Nothing makes Eileen Bateson and her husband Andy happier than rolling up their sleeves and getting stuck into a property project.
The dynamic DIY duo simply can’t help but see the beauty in tired looking homes, using their vision and handiwork to bring them back to life.
Here Eileen shares the inspirational interiors story behind Harvey Croft, a charming detached bungalow in Drumlithie, near Stonehaven, that they’ve resplendently restored.
Harvey Croft
Who: Eileen Bateson, 63, a receptionist, and her husband Andy, a master tradesman with the Scottish Ambulance Service.
What: A two-bedroom detached bungalow.
Where: Drumlithie, a village near Stonehaven
As told to Rosemary Lowne
“I love bring properties back to life. I prefer coming into a house that hasn’t been done up and then you can put your own stamp on it.
When we first saw this house, my husband thought it was small but I could see the potential and the views overlooking the fields were tremendous.
The house is 23 years old so it’s relatively new. Inside, the whole house had pink interiors, even pink ceilings while outside, the property was a brown colour.
One of the first things we did was paint the exterior white while we used a green shade – Chartwell Green – for the windows and the front door.
We wanted the property to be in-keeping with the other houses in the village.
The first room we tackled was the bathroom because it didn’t have a shower, only a bath. I wanted to bathroom to feel warm so we put in a bronze effect shower and I also found a gold hand basin on e-Bay.
The sink base cabinet is from Steptoes Yard in Montrose. You can find everything in that yard, it’s a great place to visit for second hand homeware.
For the floor, we put in blue tiles from B&Q and we used Mouse’s Back, a Farrow and Ball paint for the walls. The art deco style mirror was a great find from Dunelm.
After finishing the bathroom we turned our attention to the main bedroom which I would describe as like a boutique hotel room. The eye-catching wallpaper is from Lust Home and it pays homage to the lady who lived in the house previously as it has a wee bit of pink in it.
We painted the other walls a green shade which exactly matches the wallpaper. I’ve always loved Habitat so I was delighted when I found the lampshade which is from Habitat at Argos while the mirror only cost me £25 from John Lewis.
I spend a lot of time looking about for interiors, I don’t jump at the first thing I see and I also do a lot of upcycling too. For the second bedroom, it’s a smaller room so we’ve kept it quite neutral.
For the hallway we painted the walls a pale blue Farrow and Ball colour called Dix Blue and we put up some floating shelves from Ikea and installed L-shaped flooring.
In the open plan lounge/kitchen we’ve used a double herringbone style floor which is a bit different but it works really well. One of the features I love the most though is the narrow row of Ikea cabinets in the lounge.
They work so well and it’s where I can keep all my glasses in colour co-ordination. I’ve also got a globe drinks trolley which I found on Facebay during lockdown, it was so cheap.
We’ve actually just accepted an offer on our house as we’re moving on to another property. The next house is borderline not habitable but we see the potential of it.
We enjoy doing up properties, it’s fun to do even though sometimes it’s a challenge.”
If you would like to share your property journey, email features@eveningexpress.co.uk
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