by Helen | Jul 9, 2026 | Renovation
Our Istrian renovation, looking back now, wasn’t really a renovation. It was a series of jobs (some quite big, so we’re not underestimating what was done) carried out by different people, with differing levels of availability and skills. All of the work was carried out over a long period of time, meaning that nothing was really co-ordinated, but the big advantage to this was that we weren’t always living on a building site. The big disadvantage was that when we weren’t living in chaos, and everything was lovely and just as we wanted, we knew it wouldn’t be long until it was a building site again. We were working largely with individuals, too, meaning that they all operated differently, in terms of start times, lengths of days, billing, what tools they had and what they didn’t have. All a bit stressful at times. This time, we’ve done it all very differently.
So, what did we do?
Firstly, we appointed a family team of builders, right at the outset. They are from the town, so are known locally. They specialise in renovating old townhouses, so know the quirks of these types of houses. They know all of the local suppliers, so as well as sourcing everything, they could get the best prices. They are a team, so there’s always sufficient tradespeople to work on the project, without us having to wait until someone became available. They are professionals – each member of the family team has a skill set and they work on that skill, from start to finish, whilst co-ordinating everything with other members of the team. They keep meticulous records – time spent, money spent, changes made. Absolutely invaluable when it comes to paying, as everything is evidenced. They have all the tools/equipment needed to carry out a full renovation, without us having to rush off to the DIY store and buy something. They have a wider network, so if there’s something they don’t do, they can source someone who does.
Secondly, we kept our own records – we had a file for outcomes of meetings, things agreed going forwards. Everything was documented, because in the initial days of a full on renovation, so much is happening, and decisions are made being quickly – and in our case often from a distance, not on site – that things can just be forgotten. We kept all orders, receipts, delivery notes. We diarisied everything, and notes were jotted down, as a fallback, in case we forgot anything. Highlighters became our great friends.
We had regular site meetings with our project manager and main builder, so that key decisions could be taken quickly and any problems ironed out efficiently. Both sides kept notes and we swapped these, so that we were all on the same page, at all times.
Because we were working with an experienced team of local builders, they also knew all of the permissions we had to apply for, and did this on our behalf, with the local town hall. This made us feel very reassured that everything was being done properly – and did make us think that we might have been very lucky to fly under the radar in Croatia, as we didn’t apply for any permissions to do anything. Although, when the the little house to the rear of the main was demolished, we did have surveyors come out and redraw the boundaries – perhaps the MOST important thing, certainly in Istria, where land definitions are everything.
So, if you are thinking of, or are, renovating certainly in Andalucia, our key takes from our own experience, are as follows :
- Appoint, and work with, a team of local trusted builders – if they’re local you should be able to see examples of their previous work, as we did;
- Make sure that records are kept on both sides, but especially on yours – keep all receipts, information relating to delivery, emails, make notes of all meetings, keep records of all financial agreements and transactions;
- Meet regularly – it wasn’t possible for us to be on site all the time, as we were living two hours away, at the start of the renovation, but we did have regular facetime meetings, as well as calls.
If you’re renovating, we’d love to know how you got on/are getting on. And, if we can offer any advice, I’d be happy to chat via email – helen@wearelife.co.uk
by Helen | Jul 9, 2026 | Lifestyle
Have to admit, until fairly recently, we’d never heard of the butter bell. We just did what I suppose most people do – keep the butter in fridge, where it’s always too hard and cold. Or, leave it out in a butter dish and return to a swimming pool of buttery oil in warmer weather. It never seemed too much of a problem, as I didn’t know there was a solution. I didn’t even know there was a problem, especially as I’m not a huge butter fan, so had never really questioned our storage of it. Until I chanced upon a butter bell on Instagram, and our buttery lives changed forever.
Since finding out about these ceramic pots, I now realise that probably everyone else has always known about them. But in case, like us, you haven’t, here’s the lowdown on butter bells and why you definitely need one in your life…
The butter bell, also called a French butter crock or butter keeper, dates back hundreds of years. Well before refrigeration, it is known that French cooks crafted ceramic bell-shaped crocks – known as “beurrier à eau” – to preserve butter at room temperature, by sealing it from oxygen with water, in designs especially made in Vallauris, a town famous for its pottery, or in Brittany or Normandy, regions renowned for butter production. However, the invention of refrigeration meant that the use of butter bells started to decline at the beginning of the 20th century. In the 1970s, North American craft potters apparently rediscovered, and began producing these crocks again, selling them at fairs and boutiques, bringing about a resurgence in their popularity, and in the late 20th century, interest increased in traditional methods of food preservation, and the butter bell, gained popularity once again.
L. Tremain, Inc. trademarked the name “Butter Bell” in the US in 1995 and modernized the traditional French design, creating the “Original Butter Bell® Crock”. As I now know, they are widely available these days, and some of the designs are really quite beautiful. It’s such a simple concept too. The lid, filled with butter, is inverted into a water-filled base, creating an airtight seal that keeps oxygen and bacteria out. The important thing is that it’s an airtight seal, not that the butter is touching the water. That little pocket of non‑circulating air isn’t really apparently a big deal in the world of butter bells. This seal preserves butter for up to a month when kept below about 27 °C and with regular water changes.
Today, butter bells are appreciated for their ability to keep butter soft and spreadable without refrigeration, as well as their undoubted aesthetic appeal, and their connection to traditional food preservation methods. And, do you know what? They really DO work! I ordered one – obviously – but was very sceptical. I mean, summer heat in Andalucia and you expect to keep butter out of the fridge and it doesn’t melt?
In the cooler months, this is the perfect receptacle for butter. It keeps it cold, but spreadable. No more tearing bread. The butter is smooth, but still with substance – perfect buttering conditions. We’ve had to adapt a little in summer months, as temperatures rise into the forties. Leaving the bell out on the kitchen work surface is no longer the best idea, as the butter definitely does become much, much softer. So, we keep it in a cool cupboard and problem solved. It is important to remember to change the water regularly – every two, certainly three, days – and to always hand wash the whole thing before re-filling.
It’s easy-peasy to refill, too – the bell (or at least ours) seems to take just under a normal sized pack of butter, so we use what’s left over first. It’s best to let the butter soften at room temperature first (don’t melt it), then press it firmly into the bell-shaped lid to remove air pockets. Finally, level off the top with a knife or spatula for a clean seal.
Our butter bell is a retro style, in white ceramic, with a lovely bone handled butter knife. Not at all expensive, but it definitely looks like a kitchen item with a little bit of history. There’s something rather satisfying about using a butter bell. It feels like one of those old-fashioned kitchen ideas that quietly solves a modern problem without any fuss. Ours now lives permanently on the worktop for most of the year, and it’s become one of those small everyday things that makes breakfast just that little bit nicer. Sometimes the simplest inventions really are the best.
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by Helen | Jul 7, 2026 | Lifestyle
If you’ve been wondering why the renovation updates suddenly stopped, you’re certainly not alone. When we bought our Andalusian townhouse, I had every intention of documenting the journey as it happened. I imagined regular posts showing each stage of the transformation, sharing the discoveries, the challenges and, hopefully, the successes along the way. Eighteen months of dust, discoveries and bringing an Andalucian townhouse back to life
Then reality arrived.
As anyone who has taken on an old property will know, renovating a house is a full-time occupation in itself. Add in learning new skills, dealing with unexpected surprises (and there have been plenty!), sourcing materials, managing tradespeople, navigating Spanish bureaucracy and somehow fitting normal life around it all, and something had to give. Unfortunately, it was the blog.
Over the last eighteen months we’ve spent far more time covered in dust than we care to now think about. When we haven’t been working on the house, we have been plugged into laptops, focusing on our client website design work. Most days have ended with just enough energy to admire what we’d managed to achieve, either renovation or design wise, before collapsing into bed, ready to start again the next morning. The good news is that while the blog has been quiet, the renovation certainly hasn’t.
We’ve made enormous progress. Some projects have gone exactly to plan, others have taught us lessons we’d rather not have learned, and there have been moments of sheer delight alongside the occasional “What on earth have we done?” experience that anyone restoring an old house will probably recognise.
Looking back, perhaps there’s a silver lining. Instead of isolated updates, I can now tell the story properly—with the benefit of hindsight. I can share not only what we did, but what worked, what didn’t, what we’d do differently, and the many unexpected discoveries that only reveal themselves over time. So over the coming weeks and months I’ll be catching up. I’ll take you through the renovation room by room and project by project, sharing plenty of photographs, practical tips, costs where they’re useful, and the little moments that have made this adventure so memorable.
Thank you to everyone who has continued to visit the blog and ask how the house is progressing. Your encouragement has meant a great deal. The renovation story isn’t over—far from it. In many ways, it’s only just beginning, and I’m looking forward to bringing you along for the next chapter.
by Helen | Jul 3, 2026 | Lifestyle
Now that the dust is settling – quite literally – on our renovation project, I’ve started to reflect on the mad journey we have been on since July 2024, when we finally left Istria. In fact before then, because the journey started for real, when we finished the renovation of the Istrian house and put it back on the market, selling this time, to the first couple who viewed it. We’d been tinkering around the edges with this house and despite many viewings and lots of love for it, it just wasn’t selling, so we had to take some big, decisive action. We knew that if we were to ever sell out home in Istria, we had overcome some hurdles because of its location – it was in a very small village, at the top of a valley, and lacked easy amenities. So, we took the bull by the horns, and invested money into the demolition of a second small house we owned at the rear, creating the space to create a Mediterranean style walled garden, on different levels, covered in white stones, filled with greenery and with access from the living room. And, bingo – it sold.
So, the first why. Why Andalucia as our next step?
We did our homework this time. We looked at lots of parts of Spain, but kept coming back to Andalucia. It’s a region we have visited before and there was an element of romanticism about it, with all of whitewashed villages, mountains, sparkling Mediterranean coastline and sandy beaches (there are no sandy beaches in Istria…). We searched online for properties and made spreadsheet after spreadsheet, listing each one and which of criteria each one hit. We had a big criteria list, and this did help us to narrow down properties, eventually. However small, or strange, your requirements are, add them to your list – they are important. These, from memory, were what we wanted the most, not necessarily in order of importance:
- a view;
- a large village/small town, and ideally a pueblo blanco;
- easy access to larger towns/cities
- close enough to the coast that we could there easily, but far enough away to not be living at the coast, and its associated costs – so about 30-40 minutes away;
- proximity to a social life – bars, restaurants, local shops – not necessarily large shops, as we could drive to those;
- proximity to an airport, ideally no more than 2 hours away – and we were realistic about this because Andalucia is a huge region and we knew that we were looking at Malaga as probably the main airport;
- ideally a townhouse, not needing a full renovation – hmmmm…
After seven years in Istria, we knew also what we didn’t want :
- an isolated location – not because we ever felt lonely or actually isolated, because we are very self-sufficient, but because we wanted to reduce the amount of time we had to spend in the car;
- a village with just locals – which initially is very exciting because you have to pitch in, but ultimately it can become quite limiting, especially if your neighbours rarely leave the village and once the interest in you as the “newcomers” wears off and they realise that you are actually never really going to become a “local”, it all becomes a bit difficult;
- a location that had no amenities to speak of – no shops, no bars, no restaurants – in walking distance;
- a location that had admittedly lovely summers, but in absolute contrast, long, cold, wet, dismal winters;
- somewhere that effectively shut down over winter;
- somewhere that was difficult for visitors to get to, especially out of season.
So, as I say, we did our homework, and all paths were leading to beautiful Andalucia – it was just a question of working out where, as the region does stretch from Murcia in the east to Cadiz in the west. As in, the whole stretch of southern Spain. We had intended to fly out and do a trip for a couple of weeks before we sold up in Istria, but time constraints and obligations didn’t allow this to happen, so our first recce was when we actually landed in Spain, off the ferry in Barcelona from Genoa, and drove south.
No idea at all where we might end up, just a handful of houses we’d seen online that we wanted to view. So, we made the most of the freedom we had, and took a couple of weeks driving down through Spain, revisiting places we hadn’t been to for years, discovering new ones and generally feeling like we were actually on holiday. Yes, it’s true – living abroad doesn’t equal one long holiday, especially when you have to work and are renovating and well, just, living a normal life. So, this did feel like a break – and we made the most of it, because we knew what potentially lay ahead…
by Helen | Mar 19, 2026 | Lifestyle
To be honest, a mouse in the house, was probably the last thing we needed after the last couple of months of storms and leaking roofs and the onset of a big repaint job throughout the house. But I suppose mice don’t take into account the fact that you’d like a little bit of respite, especially when they discover a very cosy pile of sheepskin (faux!) in which to snuggle down. Thankfully, after rodent adventures of the larger kind in Istria, we knew this one was a mouse and nothing more. Truth be told, when we did spot it, it was actually kind of cute – tiny and chocolate brown, but we didn’t really fancy homing a Andalucian mouse, so it had to be dealt with.
It put in its first appearance when we had friends staying – perfect timing. They had just gone to bed and we were winding down for the night, when out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a flash of brown, and knew immediately what it was. Keeping to the corners of the living room, it ran along the walls – and vanished. As they do. So, a bit of a restless night, being alert to every noise and wondering if it was a solo mouse or if it had brought its family and friends along. The next morning a trap was purchased – one of the old fashioned kind, as it was all we could get, and it was loaded up with pieces of a Snickers bar. Two days later, the trap was still intact, but the little minx had eaten all of the chocolate pieces, including the peanuts! We definitely weren’t dealing with a dimwit with this one, and so we had to have another plan.
Poison wasn’t an answer. I’m not a fan of rodents, however cute they may look, but we definitely didn’t want to use poison. We were also loathe to load up the spring loaded trap again, as I had visions of a bloodbath up the white walls. So, the only answer was a humane trap and I found these on Amazon. (Yes, I know we should try and avoid Amazon, for a variety of reasons, but sometimes it’s quicker for us, being where we are currently).
These traps are made of eco-friendly ABS material, chemical free, non-toxic and odorless, reusable and durable. They are also very easy to clean. They are designed with multiple air holes to enable free airflow on the top and on the left and right sides of the mouse trap, so any caught rodents won’t suffocate.
The traps are extremely easy to use, and with no dangerous metal spring loaded parts, are harmless to people and pets. You simply slide out the food compartment, insert the bait and slide the compartment back in. At the opposite end of the box, you just press the “door” down – the rodent(s) will smell the bait, and enter through the door, and once inside, their weight will trigger the door to spring up and close. The bait is entirely enclosed inside the plastic compartment and so almost impossible, I’d say, for household pets – or small children – to get to.
The pack of four traps arrived at 5pm, and we immediately loaded them with small pieces of kit-kat, knowing the mouse had a taste for chocolate and placed then around the ground floor of the house. At 8pm, we heard the VERY satisfying click of the door of the trap, and there it was – our chocolate brown mouse, inside. The mouse was initially a bit shocked – obviously – but very quickly it calmed down, and after about five minutes was curled up, very chilled, inside the box. All we needed to then do was take the box as far away from the house as possible, away from other houses, and release the mouse. And, off it went scampering into the fields, to join its mates. As far as we know, it’s very happy as it hasn’t returned – the boxes have been left out just in case, but nothing. And no further sightings, either. Once the mouse has been released, the box does need to be washed thoroughly in very hot water, to get rid of any smells, which may attract more mice.
So, a real result. No mess. No drama. No traumatised mouse. And four very cool looking traps – the transparent amber is actually a very beautiful colour, and you could actually forget that these boxes were mousetraps! So, very highly recommended, if you have a mouse (or two) in the house, especially as this is a multi pack, for just €19.99.
This is not a sponsored post. We just wanted to recommend a product that we rate highly, and which has worked 100% for us.
by Helen | Mar 18, 2026 | Lifestyle
We seem to forever buy pots of herbs – hello, basil and coriander, especially – which will often end up withered and only fit for the bin. They’re always bought for a specific recipe, and whatever isn’t immediately used on the plant, never seems to thrive, however much we look after them. We have resorted to buying those triangular plastic packs of fresh herbs – these seem to fare better as one pack usually is what’s needed for a recipe, but I hate the plastic packets they come in. So, I was intrigued by a hydroponic system I saw online, which seemed to be the solution we were looking for.
According to the website, the system :
…requires no plant knowledge or constant monitoring. Click & Grow gardens, equipped with grow lights and passive watering systems, use proprietary Plant Pods that provide everything the plants need. Compared to traditional pot-and-soil or complex hydroponic systems, there’s minimal maintenance and fewer chances for things to go wrong. Plant Pods come pre-seeded with all necessary nutrients, require no water quality or pH checks, and need less frequent cleaning. Simply plug it in, add pods and water, then do occasional plant care for best results…
As the systems go up in price to nearly €3,000 for the Wall Farm Vertical Indoor Garden, I decided to go entry level and test things out, opting for the least expensive model – the Smart Garden 3, for just under €100. This price includes the actual white garden, with water tank, extendable arms, LED lights, three plant cups, three domes for germination and three basil packs. The plant pods – already seeded – are pesticide free and provide everything needed for the plants to sprout. And set up really is as easy as it says on the website – you literally insert the Plant Pods into the chambers, add water to the small water tank at the side and plug it in. Automated grow lights and passive watering take care of the rest. It really does take less than five minutes to set up and five minutes a month to maintain. And the maintenance consists of filling the water tank – we’ve found every couple of weeks – and removing any leaves which are not doing too well. So far, in two months, we’ve removed two or three from all three plants. We turn the LED lights on overnight, and off during the day, and this has worked well.
The system was bought in January and we’ve just started using the basil very recently, so I suppose two months is quite a long time to wait for your first “crop”. And, we’ve now realised that by staggering the insertion of the pods, we can have herbs at different stages of growth, to avoid in future, what we have now, which is a bit of a glut of basil. Probably fine in the summer when we use it a lot more, but I’m not sure if this time around we’ll get through three plants – although we’ll see what a bit of pruning does too, to add to the life span of the plants.
I’m also going to mix up the types of herbs next time around – and this is where Click & Grow clearly make a lot of their additional income. You can’t buy packs of three mixed seed pods – say basil, coriander and oregano. Each triple pack seems to contain only one type of herb, so it seems a bit naughty that to get three different herbs, you need to buy three packs of three. The triple packs are only €13, so not expensive, but I’d much rather have the choice of a mixed box, than having to stockpile. However, a small issue and one which won’t lessen our pleasure of having fresh herbs “on tap”. And, I suppose, once you’ve ordered your seed pods, in whatever quantity, you then have them and can rota the pods to ensure you always have the freshest of herbs.
We planted ours up at the end of January, and have been quite excited to see the initial tiny sprouts (after about 5 days) developing into thick, healthy basil plants…
This is not a sponsored post. We paid full price for our Click & Grow and have not been asked to do a review. We just think it’s a great product, and if you want to minimise your food waste, we’d definitely recommend this great little product.
by Helen | Mar 15, 2026 | Renovation
…deserve a post of their very own. They are now the most beautiful doors, but it’s taken a real labour of love, because when we bought the house, they definitely weren’t beautiful. In fact, they looked so awful and dilapidated that the intention was to have them re-made.
It was obvious that in their prime, they had been very elegant and exquisitely crafted. I say “they” because they are actually double doors, creating a very grand entrance to our townhouse. But by the time we bought it, they had been very neglected. They’d been painted in a very muddy brown colour on the outside, which had faded and just looked like sludge. They were cracked in places. Parts of the carved decorative motifs were missing. The old door furniture had been allowed to rust and a new lock system had been installed, and looked so out of place. All in all, they were horrible, and definitely not what we wanted for the entrance to our home, but as the house was being renovated and every day more building materials arrived, they weren’t a priority. Until we actually moved in.
It had always been in our heads that the woodwork in the house, including the front door, would be a soft sage green. But once the crittal doors and windows, around the internal courtyard were installed, we started to think about matte black for the external doors and windows. A bit of a departure from our original thoughts, but we loved the black metal work and didn’t really think any other colour would work on the new windows looking down into the courtyard, and this then led us to wonder if black would work on the front door and the windows and shutters at the front of the house. And, the closer we looked at the front doors, the more we realised that with a bit of elbow grease, we maybe wouldn’t need to replace them after all. There were just too many components we loved about them, that we wouldn’t be able to faithfully replicate with new doors. The bolts were just amazing, especially the main horizontal bolt to lock the doors. Like something you’d find on a castle door!
As the inside of the doors were already a very dark brown, almost black colour, we had a feeling it could work, but there was only one way to find out, as we started repairing and painting them internally…
With all of the builders clutter cleared, the new wall and floor tiles installed, the internal doors painted white and a new light shade fitted, we immediately felt that going black was going to be right. The space and the doors were big enough to go bold, and there was no going back.
And we knew we definitely needed to keep that beautiful Hand of Fatima door knocker. Isn’t she beautiful?
We opted for a matte paint, as we felt that anything with a shine might be a too Downing Street, and that was definitely not the look we were hoping for!
With a new house sign, we think our new/old doors are absolutely perfect. They still have signs of their age, which we love, because they have history and even if new doors were made to replicate these, they wouldn’t be quite the same. So, as well as saving a small fortune, we’ve retained an original feature, and having given it a bit of TLC, we’ve hopefully extended the life of these gorgeously elegant doors. Just need to do something about those awful wall tiles now…
by Helen | Mar 13, 2026 | Renovation
Our kitchens have always been a big part of our previous homes. Big in importance, but sadly, never big in size. Until we bought our Andalucian townhouse, and the footprint of the kitchen was huge, compared to what we had had previously. The kitchen we inherited though, was a bit of a horror show and literally nothing – even the wall – could be salvaged, and so everything was ripped out. Units, doors, windows, the floor, the wall into it, plumbing, electrics – all taken out. Giving us what we realised, was a BIG space to fill…
Having done kitchen renovations previously, we didn’t want a store bought kitchen this time around. We wanted something unique and bespoke and definitely Andalucian. We discussed the design and the layout and materials at length with our builders. Where sockets and plugs would be installed. What kind of lighting we’d have. What the flooring would be like. How the units would be constructed. Would we just have base units or wall units, too? Would the base units have doors? If so, what kind? Where would appliances go and what colour would they be? In fact, what would the overall colour scheme be? It took us weeks to nail down our vision, because between us all we had so many ideas. This meant, lots of design ideas and plans went back and forth by email – don’t forget we were working on this long distance, as we renting an an apartment right out on the western coast of Andalucia, as our renovation, just north of Sotogrande, progressed. So, we had to be really focused to get it right, because we weren’t in the thick of it all the time.
The wall into the kitchen was removed and a steel lintel installed, creating an open plan space which gave us so many possibilities. We really wanted a kitchen island, and with our builder, looked at various ways of doing this, and although we really liked all of the options, none seemed totally right. The island seemed to encroach too much on the open space we’d gained, and we realised we liked the idea, rather than the reality, so we ditched trying to incorporate this feature. Much, much research went into the style of the kitchen. We absolutely knew we wanted it to feel Andalucian, but very contemporary. We wanted it to be uncluttered but a space which functioned well. With appliances to a minimum – and because we had the luxury of an additional space which would become a utility room, we could design a kitchen without having to take into account a washing machine, a dryer, a freezer and a small, extra fridge. We felt that white was the colour we wanted – a bit risky in a kitchen, but we’re in Spain, and so didn’t want to go dark, as we had done in Istria. All of our ideas and inspirations were pointing towards natural and organic, and we made sure we had a good bank of ideas to share with our builder.
The more we researched, the more we were coming to the conclusion that micro-cement was only route to really go down, to get the effect we wanted, potentially with reclaimed wooden doors. Simple, unfussy, clean lines. With new wiring and sockets fitted and the plumbing completed, we were ready to go with the build of the micro-cement. (Reading that sentence back, does make it sound like it all happened in a couple of weeks – not quite, as while the kitchen was being renovated, so was the rest of the house, and so work was a bit stop start, as the builders worked their way around it all). It was all very exciting, once we have the go-ahead, to see it all beginning to take a shape.
Working around our builders, the window fitters arrived and within a couple of days, our beautiful black crittal doors and windows had been fitted. The propped up tiles above, are the ones we chose for the whole of the open plan ground floor, and with beautiful sage green stars, this gave us the accent of colour we wanted in the kitchen, but keeping to the idea of natural and organic. Once the base unit has been built, they were concreted and the floor tiles laid throughout, immediately giving us a feel that the kitchen was actually coming together.
Perhaps the biggest transformation, for us, came with the professional painting of walls and ceilings. We had had the idea that we’d do the painting ourselves, but I can say, hand on heart, getting professionals to do it all, was one of the best decisions we made. It would have taken us forever, but within a couple of weeks, all the internal and external walls and ceilings were painted and lifted the house in the most magical way. Just prior to the painting, the sage green spotlights we’d chosen, to complement the floor tiles were fitted, also fitted. We spent quite a long time researching the light fittings, because again, we didn’t want to get these wrong. We knew we didn’t want the recessed silver or white round spotlight fittings, we wanted something a bit more of a statement, and when I spotted these beautiful cylindrical, ridged, sage green holders, I knew they were the ones. Perfect. And once the ceiling fans were installed – well, my word! These had been boxed up, sitting in amongst the chaos for a year – they were the first things we ordered as there happened to be a massive sale on, so we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to buy them – so when they were fitted, it was the first time we had seen them in the flesh. And, wow – they were everything we’d hoped they would be.
The next step was the actual micro-cement finish, but we had to wait a couple of weeks for our builder to be able to do it, so we were able to have a kitchen of sorts, giving us an idea of how the finished room might be. The main appliances remained boxed up and we had to rely on air fryers, a microwave and our electric two ring camping hob for our cooking, but at least we’d had the foresight to have dishwasher fitted, as the sink also hadn’t been plumbed in. However, after no kitchen at all for a good few months, this temporary set up felt pretty much like we weren’t far from the finish line.
The micro-cement finish of the base units was nowhere near as messy as we thought it might. I think we had in our heads it would involve lots of sanding, and whilst our poor builder seemed to spend days with sandpaper in his hands, it was light and fine, rather than industrial. The compound was mixed and applied several times, to create the finish we wanted to achieve – white, with very fine grey lines/marks to resemble a very subtle marble effect.
It did take a while to achieve the colour and effect, as we needed this to be right first time. Luckily, with micro-cement, you can keep sanding/applying until you get the finish you want, but I know we absolutely did our builder’s head in! However, the attention to detail was seriously worth it, as what we have now is absolutely stunning.
The During shots…
So, how is it all looking now? Well, I’m going to save that for the next kitchen blog…
by Helen | Mar 12, 2026 | Interiors
There weren’t many original pieces of furniture left in our house when we bought it. Plenty of 1980s stuff, mind you, that the previous owner obviously no longer wanted, and couldn’t be bothered to get rid of. No, we weren’t lucky enough to be purchasing one of those old townhouses, still packed with elegant old furniture, ripe for restoration. Instead we inherited largely a pile of junk – apart from this beauty. We’re not sure why this was left, but it wasn’t going anywhere, and our builders were under strict instructions to keep it safe throughout the renovation works.
It’s been a godsend of a storage space, since all of our belongings came out of storage, as we’ve been able to pack lots inside. But we knew we wanted to spruce it up, because the wood, as beautiful as it is, was just too dark for us. The house is now very light and bright, and we definitely wanted to take this piece of furniture a whole lot lighter – not white, but something that would complement the white walls and ceiling of the bedroom. I’d bought a chalkpaint called Frappe for a mirror, and really liked the creaminess of the colour – light, but warm. So, it was decided that this was the colour. And, what a result. A beautiful new wardrobe, which looks a whole lot better.
The difference a second coat started to make.
I love results like this. Transforming something for very little expenditure and ending up with something very beautiful. For the price of two pots of chalk paint, we now have a huge wardrobe/cupboard, with hanging space, shelving and internal drawers. It’s very, very nice not to have spend sometimes!
by Helen | Dec 5, 2025 | Interiors
Lighting – and pendants – have been a big consideration in the renovation of our house. Initially, we’d thought that we’d go down the route of Moroccan/Moorish style pendants, but to get what we wanted, for all of the rooms, would have cost a small fortune. So, we decided to have coloured glass pendants in only some of the rooms. And then, as the house went white, we changed our minds again, and veered towards all white. It just meant sourcing white pendants that we liked, would suit the style of the house and didn’t blow the budget. In Istria, we had two IKEA Maskros pendants – the ones that look like dandelion heads – which we loved, and so I was sad to discover that they had been discontinued, as we did consider these again.
Because IKEA prices are reasonable, we decided to have a good look at their pendants again, given we’d been so happy with the ones above, and that’s when we started to seriously consider the Krusning pendants. I’d previously liked them in-store, but because we weren’t considering paper shades, had not really taken much notice of them, but when I checked online, the prices did pique my interest. As we needed about fourteen of them, the prices were very appealing and so a couple were bought initially, just to see what they were like. And they were gorgeous. Just gorgeous. Although the first one was a bit tricky – each pendant has about fifteen sheets of quick thick waxed paper, which you need to assemble, one on top of the other, then fan out into a kind of star shape, then scrunch up the edges. It felt a bit weird to be scrunching and crunching up the layers, but you soon get used to it, as the shades take shape. The beauty of constructing the shades in this way, is that they all look slightly different. Despite being made of paper, they are sturdy and robust, and have enough weight to them, to make them just sway gently in the breeze. A couple of ours are positioned near ceiling fans, and even these are OK. The one thing to remember about these Krusning shades, is that the cord set, to attach it, is sold separately – so don’t forget to pick these up, too.
The result? Very personalised lights which produce a very soft, diffused light, creating a very cosy ambience. We liked these so much as central ceiling pendants, we purchased the smaller versions for the lighting at the side of each bed. These lights are on dimmer switches, and so the effect is even more magical, as you can adjust the intensity. I’d really recommend these shades if you’re budget conscious but want something quite unique and elegant.
This is not a sponsored post. We paid for all of the products. We are just sharing and recommending products we like and rate.
