At Home With Martina @martinas_cosy_crib

This week we are at home with the lovely Martina. The extremely creative lady behind the very popular instagram account @martinas_cosy_crib where she shares images of her wonderful home which has featured in many home interior magazines. Read on to discover more about Martina, her home and family and learn more about how she has created an amazing eclectic look and read her top home styling and upcycling tips

 

Tell us a bit about you

My name is Martina Creevey; I live in Dublin, Ireland with my husband Paul and our dog, the cockapoo, Paddy. I work full time as a nurse and I absolutely love anything to do with interiors. I have no background or training it, to me it’s just a real passion and a hobby

 

Tell us about your home

 I live in a 22 year old semi-detached house in Dublin in Ireland. It’s a 3 bedroom house and we have also converted our attic, which gives us an extra room. I so wish it was a period property, but no, it’s still quite a young house, so lacks any old features. However, I make the best of it and have put my own stamp on it. We have quite a big garden which is also a great addition, and we are doing some work on that at the moment. We are also just about to start a renovation, so we are pushing out our kitchen, dining area and completely changing the layout, so it’s exciting.

 

How would you describe your home?

I suppose I would describe my style as quite eclectic and maximalist. I don’t stick to one theme running throughout my house, I like different feels in different rooms. I love colour and try to incorporate lots of it. I also enjoy diy and upcycling, nothing like getting a bargain and doing it up. Most of the furniture in my home is over 20 years old and it has all been hit by paint at some stage along the way. I love lots of plants in my home, I think they bring a good energy and feel to a home, plus they look nice.

 

Which is your favourite room in the house?

My favourite room in my home would have to be my bedroom. All the furniture in it, bed, lockers, chest of drawers and wardrobes are the original ones I bought over 20 years ago. Each piece has been upcyccled and painted, new knobs etc. The theme of the room is quite a relaxing theme, with muted tones. I used pinks and navy in the room as a contrast.

My chest of drawers is upcycled in “sulking room pink”, the bed and lockers are painted in “purbeck stone” and the wardrobes got a lick of “downpipe”, all by farrow and ball. I have a beautiful chandelier in the room, also which I was lucky enough to win, and I have a really light pair of white pom pom voiles which adds to the relaxing atmosphere.

 

How does your home reflect any passions or interests?

I love to travel, so whenever I do get to go away I always look for something unusual for my house. I have collected many nice items over the years of travel and people often ask me where I got them. I also love to read books, and I have a cute nook at the top of my attic stairs with my collection over the years.

I suppose my home is reflected in my instagram account, I post regularly and have met some lovely like minded people on line. The interiors community is really nice and people are generally very helpful and supportive. I have always loved interiors since I was a child, so 2 years ago I started to document my home through instagram, and it’s good to look back and see how far you have come, and all the work you have achieved.

 

What are your favourite items in the home?

My favourite item in my house has to be my hall cabinet. I bought it on done deal for the bargain price of €70 and it has had 2 upcycles at this stage. It is a really old cabinet that was in bad nick, so I brought it back to life and people seem to like it

 

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

Our house was brand new, off the plans when we bought it. It was a complete blank canvas, and has changed and evolved over the years. I never really look at my house as finished, to me it’s an ongoing hobby and interest, and I am always looking at the next job I would like to do in it.

 

What renovation and decorating have you done ?

A few years back we converted our attic, which has literally given us another big room in our house. I have a desk up there, where I do bits of work and I also home most of my plants in this room. They seem to like it, it’s a bright warm room, and I like  spending time in it. I have also in the last year done up two of the bathrooms in my house, all work done by myself. I like to do as much of the work as possible, like painting, wallpapering. I have learnt how to use a skill saw and drills properly over the last while, with a few disasters in between. My sitting room also had a makeover during the lockdown, but at the minute with life getting back to normal, it’s hard to do everything. As said above we have a big renovation coming up, so I will be concentrating on that over the next few months.

 

Have you had any DIY or styling disasters?

Oh many over the years, wrong colours of paint, wrong curtains that I initially thought would look great. Bad paint jobs, bad tiling, but I try to take the positive from it and learn from my mistakes. That’s what I love about interiors, you can change things up if you don’t like it.

 

What is your top home styling tip?

Don’t be afraid to take a risk! That would be my biggest tip. For years I was always playing it kind of safe with interiors, but I took some risks with colours of things and generally they have worked out. Don’t be afraid to go outside your comfort zone, and give something new a try.

 

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

My Dyson hoover!  I know that may sound funny, but I literally say thanks to it everyday.

 

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

I think my home says that I take my time with it. I am considerate with my design and style. It says I enjoy doing up my home and it is lived in and cosy. Visitors always comment on my home, because a Kermit the frog green runner going up the stairs is the first thing that hits them when they come in. it’s not for everyone, but I love it.

 

 

The Home Edit

 

Lived in or show home?

Lived in look, although people say mine looks like a show home more.

 

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

White, and I mean really white, with no yellow, grey tones. It’s hard to get a snow white paint.  White is a good palette to work with, and a good back drop. You can accessorise for days with a white wall

 

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

My pet hate in my home is the lack of any real classical features, I knew this when I was buying it, but my older wiser self would love a period home, with fireplaces in all rooms. In other peoples home, I hate to see lots of empty spaces. There is so much lovely stuff to fill your house with.

 

Favourite front door colour

I would have to say black.  It’s kind of a classic and doesn’t date.

 

Carpet or Floorboards

Carpet (but only in a bedroom) floorboards everywhere else.

 

Kitchen table dining or formal dining room?

Kitchen table dining

 

High gloss or rustic?

Rustic

 

Wallpaper or Brick Walls?

Love a brick wall and I am planning one in my renovation, it’s a real statement.

 

Want More?

If you enjoyed being at home with Martina, 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 catch up with Martina's beautiful instagram account here It's well worth a look!