Polegate
Published: Friday, 4 April 2008, 5:11PM
22/04/2008
Phil lives in a semi-detached house in Polegate with his wife Lynne and their two sons, Alex and James. He was in for a shock when the 60 Minute Makeover Team touched down.
Phil works at a local saw mill but in 2003 he decided he wanted to do more than that and began training to be a counsellor. He now volunteers for Cruse Bereavement Care and Info Point - a local service for 11-25 year olds.
In 2002, Lynne was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and at various stages since then has been rather poorly. Phil has cared for her throughout this and she wants to say a massive thank you to him by giving him the dream home the family has always wanted.
The Designer: Kathryn Rayward
Kathryn's plan was to revamp this house by abandoning the magnolia and bringing in bold colours, lush textured fabrics and a fun, family feel.
Living room
With an old gas fire and tired two-seater sofa, this room needed uplifting. Space is limited and the Powells had settled for small sofas. Kathryn introduced a modular sofa that we built in the room. It was goodbye to tired two-seaters and hello L-shaped sofa with matching arm chair. A combination of turquoise, feather-motif wallpaper and walls painted in two-tone suede paint gave the room a more sophisticated feel. The family love playing board games, so Kathryn included a games coffee table.
Dining room
With magnolia walls and uninspired furniture, this was practically a blank canvas. Kathryn filled the room with rustic, solid wood furniture - appealing to Phil’s love for real wood. Metallic floral wallpaper, curtains in shimmering gold and a palette of deep browns and orange created a luxurious colour scheme.
Family room
This room is a converted garage, somewhere Phil uses for his counselling and a general space for the whole family to chill out in. Naturally, there were yet more magnolia walls. Kathryn covered one of them with an image of Brighton sea front. She brought in an L-shaped sofa and solid wood furniture to continue the theme throughout the house. She also gave them a drinks fridge and loads of beanbags, making it a homely and practical space.
Alex's room
This was a small, blue, box room with no fun features and not much space. By bringing in a high bunk bed, with a built-in desk, Kathryn provided ample space for a chest of drawers, wardrobe and beanbag. Kathryn painted the walls in a deep burgundy, which she lifted with a light green carpet, creams and lots of denim accessories.
Before and After
The Reveal
A calming environment for all the family... check out the before-and-after pics
