At Home With Emmy @emmys_vintage_cottage

This week we are at home with the creative and vintage loving Emmy. Meet the colourful, floral mad, re-purposing expert behind the very popular instagram account @emmys_vintage_cottage where she shares images of her beautiful home which has featured in Vintage Life Magazine, her day to day life including baking triumphs, her cottage garden and plenty of flowers. Read on to discover more about Emmy, her home, family and animals.

 

Tell us a bit about you

Hi I’m Emma and I live at Serendipity Cottage with my husband Martyn, our 4 cats, 2 hens, and 2 Indian runner ducks.

I worked as a visual merchandiser for prominent high street stores for over 30 years and just love to be creative in our home.  I’m forever faffing and moving things around and love to up-cycle furniture with a lick of paint and give it a new lease of life .

I’m passionate about re-using and re-purposing and if I can’t find a use for it in the cottage, things often find their way into the garden to be used as a planter or bird feeder.

 

Tell us about your home

Our cottage is situated within walking distance of a traditional market town between the coast and the North Yorkshire moors. It was once a pair of neglected cottages knocked into one which is brick at the front and stone at the back using stones taken from the village priory after Henry Vlll’s dissolution of the monasteries in 1536.

 

How would you describe your home?

I have a passion for vintage and florals so I would describe my home style as modern vintage with elements of shabby chic and English country.

 

Which is your favourite room in the house?

My favourite room in the house is our bathroom with its traditional claw foot roll top bath that I painted pink, wainscoting and it's beautiful Cath Kidston floor tiles and wallpaper.

 

 How does your home reflect any passions or interests?

Our home reflects our passion for the environment as 80% of it is vintage and flea market finds.  We try not to buy new furniture to keep our carbon footprint down.

 

What are your favourite items in the home?

My favourite item is a picture of a rose that hangs in my bedroom it was given to me by my great aunt and started my love for all things vintage.

 

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

The cottage was definitely a project, we have done lots over the years including moving the front door and removing a window at the front of the house, installed a new gas boiler, built a fireplace and installed a wood burning stove in the living room, redecorated throughout, installed a Belfast sink and everhot range in the kitchen. 

 

We built a summer house and potting shed turned a smaller cottage in the grounds into a laundry room and created a cottage garden with fruit and vegetable beds and fire pit.

 

 

Have you had any DIY or styling disasters?

I wouldn’t say we’ve had any styling disasters other than I did try our bedroom in a dark period blue shade but it just wasn’t right for the bright sunny room.

 

What is your top home styling tip?

My top home styling tip is to be true to your own style and not follow interior trends to the letter, just pick out accents like cushions that you can change easily.

 

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

I couldn’t live without our cosy wood burning stove or roll top bath they’re pure luxury on winter nights. 

 

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

I would say our home story says visitors are always welcome to stop by for a cuppa and a piece of homemade cake, put your feet up and make yourself at home.

 

 

The Home Edit

 

Lived-in look or showhome

Lived in look 

 

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

Magnolia (great background colour never dates)

 

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

Pet hate, our water pressure isn’t great I could definitely do with better water pressure.

 

Favourite front door colour

Pink

 

Carpet or Floorboards

Floorboards with rugs 

 

Kitchen table dining or formal dining room

Kitchen table (the heart of any home)

 

High gloss or rustic

Rustic

 

Wallpaper or Brick Walls

Wallpaper

 

Want More?

If you enjoyed being at home with Emmy, 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" articles here

You can visit Emmy's beautiful instagram account at https://www.instagram.com/emmys_vintage_cottage/