Living room

'This Christmas I added soft pink baubles to complement the warm gold decorations, which work well in a neutral scheme. We also fitted thermal curtains to provide better insulation.'

BUY THE KEY PIECES

Curtains in Layla Stone, Hillarys. Try the Orson 3-seater sofa in Moss Green, £1,099, Made. The Astoria display cabinet, £1,195, Cox & Cox would work here

Seasoned DIYers Hayley and Luke Blythe weren't daunted when they invested in a nicotine stained, unloved house; they simply got on with the task of slowly transforming it, tackling most of the work themselves and creating a beautiful forever home along the way:

WHAT WAS THE HOUSE LIKE IN THE BEGINNING?

'It was in such a state of disrepair that no one else wanted to take it on, so the price had been reduced. The previous owner was in his 90s and a heavy smoker, and the house hadn't really been looked after. All the walls were stained and every room needed an update. The kitchen had ugly blue 1970s cabinets and there was worn, faded pink carpet everywhere. Long term we plan to give the house a complete makeover, including putting in a new kitchen and bathroom, but we decided to invest in short-term fixes so we can enjoy our home while we save to do a proper reno.

WHAT DID YOU TACKLE FIRST?

'The kitchen was the worst room so we painted the yellowing walls and ceiling using inexpensive white paint, and although I would have loved to rip the whole thing out, renovating the kitchen will be the big project so we used specialist paint to refresh the cabinets. Replacing the ugly brown worktops with marble effect laminate completely elevated the room and the square rippled tiles have modernised the look, making the transformation feel far more expensive than it really was."

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