At Home With @domesticgoddes

This week we are at home with the lovely Jen, the lady behind the beautiful instagram account @domesticgoddes

Jen has a beautiful home which was a converted stables on the site of an old mill next to a river and it's truly stunning. She has a fabulous sense of country and rustic style and loves lots of flowers, candles and fabrics as you will see from the incredible images she posts. 

 

Tell us a bit about you

I am a busy working mum.  For the past ten years I have been a single parent, juggling work, commuting to London, home life and being mum to my gorgeous sons.  The three of us muddle along well.  Creating a warm, cosy and happy home has always been important to me.  We live in the beautiful Essex countryside close a river so lots of river walks with the boys and our family pet, Jack Russell.

 

Tell us about your home

Our home is a Grade II Listed converted stable which dates back to 1850.  The stable formed part of the working Mill which sits on the river and is also converted.  Some of the beams still have dowel holes which would have held all the horse tack.  All original features have been retained and I have sympathetically restored each room with a modern, shabby chic look and feel. 

 

How would you describe your home?

I am definitely a country/rustic/shabby chic girl. I love mixing rattan and scrubbed wood with simple fabrics.

 

Which is your favourite room in the house?

Gosh, that’s a difficult one.  My kitchen is warm and cosy thanks to the 5 door AGA, my newly renovated bathroom is a sensual haven but my bedroom is my sanctuary and despite the high vaulted beamed ceilings, my bedroom seems rather cosy.  I have decorated with neutral fabrics in taupe and cream which gives the room a feeling of calm.

 

How does your home reflect any passions or interests that you have?

I absolutely love interiors and styling.  With a beamed property, you can’t have signature walls, prints or canvases because the beams are the signature design so my passion for styling comes with my accent colours throughout and styling with accessories.

 

What are your favourite items in the home?

My wicker baskets, floral decorations and scented candles along with my reclaimed dining table.  I just love the rustic, warehouse feel which is softened with the baskets, florals and candles.

 

When you moved into your house was it the finished article or was it a project?

Half and half.  The main bathroom hadn’t been touched since the 80’s when the property was converted and still had yellow carpet on the floor so that was a project.  I have changed all the flooring downstairs from carpet or old cracked tiles to wood and natural stone too but overall the property was in a good condition.

 

Have you done any renovation?

I have painted the whole house.  Everywhere is painted in a white Farrow & Ball colour apart from 2 walls in the living room which I have painted in Farrow & Ball’s Elephant’s Breath.  As mentioned above, the Bathroom was a complete refurbishment along with renewing all floors downstairs and laying oak or natural stone to complement the tones of the beams.  We have a walled garden which I have worked on during the COVID lockdown.

 

Have you had any DIY or styling disasters?

Not that I can think of.  I have 3 tool boxes, a tube of no nails and 2 teenage sons so anything I can’t tackle, I look to one of those.

 

What is your top home styling tip?

Accessories are easier to change than furniture, so choose wisely.

 

Is there anything in your home that you couldn’t live without?

Apart from my sons…............

 

They say that a every home tells visitors a story about who lives there. What do you think your home says about you?

Whilst our home is warm and welcoming, it’s also very organised and I think that sums me up nicely.

 

The Home Edit

 

Lived-in look or showhome?

Showhome

 

If you could only paint your walls one colour, which one would it be?

White

 

What is your pet hate when it comes to your own or other’s homes?

Dirty dishes belong in a dishwasher not on the side.

 

Favourite front door colour

Black

 

Carpet or Floorboards

Floorboards

 

Kitchen table dining or formal dining room?

Kitchen table/dining for sure

 

High gloss or rustic?

Rustic

 

Wallpaper or Brick Walls?

Brick walls

 

If you enjoyed being at home with Jen,, you might like to take a look inside other popular home styling accounts on instagram and find out more about the people behind them. You can see more of these "at home with" interviews here