.” I wasn’t lying. I’ve always been drawn to industrial, raw and stripped back design. My dining room wall has been like this for years. I stripped the wallpaper right off, seven months pregnant, a week after moving in… and left it. Much to everyone’s confusion. Now you can easily pick up effect wallpapers that mimic this exact look, I wrote a post about that over here last year. Anyway, back to the magnetic wall…. What I didn’t mention …

The Magnetic Wall – Pt 2

Published by Karen Knox

Remember the playroom re-design I introduced you to a little while ago? The one using Thistle Magnetic Plaster, by British Gypsum’s “Rooms Made For You”? Well, we’ve had a visit from the plasterer. Before – On a cold and moody Thursday in March, the room emptied and sheets down Behold. The Magnetic Plaster. The maker of magic. Both the plasterer and I sat down and watched a short video on how to use this specialist plaster. It’s pretty much the same as normal plaster, with a couple of slight variations. So definitely worth checking out before you get started. The wall was primed Plaster was mixed until “thick and creamy”. Perfect for scones. A very satisfying first coat going up. You know how I love a black wall. And first coat left to dry for a little while A steady finishing off with a plastic trowel (no water) and it was time for a trip to the sandwich shop. Nom. Preparing the second mix, ready for coat number two. My go-to plasterer, hadn’t worked with magnetic plaster before, and he’s …