Sandbanks beach house facelift

This lovely beachside property had been let as a holiday home for several years but needed updating and giving a little personality. It wasn't particularly welcoming and the interior had never been put together with intention ... it was just an accumulation of mismatched furniture with no accessories or luxury touches. The facilities did not really reach the standard that clients expected of a Sandbanks property and the owners wanted to achieve a higher rental, fewer void weeks and a better rental through the off-season. The budget was 'as little as possible'!

The decorative order was fair, so I just freshened the emulsion in the downstairs rooms (using hardwearing paint colour-matched to Farrow and Ball colours) and added wallpaper - in the sitting room to replace the existing dated paper, and in the hall to increase it's impact and add WOW as you stepped through the front door. All decorating was completed in-house.

I worked with as much of the existing furniture as I could, and added extra furniture where needed - replacing broken/wornout pieces and finding secondhand pieces to upcycle. Some new pieces were carefully chosen from quality budget retailers. The same paint was used to upcycle all the furniture so that they all contributed to the cohesive feel that we were aiming for. Headboards, chairs, pouffes and stools were recovered and cushions made to coordinate.

Stylish new cutlery, crockery and glassware was purchased to replace the dated mismatched collection existing. Outdoor furniture and BBQ were bought new, but in a half-price sale :-)

Finally artwork was added - all made from posters, cards and prints mounted in reasonably priced coordinating frames.