The House That Made Us

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Caravans aren’t exactly the epitome of fashion or interior design, but I love a good challenge & after finding a caravan with the best layout to suit our needs, decided to go for it. This is a Bailey Ranger 540/6 & was previously VERY orange wood….to see some before pictures, head over to my ‘before’ blog post here. Safe – it has been rigorously tested unlike some of the other pods on the market as well as recommended by midwifes. This is obviously a massively important factor to watch out for when purchasing a pod as many of the others on the market state not to use it unsupervised or for long periods/at nighttime due to risk of SIDS. It is advertised as being air permeable (breathable) with a safe firm mattress (although feels very luxury – i’d love to curl up in one!) as well as being anti-bacterial, anti-dustmite, anti-fungal AND waterproof. Eases transition into own room/cot – baby is already familiar with the Sleepyhead when he/she is eventually transitioned into a large spacious cot (which many babies find daunting compared to co-sleeping or a moses basket). Before I start, in this post I’m not going to tell you about a secret pill or shake that will magically make you drop weight or mean you can eat whatever you want without gaining. I haven’t done anything out of the ordinary or found a ‘cure’ (I wish I had!) but I’ve gone down the route of changing my lifestyle with healthy eating & exercise. I can’t change your way of thinking in one blog post or stop you from comfort eating that family sized bar of Dairy Milk when you’ve had a crap day; the one thing I’ve learnt is that it’s all about when you are ready to change & if you aren’t, then it’ll never work. It takes hard work, determination & most importantly, time. Earlier this year, I announced that I was setting up my very own interior design business & have been busy at work taking on a handful of clients to help transform their homes. It’s been a really exciting time & a couple of weeks ago I decided to throw a little launch party to celebrate!

Be kind to yourself– remember that you are not defined by the number on those scales. You are a beautiful person & so very loved, so whether you start now or in a year, it really doesn’t matter. Don’t let anyone tell you any different! More than anything, make sure you’re doing it for yourself first & foremost. In all honesty, about 18 months ago I would never have thought I’d be possible of feeling so content in my life for more than a week at a time. I was lost & undergoing CBT therapy as well as taking medication for anxiety. I struggled through the joys of parenting two very young children which wasn’t ‘me’. I wasn’t convinced my marriage wasn’t right for me & I was constantly on edge, worrying about worrying. It was all consuming. I thought I was naturally one of those people who would always be seeking MORE.Below is the finished result! Finished just in time to create the most cosy Christmas at Baylyn House & I am SO in love. It’s completely transformed the room & creates such a lovely atmosphere. Moving down to the other ‘end’ of the room is my console table (in colour ‘Truffle’) with statement feather prints which you can find on Etsy here. They are in Ikea ‘Ribba’ white 40x50cm frames. The table has two lamps which were from The Range originally, these gorgeous little artificial hedge urns from Hudson Home. Below is the large Somerton basket from Neptune with my favourite pom pom chunky knit throw from M&S in it then two silver easel frames here.

Lighting wise, this house doesn’t actually have ceiling lights & at first I was going to get an electrician in to put them in, but then I thought about it & actually we never used our main lighting, instead preferring soft mood lighting from lamps in the evening. I replaced the wall lighting with these antique brass Millhouse from John Lewis& love the soft glow. I’m undecided about putting some art work below them but at the moment want to keep this space feeling fairly fresh & bright. I also got this antique brass lever arm floor lamp, currently in the sale from Dunelm. This whole room was actually inspired by two ‘hero’ pieces above, which I bought because I saw them when sourcing for clients & they were too much of a bargain to pass up, although I had no idea where actually they’d go. These were the two massive ribbed lamps & the 4 large framed leaf/plant prints. I designed the space around these as my starting point. Caravans essentially need to have everything in them that a normal home would have which I found hard as it’s obviously very much condensed. I love cooking, but with the tiniest space to work in you really have to think outside of the box! Thinking of the basics, I knew we’d need a kettle& toaster then found some little Kilner jars to hold tea/coffee/sugar & some beautiful acacia chopping boards. Drink drink drink– an obvious one but you’d be surprised how often your body is telling you it’s hungry when actually you’re probably just thirsty. I try to drink 3L a day as an absolute minimum & before every meal I have a glass of water/sugar free squash to fill me up a little bit too. For so long I could only so much as dream about the life that I am now living. If I’m honest I didn’t think it would ever happen or that I would be the one to make it happen after so long of being scared to take a risk or step outside of my comfort zone. But let me tell you, it’s even better than the dream when it becomes reality. I can’t wait to see where life takes us but know that we’re going to spend many happy years within these walls & I can’t wait to take you guys along with me on the journey.I’m not too sure why I’m sat here on a Sunday morning writing this or telling you all my feelings, but sometimes that’s what’s needed. I hope from this even if one person reads this & says ‘actually, do you know what, I AM happy & I’m going to tell everyone why rather than feeling embarrassed’.

this is what it looks like now! I’ve painted the double doors white to freshen them up, but will eventually change those along with the other internal doors throughout the house. It may be a typically British thing to not gloat/brag or ‘show off’, but why is it when times are bad it’s okay to moan & ask for advice. But when times are actually good, we keep it under wraps afraid that we’ll come across as ‘oh look at me’. Hello 2020! A brand new year & I’m still getting over the fact that the Christmas decorations had to come down….it instantly feels so bare & soulless without the festive foliage & twinkling fairy lights. Unfortunately, I didn’t take any ‘before’ pictures that weren’t me completely butt naked in the mirror…so obviously I can’t share them, so you’ll have to make do with some other horrific ones I’ve found to grasp how far I’ve come. Here’s a little peek at the evening & I can’t wait to show you some of my projects from Interiors By Charlotte Valentine very soon!It’s been a whopping 9 months since I last wrote a post on here & so much has changed since then…mainly the fact that we have MOVED!! & not just down the road either, we made the spontaneous decision to relocate & swap the beautiful beaches of Bournemouth for the rolling fields of Somerset & countryside life. months on from moving away from everything we’ve ever known, all of our incredible friends & family in search of a new life, I thought it was about time I wrote about why….. I’ve decided, a year (& a month) on, to take on the challenge again but this time with a slight twist. This will give Mr THTMM (who’s doing it too) & I a bit of a boost just before Christmas. I’m going to go in to the whole moving process & our decision in depth another time, but for now, I have an (almost….) finished room ready to show you guys & she is a beauty. The rest of the house is pretty much upside down at the moment whilst I pour blood, sweat & tears in to renovating but this is such a peaceful, calm space that means we can close the doors (which do need to be replaced but they can wait) & almost pretend that everything is done for a second. Within hours of getting the caravan home, I was on the case & basically started ripping it apart. I waved goodbye to the yellow curtains, pulled up the stained carpeting & scrubbed everything with sugar soap to remove any grease/dust to prep for painting. It was a complete blank canvas & already looked so much brighter & lighter. You can see stories highlighted on my feed to give you an idea!

The cream/beige ones are also from IKEA as part of the same range & I usually have these out year round as they go with everything! You can find them here. Suitable for co-sleeping – this is what it was designed for, it provides extra safety as the sides prevent parents rolling on the baby or baby rolling out of bed/under the covers. It is also soft enough for you to have your arm over the baby for reassurance (Rory LOVES his bum being patted). I felt (& have been feeling now for probably about a year since my cervical cancer scare) truly content & just pure unadultarated happiness. The pale green cushions were from Etsy& are a beautiful sage colour, the perfect tone to soften the look as I was conscious of my neutral routes & didn’t want to go too dark. They are handmade & brilliant quality! The first port of call whenever designing is always to find inspiration which wasn’t particularly hard considering I live & breathe interiors. Obviously the thought of being let lose to design something was a daunting task but oh so exciting & gave me an opportunity to put down the paintbrush in my own home whilst I pushed my efforts in to making the lodge beautiful.Finally I added a couple more plants around the space to make sure each area had some hints of green to draw it all together. Now I’m looking around the rest of the house wondering what I can get my hands on & embracing this new slightly darker look I seem to be loving!