As much as today’s real home tour will delight in every sense, it’s also one that shows just how, with a little creativity and thought, you can create a beautiful and unique family home on a budget. The home in question belongs to Elle Hervin, her husband and 3 little ones and I literally can’t wait to show you around. I’ve even included a few concept boards at the end of this post if you’ve been inspired by Elle’s home to get you started on your own.
Scandi Modern & French Vintage – Real Home Tour – Elle Hervin
Most of us are under the impression that you need a huge pile of cash to renovate or update your homes. In fact, having a tight budget can often mean thinking outside the box when it comes to redesigning areas which actually adds more character and individualistic opportunities to try something different. Elle has certainly mastered the art of creativity and shows us anything is possible when it comes to making your home a welcoming and family friendly place.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved interiors and making spaces look beautiful. I’ve spent five years doing up our 4-bedroom semi-detached house on a very tight budget. With two young boys and a new baby, time and money are sparse!
Elle has completely transformed her family home with very little outlay and that’s with 3 little ones to deal with too! In fact, you’ll probably find yourself in awe of Elle’s creativeness and I know that I for one, have been inspired.
The first thing you’ll notice about Elle’s family home is how light and welcoming it is. Elle has had a love affair with interiors for as long as she can remember and it shows. With two young boys and a new baby in tow, Elle and her husband have been renovating their 4 bedroom semi-detached house on what can only be described as a very tight budget.
Anyone with little ones will know how tricky this can be especially when you spend most of your time clearing up, changing nappies and generally ensuring that those five minutes you’ve gone to the loo they haven’t destroyed the house. I know, I’ve been there three times and still have nightmares about my daughter glueing pages from a book to decorate her walls with.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved interiors and making spaces look beautiful. I’ve spent five years doing up our 4-bedroom semi-detached house on a very tight budget. With two young boys and a new baby, time and money are sparse!
Elle’s Style
Elle has introduced a combination of styles to her home. From Scandi vibes to French vintage with a touch of modern rustic, each style aesthetically compliments and sits beside each other beautifully. Creating a relaxed bright and light feel which is perfect for family life.
It’s hard to pinpoint my exact home style as I cherry-pick different aspects of various styles; Scandi, French vintage and modern rustic make up the interior of our home in the main. The one thing I can’t live without is bright, light interiors.
Colour
An upcycled chair has been painted with Annie Sloan paint and makes the perfect bedside table.
Soft accent colours have been introduced such as light pink/blush, greys whites and greens. All of which not only add an air of femininity but are also easy on the eye and provide a feeling of tranquillity. Elle’s colour choices add to the feeling of space and light.
TIP: Softer delicate shades of pink are good for our psyche. They have a calming and soothing quality to them. They sit perfectly with the Scandi look of white backdrops and natural woods.
Although I’m always so inspired by images of dark, moody interiors, for me a fresh, bright room makes me feel peaceful and happy!
TIP: Elle has created her own colour story throughout her home which offers consistency and a feeling of cohesiveness. The trick is to vary how much of each colour appears in each room. Try to avoid matchy matchy and try and mix things up with textures and accessories to provide a more natural look and feel.
Kitchen
One of my favourite areas in Elle’s home has to be the kitchen. Amazingly Elle and her husband, designed and renovated the kitchen and bathroom themselves when she was 8 months pregnant with their second boy.
The use of metro tiles means there’s a timeless quality to the kitchen that will ensure longevity as these classic tiles never seem to date.
Elle has introduced pops of the soft pastel colours through decorative accessories that are seen elsewhere in her home. They also help break up the predominately white and grey kitchen.
Bearing in mind kitchens can be a tad on the bland side with the majority of these spaces being taken up with an expanse of cupboards and white goods, Elle has managed to create a family kitchen that is full of character. Beautiful contrasting texture has been added with rustic shelving and flooring that has added warmth and interest to their kitchen.
The shelves themselves are actually scaffolding boards handcrafted by Elle and her husband and are perfect for displaying decorative kitchen accessories that further personalise their gorgeous kitchen space. The brackets, by the way, were sourced from good old eBay.
I also adore the additional feature of the chalkboard wall which has allowed them to create a personal decorative touch to their kitchen space. Memories are hugely important to us and I love the fact that they’ve added the names of all the places they’ve visited in France in their VDub
Upcycling & DIY
Upcycled drawer unit painted in Annie Sloan “Antoinette” chalk paint. The floral cushion is from Sainsburys Home.
There’s something to be said about upcycling old furniture. In that, for one if you have young children, you really aren’t going to mind that much about them bashing into every five minutes with their sit and ride plastic toys and 2, furniture back in the day was actually built to last unlike our throw away MDF culture that usually has no character whatsoever. The only problem you might face is which colour paint to use!
I love that a coat of paint can bring to life an old, battered piece of furniture that’s seen better days. (Elle)
By opting to upcycle furniture and give a new lease of life to it as Elle has, you’ll also be helping the environment by preventing the landfill sites filling up unnecessarily.
Bathroom
If you were inspired by Elle’s kitchen, I can guarantee you’ll be blown away at her upcycling skills in the bathroom. This unique sink unit cost just £20 which Elle wood stained and her husband cut the holes for the taps! And if you’re wondering how she decorated the front, you’ll be amazed to know that Elle used napkins to decoupage the front draws with. The result is simply stunning and who would have ever thought of using napkins and from Tescos too!
Elle also sourced this vintage mirror to hang above their beautiful sink.
If there’s one way to save money DIY furniture can be a huge way to save money but also create something that’s unique and bespoke to you and your needs. Ingeniously, Elles husband made their dining table out of scaffolding boards and the legs were off eBay.
TIP: Try mixing up styles of vintage finds, diy pieces and modern pieces like Elle has throughout her home creates a cohesive modern ecletic look.
Elle’s husband’s furniture making skills have also expanded to create a desk. He’s kept to the same style and principles as the dining room table, which adds a cohesive feel to their home. And I have to say I’m tempted to try and get the hubs to have a go at doing something similar for my home office.
Plant Love
Elle’s definitely a girl after my own heart with her love of plants which has displayed in every room. Plants are incredibly beneficial for our wellbeing as well as adding life into a room.
Most rooms have numerous houseplants as I think they breathe life into a room and add an instant pop of colour. Although my husband complains that he’s living in a jungle!
I’m obsessed with most things vintage and have upcycled numerous items of furniture rather than buy new.
Vintage floral prints complement the modern chesterfield styled sofa in a delicate shade of grey.
You can see more of Elle’s beautiful home over on Instagram here as well as her open, honest and often funny account of being a mum.
Follow Elle on Instagram
Although I love following interiors trends, I think you have to form your own style and live with what makes you happy and comfortable!
Get The Look
Want to get Elle’s look? I’ve put together three mini concept boards to get you started.
Bedroom
Watercolour Floral Cushion – M &Co, Antoinette chalk paint – Annie Sloan, Lazy Cotton Bed Linen – Loaf
Kitchen
RAW Scaffold Shelf with Brackets – Garden Trading, Metro Tile – Walls and Floors Blackboard paint – Wilko
Bathroom
Solitude Traditional Freestanding Bath – Bathroom Takeaway, Palm Print Paper Napkins – Candle and Cake, Metro tile – Walls and Floors
If there’s something to take away from today’s Real Home Tour, it’s that anything is possible if you set your mind to it and lack of funds often reaps wonderful creations for your homes. Thanks Elle!
Thanks as always for stopping by!
Maria xx
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