We were lucky enough to get a sneak peak into the home of Interiors & DIY Blogger, Ellenor. She lives in a two-bedroom Victorian terrace house on the outskirts of Leeds City Centre, with her husband, Lee. Ellenor’s interior skills were very much self-taught, but she confesses to receiving help from her Dad when it comes to a more technical, DIY task!

Their house is made with traditional Yorkshire Yellow Stone, and sandwiched between two sets of lovely neighbours. Renting for just over three years now, Ellenor & Lee are totally in love with the property and see themselves staying for the foreseeable; or, at least until they can afford to buy their own home. 

Ellenor is all about neutrals – and this is certainly reflected around their home. She likes a mix of modern and traditional styles, especially when it comes to the architectural details you’d expect from a Victorian property. Classic décor is key in this house.

Shop Neutral COAT colours here

Ellenor @aneditedlifestyle in her beautiful home in Leeds

A COAT LOVE AFFAIR...

First discovering our brand whilst conducting market research for an interiors company she previously working for, Ellenor tells us she was immediately drawn to our branding…

“Once I dove further into the website, I loved the colour range – even the bright colours! I love how simple it is to use the sample swatches; to move them around the room and see them in different lights. It’s also good to know what COAT are doing for the planet, especially allowing customers to make conscious decisions when decorating their home.” 

Her experience with our paint was also a triumph, as she describes it as “easy to use” and “great for coverage!”. 

“Something that also stands out to me is the website, and the accuracy with the colour before buying. They provide as many images as they can with the paint in situ. Most importantly, I love that they show the colour in north and south lighting; this makes such a difference to how the paint will look in your home, so to see the different tones is really helpful when it comes to choosing your samples.”

TAKE A LOOK INSIDE…

Pale Taupe 'Good Intentions' looking timeless in Ellenor's kitchen

First up, their kitchen – decorated in a COAT favourite, ‘Good Intentions’. Ellenor and Lee were eager to replace the standard white-wash for something a little more luxe. The idea was born after she found putty-coloured kitchens on Pinterest – one of our favourite inspiration platforms for home interiors. She ordered numerous samples within our neutrals range, but ‘Good Intentions’ won the vote – especially since it worked in both natural and artificial lighting. 

Adding warmer neutral colours will allow a space to still feel minimal, but much more cosy. ‘Good Intentions’ is pale taupe shade, working perfectly with their south-facing kitchen – a bright, spacious room that now feels more inviting. As their home is a rental, they are somewhat limited to what they can do. Although the kitchen isn’t Ellenor’s dream kitchen by any means, it’s now as close as they can possibly get under the landlord’s restrictions. 

Check out our warm neutral colours here ✌️

The 'board & batten' wall adds dimension to the space, also in 'Good Intentions'

Ellenor also added ‘board and batten’ to the walls, to enhance the character of the space. This popular trend has appeared in many homes on Instagram, and is a super affordable and easy DIY hack; creating an impressive addition to any room. 

“It gives the kitchen a little something, without interfering with the functionality of the space. As well as the cabinets, this is also painted in ‘Good Intentions’; giving contrast to the white walls.” 

An airy neutral multifunctional room

Next, we venture into the living room – Ellenor’s favourite room in the house, and the true heart of their home. Originally a shade of peach, with brown carpets, this dual-purpose space has been transformed into a home office during the day, and a comfortable hangout upon an evening. 

Desperate for more storage space, Ellenor and Lee added some floating shelves and drawers into the alcove – creating a more affordable ‘built-in’ look, that spreads the entire width of this space. 

Inspired? Grab Peel & Stick Swatches to try at home 🙌🏼

Space-saving floating shelves in contrasting 'David Rose'

“I wanted to make sure the shelves matched the drawers, and also, to create a cosy corner of our home. I headed straight to the COAT website, and only saw the name of the paint before I purchased a sample. ‘David Rose’, need I say more! It was the perfect black for the shelving units, but to be honest, if it wasn’t, I still would have used it for the name, alone! The quality is spot-on, especially on wood.”

Finally, Ellenor takes us into her bedroom – one of the most recent and final makeovers they completed. Previously home to yellow walls and a green carpet, she was eager to give it a complete overhaul and make it a place of relaxation and calm. 

“The carpet was so old, that I managed to convince our landlord to get new one (never be afraid to ask), and it was this that spurred the rest of the makeover. We painted the walls white to create a calming atmosphere, incorporated texture with our bedding, and rearranged furniture to make it a functional sanctuary.”

BRANDED FAVOURITES… 

We asked Ellenor to share her favourite shops and brands for homeware and furniture….

“Home Sense is my go-to for bargains, I’m usually in my local store once a week, hunting out some decorative bits. Hudson Home is my dream when it comes to homeware. I get all my faux florals from there; such good quality, and so realistic. I also love Maison Du Monde. They have pieces that suit many different interior styles; including my love for classic, traditional pieces. Our black drawers in our living room are from there, and these inspired me to move on from my previous all-white interior style, and add some deeper tones instead.” 

WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS…

Ellenor is currently working on their hallway, which involves more of our paint, and an IKEA DIY hack. Sounds exciting… 

Ellenor has a website and YouTube channel which she regularly updates, so we’ll be sure to keep our eyes out for a sneak peek and some transformation reveals. We’ll see you there!

ELLENOR FROM @ANEDITEDLIFESTYLE LENDS SOME ADVICE…

“Before anything else, and if possible, tape out your furniture before moving it into the space. It’s so much easier to get a sense of the space you’ll have, and will help you come up with the best layout for your everyday living. 

The next is to make sure you find out which way each room is facing, and what light it gets. Even when painting your walls white, it’s going to look very different in north and south facing light, so make sure to find out, and get the appropriate undertones, depending on the space (blues and cooler tones for a north facing room, yellows and warmer tones for a south facing room).”

Steal Ellenor's timeless style and grab your Peel & Stick Swatches to try our Neutral Paint Shades in your home!