The problem with Ikea is that the products look great in the catalogue but when you get them home they look ghastly and
The problem with Ikea is that the products look great in the catalogue, but when you get them home they look ghastly and dilapidated in about 10 minutes. We’re probably going to have to build him a soundproofed room so he can be grumpy in peace.We buy most of our furniture second-hand, though some is inherited. My daughters and I watch The OC and he says he can hear all of it upstairs. We get fabulous sound, but if you happen to be upstairs in the drawing room you can hear every word; it drives my husband mad. But we employed an architect for this and the result is like walking into the bar of a Seventies bachelor pad. As it had been on the market for a while, we were lucky enough to pay a reasonable price.
It’s the perfect place for everybody in the family, apart from me; my children can walk to school, my husband can walk to the office and I can’t walk anywhere.The house has five bedrooms and three bathrooms. As my father once said: “It’s got a lot of stairs.” When we first moved in our bedroom was on the top floor and he said: “Well, you’re going to get very fit because if you forget anything you’ll have to run back up a lot of stairs to get hold of it.” One girl who came round and saw our bedroom and bathroom said: “It’s just like a hotel – can I check in with you?” We have a sunny garden, where I built a playhouse for my daughter, which she never goes in. All that’s left to do now is to fix yourself a dry sherry, turn up the Bill Haley and start sweating over the Sunday roast.. Daisy Goodwin lives in West London with her husband and two children. As well as producing programmes such as Jamie’s Kitchen, Property Ladder and How Clean is Your House?, she also devised The Nation’s Favourite Poems. I live in London W14, which some people call West Kensington or Olympia.
Our house is very much at the insalubrious end of Kensington. We moved there about two years ago and we’re still doing it up, although we’ve almost finished. The property is a typical terraced house, built in 1888 to 1890. It has four floors, a lower ground floor, and steps up to the front bow-window.
We decided to move here because of its size It’s a big house with many floors and plenty of room.
Jack and Friends ( ) is a fun US site specialising in retro accessories, including enamelware, tin canisters, neon signs and groovy clocks. For a final touch, get a Roberts radio ( ), available in a range of fab colours from around £100. To recreate the feel, any table can be converted, and Formica is available in sheet form in an irresistible colour range. Contact Formica Limited ( ) for samples. If you prefer things ready-made, Fourwalls ( ) sells a neat table with black laminate top and stools in chromed steel with black vinyl seats (£149). Remember to line all drawers and cupboards with Fablon, preferably in red or yellow. It looks particularly authentic when crumbs begin to stick to the gluey edges.ACCESSORIES Authentic and well made, the iconic Kitchenaid range of gadgets is available from Armorica ( ), including mixers (from £299) and toasters (£120), in a range of retro hues It’s important to get the smaller details right, too.