Name: Victoria Richards, my husband, and two children
Location: Bristol, UK
Type of home: Mid-terrace house
Size: 1108 square feet
Years lived in: 7 years, owned
Tell us a little (or a lot) about your home and the people who live there: Our home is a lovely Victorian mid-terrace in Bristol. We moved in seven years ago and have slowly been renovating it. I have an illustration background and am the owner of Handsome Vintage, a furniture upcycling business.
Practically all the furniture in our home is secondhand and painted or illustrated on (including the fireplace). I have to hold myself back from drawing on every item in our home! My husband has a sensible job and is a hospital doctor. We have two children, Iris, who is 6 years old, and Nelly, who is 3.
Describe your home’s style in 5 words or less: Quirky, upcycled, colorful, illustrative, unique
What is your favorite room and why? My favorite room is our living room. I recently painted it a beautiful vibrant blue, which has just made all the other furniture items and art pieces pop in the most spectacular way! Some of my favorite art pieces are in there. I have a much loved screenprint by ’60s Pop artist Gerald Laing of Amy Winehouse hanging in pride of place above the fireplace.
The fireplace has had a lockdown makeover as I have gradually covered it in my illustrations over the last few months. Finally one of my favorite recent upcycling projects is a standard lamp I upcycled by adding papier–mâché painted balls to the vertical pole!
What’s the last thing you bought (or found!) for your home? The most recent thing I bought for our kitchen was a pendant plug-in light with metal shade which I upcycled with pink spray paint and my daughters chunky wooden threading beads.
Any advice for creating a home you love? Follow your instincts and be brave with color. You really don’t need huge amounts of cash to create a home that reflects your personality. I find furniture pieces on skips, in charity shops and in junk shops and with a little imagination or Pinterest inspiration it can become your dream piece of furniture.
This submission’s responses were edited for length and clarity.
