insideKENT Magazine Issue 101 - September 2020 | Page 50

HOME+GARDEN
BOSUN COTTAGE CONT.
What was your design/refurburbishment
timeframe?
Well, before lockdown we had initially been saying
to ourselves it had to be as fast as was humanly
possible, in order to try and maximise the 2020
holiday season. Obviously as it happened, Covid-
19 had other ideas, and so that pushed things right
back into June. That actually was the strangest
blessing, because I felt like we had more time to
make important decisions and really get critical
things right. We didn’t have to just go with what
was in stock at the time, and could afford to wait a
little bit for the items we really wanted, such as the
textured shower panels which took a bit of time to
come due to the fact the manufacturer shut down
for a few weeks. When the Government announced
that self-catering properties could reopen for guests
from 4th July, that effectively sounded the bell on
the final lap of our renovations! Suddenly we had a
really clear deadline, and that gave us a last burst of
energy to get everything finished so we could hand
it over to Ashley at Deal Holiday Lets with her
camera and checklist!
What were your project management
pitfalls?
I think our parents would say “not asking for help”!
We tackled a lot of the really manual jobs ourselves,
and pulled some really long days that definitely could
have been reduced if we’d called in the troops!
How did you find the balance between
an excellent design-led refurb which also
kept to budget?
Ahead of completion I did a really thorough analysis
of the property, and decided what could/would stay,
and what absolutely needed to be new. For example,
having the carpets professionally cleaned instead of
completely replaced probably saved us over £1500.
I love a good bargain, so Gumtree, eBay and
Facebook Marketplace were great places to find
some pieces that could be upcycled. Instead of
expensive artwork for the living room (which is really
the piece de resistance in the house) I bid on a pair
of oars on eBay! At £40 they were an absolute steal,
and bring just as much impact and interest as a
painting would. I think another aspect that helped
us stay on track in terms of time and budget was
being really realistic about what we could and
couldn’t take on ourselves. We outsourced the
painting and plumbing as I think otherwise I’d
probably still have a paintbrush in hand right now!
Where do you start with interior styling for
a home that you won't be living in?
By making practicality a priority! I have lots of
experience of recommending family-friendly pieces
and fabrics to clients at Neptune Canterbury, so I
just applied the same logic here. The sofa, armchair
– and even the footstool! – have removable covers
which can be washed; the shower panels are
watertight and much easier to maintain than tiles;
and I opted for wooden dining chairs rather than
anything upholstered. I also kept the colour scheme
continual throughout, so if cushions or throws get
moved around the property everything would still
feel really harmonious. I’ve opted for linens rather
than wools as they’re a more popular choice in store
(wool can be a bit “marmite” with some people not
liking wool against their skin), blue is an eternally
popular colour, and we tried to keep as many of the
original (or near-original) features as possible.
Essentially I just tried to apply all of the things I’ve
learned from the home and furniture business to
what we’d be creating at the cottage.
50