27/03/2008
This surprise makeover was for Chrissie’s husband, Andy. They have four children - a challenge in itself. One of their daughters, Katie, who is now 11, was born with a brain defect. Throughout her life she has had a series of operations and has required extra care and Andy has been very supportive. The house hadn’t been decorated in a while.
The designer: Derek Taylor
Derek wanted to revamp this house which was full of old furniture. It was worn and tired and Derek wanted to inject some life back in to it.
Living room
This room was in two sections which didn’t tie together at all. The smaller of the two sections was pretty much an unused space and the sofas and carpet in this room were old and threadbare. Derek transformed this space and unified the room, bringing metallic silver, light blue and cream into the room and putting a sofa in each section.
Dining room
This room was a bright egg yolk-yellow and full of old furniture. They are a family of six and they only had four chairs in there. Derek went with a rustic, New England country feel for this room including a large restored pine dining room table with enough room to seat eight people.
Charlotte’s bedroom
This room was a mish-mash of furniture with not much space to move in. It had an old fitted cupboard and worn-out walls painted in brash pink and blue. Derek brought glamour and style to the room, with mirrored furniture, a sleek fitted wardrobe and iridescent wallpaper. Charlotte’s dream was to have a four poster bed, so Derek hung crystal curtains from the ceiling at each corner of her new bed and it looked stunning.
Katie and Abigail’s bedroom
This room was a bit too babyish and there wasn’t enough space. Plus there were stickers all over the walls. Derek turned this into a young girl’s paradise, with luxurious white French furniture and lots of pink!
