A Coastal Haven in Brighton - The Shelley House | Blog

Victoria Smith has never shied away from a challenge. Whilst planning their upcoming wedding with her fiancé Tim, she has thrown herself into the renovation game into their charming Victorian home 'Shelley House', in the coastal town of Brighton, Sussex.

Effortlessly blending bohemian charm with vintage and classic features, her home features beautiful tiles and natural woods that shine in the natural daylight. Follow her renovation story at @shelley_home.

Photo Courtesy of Victoria Smith | @shelley_home

Can you tell me a bit about yourself and your Instagram account?

My fiancé and I bought our house in September 2016. What started off as a renovation project soon turned into a labour of love as we realised a lot of the work we would have to do ourselves on a budget. I began sharing photos of my home on my own Instagram account and very quickly I built up a following so, at the beginning of this year, I decided to create an Instagram account purely focusing on my home renovations, Shelley_home which is the name of our house.

Is this your first home renovation?

Yes and by no means are we finished. It’s not our forever home as eventually I’d like to move further out into the countryside and have a bigger garden.

What inspires you to tackle big projects?

We have a list of everything we would like to do to the house in priority order. A lot of our big projects have had to be pushed to next year as we’re getting married in September so all of our budgeting is currently going on that.

My next project is the kitchen which is why I wanted to get the tap from ENKI when our previous tap broke.

Photo Courtesy of Victoria Smith | @shelley_home

How long has this project taken?

We started renovating in our dining room as soon as we moved in as there was damp. Once the damp was treated we took each room at a time. I would say we’re about 70% there in finishing but because of the wedding we probably won’t be finished until next year.

How does the whole family get involved?

I am definitely the driver in getting the house done. Working for a home interiors company means I constantly have new ideas which my fiancé Tim is very supportive of. He knows I’m the creative one and rarely asks why we’re doing something next. He’s good at keeping an eye on the budget side of things and whether it’s affordable.

How long do you think it will take? What’s left on the To Dos?

We have to finish the kitchen which is purely cosmetic by painting the doors and replacing the door knobs. The front garden is on the list to finally make look presentable and we’d like to replace the downstairs carpet with wooden flooring.

I can’t honestly say how long it will take because I know I’ll probably come up with another idea but I’d like to have our house pretty much finished by this time next year.

Photo Courtesy of Victoria Smith | @shelley_home

What do you want to achieve from this?

I would love to add value to our house. It’s amazing how you can change the presentation of it just by a lick of paint.

Would you do it all again?

Absolutely! I’ve loved every minute of doing up our house and can not wait for a new project!

What’s your favourite room in the house? Why?

My favourite room in our house is our bathroom, it’s a large south facing room with lots of light. We have a roll top Victorian bath installed and it’s so relaxing.

Photo Courtesy of Victoria Smith | @shelley_home

Who inspires you as a designer? Do you have any top recommendations?

I absolutely love Em Henderson as an interior designer plus she has a great personality and excitement when it comes to design. My favourite Instagram account is RVKloves I adore her house and garden!

Who inspired your kitchen?

Our kitchen is a habitat freestanding kitchen. It came with the house when we moved in but I want to update it by painting the doors, adding brass handles and moving the units around. By doing this it should be relatively cost-effective. I’ve also found tile stickers to sit on top of my existing tiles saving us having to replace them all.

What made you choose the House of ENKI?

When our tap broke I didn’t want to replace with another chrome tap, as I know I wanted brass fittings for the kitchen handles. We needed a bridge tap and ENKI did one exactly what I wanted but was also cost-effective.

How would you describe it to a friend?

Photo Courtesy of Victoria Smith | @shelley_home

I would definitely recommend the tap and love how it looks with our Belfast sink.

What advice would you give people taking on a renovation project?

Don’t take on every room at once! Work our the cost of everything and prioritise the most important thing first. If you finish one room at a time it gives a much better sense of accomplishment and stops you from feeling overwhelmed.