Real Home: 7 Lessons We Learned From Visiting Ally Dowsing-Reynolds’ Dark And Daring Home
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Would you dare to dare to decorate your home? For many of us, the idea of ââa dark color palette is a step too far from our comfort zone. Despite the fact that dark walls can enhance the depth of a room and make it more cocooning, we are often too nervous to take the plunge.
Still, if anyone was to inspire us to give it a try, it would be Ally and James Dowsing-Reynolds. The owners of – you guessed it – interior design company Dowsing & Reynolds have a keen eye for design and aren’t afraid to express themselves through their home. As a result, every room in their Victorian home is bursting with ideas on how to embrace the dark side, combining deep shades of black and green with pops of bright color, from the fire oxy red sofas in the living room to the pink chairs. tone on tone. around the dining table.
We’ve learned a lot from Ally, and now we’re sharing her advice with you. So if you’re doing a home renovation in 2022, get yourself a notebook and pen – you’ll want to write it down.
1. Don’t give up when you’re pushed back
Profile
The owners Ally and James Dowsing-Reynolds, owners of the interior design business Dowsing & Reynolds, and their daughter, Emily
The property A four bed Grade II listed Victorian terrace in Leeds
Project cost £ 83,100
âWe had just started looking for a new home when we spotted this home,â says Ally. âIt was kind of in a state without water, gas or electricity. The previous owner was a bit eccentric and had PVC windows installed which is contrary to planning in a Grade II listed property. Even though it was in poor condition, we saw clearly: the building itself was really beautiful.
âWe were under no illusions about the costs – we estimated around £ 150,000 for all structural work, new windows etc. We couldn’t do everything without a small mortgage, but when the lender saw the condition of the house, he just said, “No, I can’t do it.” We were so discouraged and had to retreat – we thought we had lost it. On a whim I called the real estate agent to ask who had bought it and found out it was a construction company. So we made a deal to buy it once they refurbished it.
2. If you are working with builders, be prepared to negotiate
âGetting what we wanted from the renovation was not the easiest process. In many ways this was good because it eliminated the risk from our point of view, but there were things we would have done differently for the builders. They set up a traditional style bathroom, for example, which we personally would not have chosen. We had to negotiate a lot – we didn’t want to move in and tear things up because it would be a waste. There were clashes at times, but that’s because we and the builders wanted to do a good job and create a home that we loved. It’s good to be passionate about these things!
3. Have you lost your graphic identity? Don’t panic, it will come back to you
âWhen we moved in, every wall was painted white, so it was a blank canvas – a dream for a lot of people. We wanted to live there for a while to see how it felt in each room, but I think in hindsight, we left it too long – two years, actually. The neutral walls undermined our confidence a bit. We both love the color, the dark hues, the bold design, and the assertive artistry, and the house didn’t quite look like ours, but we couldn’t see which direction we wanted to go.
âIt wasn’t until we walked over to Katie’s from @comedowntothewoods that we stopped and thought, oh – color! Personality! This is what we love! We got home and thought, “We have to paint the whole place now!”
4. Small changes make a huge difference
âBecause this is a listed period property, we cannot change the layout too much. We would love a more open kitchen and have the back of the house open, but with every property comes a tradeoff. The builder suggested some really good changes – the bathroom was tiny, for example, so we broke into a small room next to our daughter’s bedroom to create a bigger family space.
âWe also opened the kitchen window – it used to be a single window, so the room was dark and dingy. We got permission for this because another house across the street had already done the same. James had pushed for a dark color in there, hence the black kitchen, and letting in that extra bit of light allowed us to be more daring with our design.
5. Renovate with a partner? Seek to learn from each other to facilitate the process
âFrom the outside, James and I have similar tastes, but we look at the rooms in a different way. I was diagnosed with ADHD and James is diagnosed with ADHD and ASD, so he views it differently from me. The process taught us a lot about our design personalities, actually. We decided that one person should take charge of each room; I did the living room and the dining room and James did the kitchen and the bathroom. We respect everyone’s design skills, so it worked out well.
6. Think about how you want to feel before decorating a room
âWe’re always looking at three areas: use, personality and feel. Deciding what emotion you want in a room is so important. In the living room, for example, we want to feel inspired and creative during the day and cozy and cocooned by the evening, so we swapped the neutral tones for a dark scheme with pops of color.
âThe hallway is a task-oriented space – we wanted to feel lucid when trying to get our daughter out or come home after a day out. The home office is white with no bold art so we can focus and focus. It’s about learning how colors make you feel and how the room will project your personality. It’s not always an easy process – the living room alone has changed colors about five times! ‘
7. Never stop planning!
âThe next project is the kitchen. James really enjoys cooking and his dream kitchen would be something bespoke with a place for everything. We would also like something more sociable. We always put Emily in the dining room to eat, but she wants to be in the kitchen with us while we tidy up or get ready for the school run. James would love to be able to face people rather than turn his back on them while he cooks too. Other than that, who knows! James’ mom always asks if we’ve finished decorating. The answer is, it never stops – but the constant exploration of design is the joy of having a home. ‘
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