At Home With Eve @newhome_oldhouse_
This week I'm at home with Eve the creative panelling mad lady behind the popular home instagram account @newhome_oldhouse_ where she shares wonderful images of her beautiful Edwardian home. Read on to learn more about Eve, her home, lifestyle, and top tips for home styling.
Tell us about you
We’re situated on the border of London, Hertfordshire and Essex, you can literally walk 10 mins from our house to any of the three “Welcome to” signs. That said our little sleepy town is a bit of a no-mans land, with no train station, bank or police station! But there’s plenty of restaurants, pubs, beautiful parks and we even have a TK Maxx, and Home Bargains, which is pretty much all I need.
Tell us about your home
It’s a 3-bed semi-detached. Built in 1908 making it an Edwardian property. It still has many of its original period features, like the ceiling roses and decorative hallway arch, plus original emerald tiles in the porch and diamond pathway.
When renovating, we’ve tried to stay in-keeping with the period of the house, we found an Edwardian fireplace to add back into the living room, filling the void where the original fireplace once stood – as it had devastatingly been removed to make room for a cinema sized TV and games consoles.
How would you describe your home?
We’re aiming to keep it as traditional as possible, but still trying to be fresh and contemporary. We’ve just had the bathroom done, with herringbone tiles, a roll top bath and Victorian radiators, yet added in a crittal shower door, and large round mirror, keeping it modern enough not to feel as though we’re living in a period drama.
Our Kitchen we inherited from the previous owners, it’s a beautiful kitchen, and only a year old when we moved in, but it’s so mismatched with the house, I long for green wooden cupboards, brass handles and a large island in the middle… this is quite a way down the to-do list.
Certain pieces of furniture, such as our yellow armchairs, we brought with us from our previous home (a new-build riverside apartment – it was super Cali-boho in style), these have got to go. Haha. We’ve not even been in for 2 years yet, so other expenses have taken priority. But I’ll keep nagging until we get a more fitting 3-piece suite.
Which is your favourite room in the house?
This is a tough one. I literally adore them all. But it’s probably the master bedroom. It’s so spacious and get’s so much light through the double windows. One of the best things we did was have a joiner build floor to ceiling wardrobes in the alcoves either side of the fireplace. It’s a such a great use of negative space.
How does your home reflect any passions or interests?
I love to cook and have friends and family over, the open-plan downstairs and huge kitchen is fab for that. We have a 6ft dining table that converts to a pool/ping pong table too, with is great for an evening with friends.
I also love to collect and create art, our house if full of it. I’ve painted, drawn and created pieces all-round the house, including the piece above the fireplace in our bedroom, when heavily inspired by @joellemsomero
What are your favourite items in the home?
It would have to be some of the original artworks that hang on our walls, which include some beautiful pieces from the likes of @chrisguestartist and @stephclaireart
When you moved into your house was it the finished article or was it a project?
Oh, defo a project! Structurally, it wasn’t too bad, it needed a new bathroom, and the garden needed a lot of work. We still need to build a temporary kitchen island, but eventually we’d like to extend out and get that dream kitchen too.
What renovation and decorating have you done?
Bathroom aside, mainly superficial work, lots of painting, sanding floors, panelling walls etc. I’ve learnt that I’m super impatient and want everything done NOW! Haha, my husband is much more about ‘the 5 year plan’.
Have you had any DIY or styling disasters?
I’m super happy to say, not yet!! My husband and I have nearly split up numerous times – whist decorating certain rooms, mind!
What is your top home styling tip?
Faux plants! Add in faux flowers and plants anywhere and everywhere, they bring so much character and warmth. (I’d say real ones, but I’m defo not green fingered enough to keep them alive).
Is there anything in your home that you couldn’t live without?
Family aside, (I defo couldn’t live without him or our little person). A kitchen!!!
We went 3 weeks without a working bathroom (we had a downstairs loo). That was beyond tough, but I’d be more lost, without my stove.
They say that every home tells visitors a story about who lives there. What do you think your home says about you?
That I’m pretty damn messy.
The Home Edit
Lived-in or showhome?
Show-home! (But ours is waaaayyy more lived-in)
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?
Junk! No matter how many times I put away junk from shelves, corners, tables, worktops, and day later, it’s back and it’s multiplied!
Favourite front door colour?
Sage green
Carpet or Floorboards?
Floorboards
Kitchen table dining or formal dining room?
Kitchen table
High gloss or rustic?
Rustic
Wallpaper or Brick Walls?
Brick
Want More?
If you enjoyed being at home with Eve, 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 view more of these "at home with" articles here
Catch up with Eve's instagram account here. It's well worth a look!