At Home With Georgia @rectorycottagex
This week we are at home with Georgia the creative lady behind the popular home instagram account @rectorycottagex where she shares the renovation of the beautiful old rectory cottage which she and her childhood sweetheart Seth are transforming into the most amazing home. Also look out for their dog Marla and her new horse, Bobby...
Tell us a bit about you
Seth and I met at our local school at 12 years old. We are childhood sweethearts and now at 24, are currently undergoing a project on our house, Rectory Cottage. This has been something we have always desired to do; we knew we wanted a project and a project it sure was! We both have similar taste in interior however Seth was more set on the garden which was completely overgrown when purchased and I concentrated on furnishing inside our home.
Our home is a mile away from our school and located in a town called Sheinton. Sheinton is a small rural village within Shropshire. The village is situated on the south bank of the River Severn opposite a well known hill in Shropshire, The Wrekin. There is also a brook running through the village and an aesthetically pleasing church that we live right next door to. The church was partly rebuilt in the 1660s and later thoroughly restored in 1854.
Tell us about your home
It isn’t very clear when our house was officially built. We believe it was started years before it was actually finished. It is thought that the house was complete in 1840. Our home is a typical “4 window and 1 front door” look from the front. It resembles a cute little cottage with steps leading up to it. The front is formed by brick and the side/back of the house is rendered. This creates character with the contrast of materials used for our home. We have a large wooden front door and are hoping to have the same kind of door on the back once the kitchen renovation is complete.
How would you describe your home?
Our home is a little bit of everything! I am a huge fan of country. I love the whole wood look with deers, country colours and that homely feeling. Seth likes this too but he also has an eye for the modern style. I would say our house gives that modern-country feeling to it. We are currently in the process of our kitchen renovation and I have chosen sage green cupboards, the wooden worktops and added an island – sticking with the modern country twist! Our living room is very country with mustard accessories, cream walls and light carpet… spot the deers too!
Seth and I also love to travel. We have travelled the world together and managed to take some beautiful photos that now have their forever place in our home. You could say there is a rustic feel too! There are travel photos everywhere… kitchen to be, living room, stairway, both bedrooms… even the bathroom!!
Which is your favourite room in the house?
My favourite room in the house is the bathroom. Seth and I dreamed of having a large, spacious wet room that allowed us to enjoy bubbly baths and hot showers. To achieve this, we had to make a big decision… leave the house with 3 bedrooms with a small 3rd room or turn it into a 2 bedroom house with a spacious bathroom. After a lot of consideration, we decided to go for the large bathroom idea and have not looked back since. I am a huge fan of relaxation. Nothing beats that Friday feeling after a long week at work and that luxurious bath to wind down into the weekend!
How does your home reflect any passions or interests?
Our home expresses our love for nature and travel. There are all kinds of photos in various different countries. Some consist of Seth and I being in the photos and others are simply views that we admired. With every photo comes a memory for us both and even though our house brings us so much happiness, I have no doubt in saying what our home is within each other. Travelling opened up our eyes to the greater picture and we loved seeing how much the world has to offer so this just had to be illustrated in our home.
What are your favourite items in the home?
I absolutely love our coffee table in our living room. It’s a large wooden piece of furniture, almost rustic looking. It reminds me of items we saw when travelling and makes our living room look so homely. It plays a massive part of finishing off this room. Its also very useful for the Saturday morning cup of tea and biscuits! I also love our bath. I have always wanted a freestanding bath. It’s so comfy for those Friday night relaxing soaks and also looks the part!
When you moved into your house was it the finished article or was it a project?
A project! The house was liveable but we had a vision on what we wanted to do as soon as we viewed it. We renovated the bathroom and kitchen and plan to do some changes to the garage /driveway eventually.
We also had SO much to do to the garden. Our garden was untouched for 20 years before we bought it so it just needed lots of love and attention. So much digging, cleaning and planting to finally get our finished garden project.
During this process, we actually discovered an underground ice house. This could date back to as old as the church! We converted the ice house into a cinema room. I also made this into a travel themed room! This consist of two large bean bags, a screen, projector and photos with lots of fairy lights!
Have you done any renovation?
We renovated the kitchen and bathroom and added a splash of colour and carpet in every room. We also added a new front porch to the house – this was a must! This was probably the very first thing we decided to do. When we viewed the house, we really disliked the old porch and had visions on how beautiful we could make it. Got to love a nice entrance! We have learnt so much whilst renovating. Patience is important and to always go with your heart on things. I also have to remind myself that Rome was not built in a day! I’m a sucker for getting things done once its on my mind.
Have you had any DIY or styling disasters?
Touch wood* Nothing too major. There have been a few little hiccups such as measuring the living room floor wrong when it came to ordering our carpet and finding a way to cover up the mistakes… oops! I don’t think there has been any styling disasters to be honest, it was more of going for what we felt was best suited.
What is your top home styling tip?
If you love it, go for it. Go with your heart on every decision. Be patient with yourself and if you are unsure on something, it’s not meant to be. Make your home as homely as possible. Add that colour, buy that accessory! I guess make sure you love everything about it. If you don’t like it, change it. It’s ok to be different and be spontaneous!
Is there anything in your home that you couldn’t live without?
I would say…. My kitchen! This renovation has been tough and I am missing my own kitchen for sure. I cannot wait to have a new one in!! I couldn’t live without the people/dog I share my home with. Seth and Marla our beloved Labrador dog.
They say that every home tells visitors a story about who lives there. What do you think your home says about you?
Welcome and hello! We are very outgoing, bubbly people. We love to socialise with friends and family and I like to think our home presents this. That warm homely feeling to everyone. I hope our guests feel that they can walk in, have a cuppa and relax on the sofas. I would say our home shows how much we appreciate our time (Seth and I) together, how much we love to travel and how devoted we are to our dog. I like to think Seth and I have big hearts and appreciate all those people in our lives and I hope this is illustrated within our 4 walls. I am also a huge fan of cooking and baking and nothing smells better than freshly made food… all things homely!
The Home Edit
Lived-in look or showhome?
Lived- in look for sure
If you could only paint your walls one colour, which one would it be?
A warm cream
What is your pet hate when it comes to your own or other’s homes?
Please take our shoes off where there is carpet!
Favourite front door colour
Wooden!
Carpet or Floorboards
Carpet
Kitchen table dining or formal dining room?
Both
High gloss or rustic?
Rustic
Wallpaper or Brick Walls?
Brick Walls
Want More?
If you enjoyed being at home with Georgia, 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