At Home With Scarlett @lady_muckmack_cottage
This week we are at home with Scarlett, the incredibly creative lady behind the brilliant home interior instagram account @lady_muckmack_cottage where she shares wonderful images of her Victorian era miners cottage along with fantastic tips for upcycling. Read on to learn more about Scarlett, her home, family and top decor tips.
Tell us about you
My name is Scarlett, and my husband and our two kids Rocco and Red, live in a wee cottage in Glasgow, Scotland. We live in the vibrant West End of Glasgow, which is famous for its stunning architecture, nightlife and foodie culture.
Tell us about your home
Our home is known locally as one of ‘The Miners Cottages’. Our semi detached cottage was built on farm land in the late 1800’s. Style wise, they were built in the Victorian era but actually don’t have any of the traditional, famous beautiful Victorian features unfortunately, and none of the famous ‘Glasgow Style’ Victorian Scottish architecture that the West End is famous for because they were built as very basic homes for the workers BUT they are very unique, have a lot of charm and lovely high ceilings in the original rooms (of which there are only two).
How would you describe your home?
It has changed over the years, so has hints of lots of styles, but generally speaking, I’d say I edge towards modern farmhouse style.
I love farmhouse style as it suits the cottage, but love the functionality of modern living style so have tried to combine the two. I love natural wood and neutral tones, but also think it’s really important to play with colour and have fun in your own house!
Which is your favourite room in the house?
This changes on a daily basis depending what is clean and what DIY I have done recently. It’s amazing how attached you get to something when you have done it yourself. Overall it’s probably the kitchen though the heart of the home.
How does your home reflect any passions or interests?
My husband and I are both actors, and are quite creative and playful so hopefully this is reflected in the house.
What are your favourite items in the home?
My favourite items are all things I’ve upcycled or made really. I love getting creative to solve problems . Our bath panel was made from two bamboo bath mats. I also love a bargain and we got our Rangemaster cooker on Gumtree for £250 and I’ve still not stopped buzzing about it 2 years later.
When you moved into your house was it the finished article or was it a project?
Oh it was a project. A dirty, strange project. The original cottage was only two rooms and an attic conversion in total. The previous owners had added four extensions, but done it room by room, it was very bitty and like a mini rabbit warren. A lot of the extensions were done very badly and in some cases dangerously, so we had to do the work quicker than we had hoped.
What renovation and decorating have you done?
We have done pretty much the whole place. When we moved in 5 years ago, we re did the upstairs. A loft conversion was already done to give us two bedrooms and a box room but needed replastering and removal of things like water boiler etc. Then we ran out of money so left the downstairs for a few years.
Then two years ago we realised the extensions roof wasn’t sound, alongside many other safety issues. So we booked our extension and buckled in for a complete rebuild and rejuvenation of the downstairs. This was a huge job and fell during lockdown which was really hard. But due to a lack of acting work, we were able to get involved and do lots of work ourselves. I learned loads of new skills and managed to lose the DIY beginners fear pretty quick. My husband isn’t interested in DIY at all, and I think his disinterest has pushed me even further actually and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Have you had any DIY or styling disasters?
Oh yes! If you haven’t had any of these you aren’t trying hard enough. I am terrible at guessing and approximating things which works well with creative task’s but I always fall down at things like woodwork which requires extreme precision and patience; skills I lack.
What is your top home styling tip?
TEXTURE! Texture is so flipping important. In my opinion, homes should be cosy and textures really help create that feeling of cosiness. I think you should want to jump into the photo and live in that space.
Is there anything in your home that you couldn’t live without?
Nope! While I am obviously obsessed with my home and do genuinely love every part of it, for me, the things inside it, are all just things. I love the memories we have from creating it, the kids we have made here, our neighbours, our city and hope that our home reflects the love and joy that it has given us over the years.
They say that every home tells visitors a story about who lives there. What do you think your home says about you?
Hopefully that we are a creative, fun and bustling household that never stays still, and is full of laughter and energy. Oh and boys, lots of boys, I am totally outnumbered.
The Home Edit
Lived-in or showhome?
Lived in for sure.
If you could only paint your walls one colour, which one would it be?
Sage Green
What is your pet hate when it comes to your own or other’s homes?
Gym or fitness equipment! Where the heck do people put it?? (unless you’re fancy pants and have gym/massive house obvs).
Favourite front door colour
Oooooo tough one. Either Blush pink or Sage green - (I couldn’t decide so have one colour on the outside and another on the inside!!)
Carpet or Floorboards
Floorboards
Kitchen table dining or formal dining room?
Kitchen table dining.
High gloss or rustic?
Rustic
Wallpaper or Brick Walls?
I’ve got both! And love them both – different rooms though.
Want More?
If you enjoyed being at home with Scarlett, 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 Scarlett's instagram account here. It's well worth a look!