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The Creative Eclectic Home of Gold Leaf Queen – Lara Bezzina

April 24, 2020

We’re heading to Northamptonshire today with a fabulous home tour featuring The Creative Eclectic Home of Gold Leaf Queen – Lara Bezzina. Lara was our @eclectically_made March winner and I’ve also featured this incredibly talented lady with my post on How To Use Paint Creatively in Your Home last month. Lara’s creativity and confidence with paint and all things gold leaf in her home may just have you reaching for the paintbrush by the end of this post.

The Creative Eclectic Home of Gold Leaf Queen – Lara Bezzina

About…

The Creative Eclectic Home of Gold Leaf Queen - Lara Bezzina - Eclectic living room

Northamptonshire is where Lara, her husband and gorgeous cocker spaniel Coco reside. Their Victorian house has seen a lot of changes over the past few years to transform it into the home that truly depicts those that live there. And when you take in the beautiful views of their home, it’ll come as no surprise that Lara has a passion for art and design. Even more so considering they’ve managed to do everything on little to no budget.

The Creative Eclectic Home of Gold Leaf Queen - Lara Bezzina - eclectic dining room

I’ve always had an interest in art and design and studied art at A level but didn’t know what I wanted to do and ended up doing a degree in animal management and welfare.  

Lara Bezzina

Lara’s Creative Home

The Creative Eclectic Home of Gold Leaf Queen - Lara Bezzina | colour blocking

If you’re on a budget and want to make the most of your home you’ll definitely be inspired by Lara’s creativity. With absolutely no budget or spare cash to work on renovating their home, Lara took a crash course in YouTube DIY!

Getting creative is one way to not only create a home on a budget but more importantly, create a home that is unique and as individual as the people that live there. Rather than shopping mainstream high street retailers, Lara has sourced most pieces for their home from reclamation yards, second-hand shops and eBay. It’s also a much more sustainable approach to updating your home. More importantly, Lara has added her own personal stamp by up-cycling, painting and gold leafing/gilding.

A few years after that we bought our first home, a lovely victorian house that needed a lot of tlc. We had absolutely no budget or spare cash to work on the house so a crash course in YouTube diy commenced!

Lara Bezinna

The Creative Eclectic Home of Gold Leaf Queen - Lara Bezzina - eclectic dining room

Sourcing from reclamation yards, second-hand shops and eBay became my go-to for everything and doing up furniture and the house became my creative outlet and I loved it. We moved to our current home which needed a lot more work, damp proofing, structural work, new roof etc before we could even think about the nice stuff.

Lara Bezzina

Great Homes Take Time…

The Creative Eclectic Home of Gold Leaf Queen - Lara Bezzina - shelf styling

Creating a home takes time and although it’s tempting to change everything straight away, waiting to see how you use each space helps in the long run. Our homes evolve over time much like we do! Being patient really can make all the difference. Lara’s home has certainly benefited in so many ways by restricted budgets and the amount of work that they have had to do; bringing it back to life and away from the 70’s abode it was once. It may have taken Lara and her husband time, but the end result is truly worth it don’t you think?!

The Creative Eclectic Home of Gold Leaf Queen - Lara Bezzina -vintage furniture finds

Another aspect of taking your time when decorating/renovating is that you’ll probably find that you end up being more creative. It definitely forces you to think outside the box. Something that Lara has done perfectly with every aspect of her beautiful home.

It was stuck in the 70’s in a bad way and has come a long way. We’ve always done most of the work ourselves so it has been a slow process.

Lara Bezzina

The Creative Eclectic Home of Gold Leaf Queen - Lara Bezzina - colour block wall art

Their passion for renovating has even extended to their renovating two additional rental properties as well as their own!

Lara’s Style…

The Creative Eclectic Home of Gold Leaf Queen - Lara Bezzina - gold leaf fireplace area

Lara’s style is as individual and unique as she is. Her love for art and design really shines through and is portrayed throughout her home. Proof that even the smallest of budgets can achieve amazing results. All it takes is time, thought and a creative mindset to overcome the different challenges you’ll face to create a home that you’ll love.

The Creative Eclectic Home of Gold Leaf Queen - Lara Bezzina - eclectic bedroom


I think my style is bold, eclectic and creative with vintage touches. I love to upcycle old furniture, use gold and copper leaf and use paint creatively to create interest, colour and pattern. I’ve never had a big budget so being creative has been vital to achieve the look I want.

Lara Bezzina

The Creative Eclectic Home of Gold Leaf Queen - Lara Bezzina - eclectic bathroom upcycled furniture wash basin and colour blocked walls

Gold Leaf Queen – Lara Bezzina

The Creative Eclectic Home of Gold Leaf Queen - Lara Bezzina - copper leafed reclaimed roll top bath

Lara’s love of using gold leaf started a few years ago. The fact that one of the first projects she attempted using copper leaf on, was an old roll-top bath that she and her husband bought from eBay shows the level of her skill and eye for detail. Metal leafing/gilding is definitely something to consider if you’re wanting to add a luxe look on a tight budget. And the possibilities are endless!

The Creative Eclectic Home of Gold Leaf Queen - Lara Bezzina - copper leaf salvaged roll top bath

I started using metal leaf years ago and one of the first things I did was copper leafed an old roll-top bath I got from eBay. I really wanted a real copper one but they are so expensive so thought it was worth a go.

Lara Bezzina

The Creative Eclectic Home of Gold Leaf Queen - Lara Bezzina - gold leaf gilded wall mural

Since then, Lara has experimented with gold leaf murals and even the ceiling has undergone her creative touch.

The Creative Eclectic Home of Gold Leaf Queen - Lara Bezzina - eclectic bedroom using vintage furniture and reclaimed pallets bed

Lara’s become known as the Gold Leaf Queen and has started here own workshops so you can learn too! Check out her website here for more details. And if you give her a follow on Instagram here, she has recently done a free workshop on her Instagram stories of which I’m sure there will be more!

Ceiling Love…

The Creative Eclectic Home of Gold Leaf Queen - Lara Bezzina - gold leaf ceiling star

Even the smallest of details to the fifth wall can be a game-changer. Lara’s taken her ability to gold leaf this beautiful star to draw the eye to the beautiful pendant light. Embracing the fifth wall when it comes to our homes is on the up and I’m loving how creatives such as Lara are putting their own individual touch to them!

Small Budget? Paint Is Your Friend…

The Creative Eclectic Home of Gold Leaf Queen - Lara Bezzina - eclectic living room painted floor

Paint is definitely your friend when it comes to freshening up your homes. And it’s not just for your walls either. Take a leaf out of Lara’s decorating ideas and apply it to furniture, ceilings and even your floors.

Painting floorboards is a great way to update your floors (if they’re in good nick) and a lot cheaper than adding carpets. You also get to layer with rugs and add texture, pattern and colour to a room. And if you paint in a neutral colour, you can change the look instantly by changing up your rug to create a different look and feel.

The Creative Eclectic Home of Gold Leaf Queen - Lara Bezzina - eclectic living room using colour blocking

Rugs are a great way to reinforce your decor choices as well as helping to absorb sound in your homes, especially in busy living areas such as living rooms where you’ll listen to music and watch tv.

Alternative Wardrobe

The Creative Eclectic Home of Gold Leaf Queen - Lara Bezzina -dressing room

Displaying your clothes as Lara has done rather than hiding them in a wardrobe adds a more relaxed affair. And if you dress how you decorate, your clothes can become a part of your decor so to speak.

If you like to style your rooms, then having a clothes rail will provide you with the perfect opportunity to style your clothes into a work of art. Think boutique and you’ll be along the right lines.

The Alternative To Wardrobes – The Clothes Rail – The Interior Editor

The Creative Eclectic Home of Gold Leaf Queen – Lara Bezzina

The Creative Eclectic Home of Gold Leaf Queen - Lara Bezzina - kitchen

Whether you’re faced with a tight budget or not, it is tempting to dive straight in when redecorating our homes. Considering our current lockdown situation, it’s the perfect time for reflection and reassessment of our surroundings and to try out new ideas and maybe even find the confidence to try out something new. I hope Lara’s home has provided you with some ideas including gold leafing/gilding. It’s certainly an inspiring home on so many levels and one to definitely to follow over on Instagram. You can check her account out here. And don’t forget if you’d like a chance to have your home featured, head to our @eclectically_made page here.

Until next time, stay safe and well!

Maria xx

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3 Comments

  • Reply cara4555 April 24, 2020 at 11:25 am

    Thanks for sharing this fabulous home Maria. I love it! The gold leaf touches are stunning!

    • Reply Maria May 5, 2020 at 7:37 pm

      So pleased you enjoyed Lara’s home tour Cara! And me too… gold leaf metallic touches are a great way to add an air of luxury to a home. 🤩

  • Reply Kristy Jones May 5, 2020 at 7:34 pm

    Thank you Maria for sharing Lara’s creative ideas. I like how she includes the alternative wardrobe here.

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