SHOP MY HOME WISHLIST


Above - St Theodore Lighthouse.

What better way to sum up an amazing trip away than with a photo diary of Kefalonia. Back in October I was kindly invited by Jet2 and the Kefalonia tourist board to experience what the Greek Island had to offer. A flight to Kefalonia with Jet2 is just over 3 hours, so 5 days was more than enough time to explore.

Above - Sinkholes of Argostoli

Melissani Cave - a must! Inside the cave is an island of trees surrounded by a lake.
Assos - a charming picturesque village
Haritatos Vineyard - a charming family owned winery 

One of the most amazing Kefalonia hotels which deserves so many more stars. The staff were so welcoming, the interiors were incredible. The food was “chefs kiss!” If I were to head back to Kefalonia, it would definitely be a place I’d recommend staying at, however it’s worth baring in mind that it is an adults only holiday.
Kalamia Beach - an incredible secluded beach of white rocks. The perfect photo opportunity and place to take 5 by the beach.

This post was made in collaboration with Jet2.


Firstly, can you believe this is the same kitchen? See the before below!


It's seen quite the glow up!

We moved into our new house in October 2020. When I say new, it's a 1887 Victorian semi detached house and it needs everything doing! I'm talking floral wallpaper.. matching carpets - the lot! So, at the moment the kitchen is not a priority for us. We've got the usual victorian lay out, so our kitchen is sat right at the back the house and it is tiny! Realistically we need to add a side extension to extend the width to give the kitchen the space it deserves. However at the moment I think it makes sense to work with the space we already have (the rest of the house.) So, for now the kitchen needed a little "glow up" on a tight budget of £100.

So, armed with a few essentials I got to work!




First of all, the red tiles had to go! I used Ronseal One Coat Tile Paint  whilst It wasn't exactly a one coat job, it did the trick in covering the nasty red tiles - all in all, it took 3 coats. If you have a lighter colour tile you may be lucky and only need 1/2 coats but for a brighter/darker colour the more coats the better coverage in my experience.

I used a small roller to apply each coat which I wrapped up in clingfilm after each use to keep it from drying out between coats. I hate washing brushes and rollers so this avoided having to wash them between uses.


See the difference between coat one and coat two?


The cabinets had a weird vinyl texture to them so to help the paint adhere to the cabinets, I primed them using Zinssser 1,2,3 Primer. This primer is incredible and I know I'm going to be using this on everything going forward. Anything to avoid having to sand! This stuff will prime any surface for painting!

To paint I used a regular black wall paint with a foam roller. I probably should have used a specific cabinet paint to be honest but the Dulux Walls and Ceiling in Rich Black did the job! It was in the sale and has lasted so well considering the daily use of the kitchen, so I don't think It matters too much. Like I said, this is a temporary fix for a year or so so I'm not too worried.


The worktop was in okay condition however it had an off blue tinge to it, so I thought it would be quick and easy to apply a vinyl wrap to the worktops. I purchased three rolls of the DC Fix marble effect vinyl which was more than enough. I purchased more than I needed as I wanted the hob to have an entire stretch of vinyl without any cuts, and the same with the sink. So the only joins are where each side meets the next direction of worktop. This did take time and patience but it was SO worth it. It's a great quick fix if you fancy a change with minimal faff. 


Again, another quick and temporary fix that would work in any room.. self adhesive tiles. They'd look great in a rented bathroom! You simply cut to size if needed, un peel the sticker off the bottom and laid each one down, starting in the corner. They're not an actual tile, more of a thicker plastic material. They're super easy to clean and have held up with all the traffic in the kitchen.

They've really helped transformed the space!


And that's it! All the other accessories I've bought in from other rooms to help style the space.

What do you think?





We moved into our new home back in October 2020, in the midst of a pandemic! Whilst I do not recommend this.. hear me out! We saw this house back in December 2019! Having seen the house on a whim and having no intentions to move prior to viewing the house.. I put our old house up for sale the very same day! I'm very impulsive like that. Our house was snapped up by the first buyers that viewed it - perfect we thought! However, throw Cornovarius, a global pandemic, and sadly probate into the mix.. It wasn't as straight forward as we thought it was going to be. Anyway, 10 months later we finally moved into our beautiful semi detached Victorian house in Brighton, UK.

The first room we are focusing our attention on is the living room! We're living in the house whilst we renovate which I know isn't everyones cup of tea but we've got enough space to shift from room to room and it suits us fine.

The living room is first because we spend most and if not all of our time in here. So in my eyes it makes sense to get one room looking lovely and have somewhere clean and functional to retreat to whilst we tackle the rest of the house.


The living room has some gorgeous original Victorian features - which is what drew me to the house in the beginning! I could see way past the floral wallpaper and interesting.. carpets. We've got high ceilings, a huge bay window, intricate cornicing and a beautiful ceiling rose to work with - the room has amazing bones.

I've attached photos below if you're interested in its current state. It's hard to believe the mismatch of pattern and brick tiles were once on trend!

So, the plan. I'm hoping to work with all the original features we have in the room, including the original wide floorboards we've discovered underneath that questionable carpet. I'm thinking of having them stripped back to their original state and just staining them with a clear oil to keep them looking lovely.

For the walls I'm hoping to find the perfect warm white. Our living room is west facing so we get some lovely sunlight until midday through the bay windows.. and after that its a little dark. So a warm white should pick the light up in the room. I've got testers of Farrow&Ball "School house white" and Little Greene "Slaked Lim Mid'

I've scoured Facebook Marketplace and so far picked up the marble surround for £100. ( I know, I hate me too.) The vintage Younger Toledo cabinet on the left I've picked up more recently for £150 - I'm thinking of stripping back the wood and giving it an Eyeswoon vibe!

I want to add hints of black around the room to really add some interest. So I'd really love to find some reclaimed 4 panel Victorian doors which we can paint black to make a statement in the room.

I think a Sofa will be the last item on my list as we're still in lockdown at the moment, Sofa showrooms are closed for the forseeable. Something neutral in colour, natural in material.. and lastly bloody comfy! A high back.. a deep seat.. something we can really sink into - I can't wait!


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