The main bedroom - adding some much needed storage...

Just before my sister came to visit in September, I spent a week banishing the dark pink walls of the main bedroom, and replacing them with an altogether more serene shade of pale grey (Shadows by Little Greene). However, what this room still lacked was any decent storage for clothes.

One of the jobs I had always intended to do from the time I bought the cottage was to have wardrobes built-in to the alcoves on either side of the chimney breast. To bring back some authenticity to the room, I also wanted to reinstate the Victorian fireplace.

Joe (the builder - but actually a carpenter by trade), spent a week custom building wardrobes for me. They are predominantly made from mdf. He completed all of the woodwork, and then I spent a weekend repeating multiple coats of primer followed by a satinwood finish (Pure Brilliant White Satinwood by Dulux). He also installed a simple cornice all around the perimeter of the room to make the finished robes look seamless.

I'm delighted with how they have turned out - and it is a novelty to be able to store clothes in the bedroom!

I chose a simple shaker style for the door trim, and added small glass faceted door knobs to tie in with the curtain finials and the chandelier...

For the final touch to the room he also installed an original Victorian combination fireplace that I had found on eBay. This chimney is one of those I had capped in the summer, so it was never intended to be a working fire - however, it does allow for positive air pressure to flow from the room into the chimney breast and prevent damp from occurring.

It is nice to bring both some much needed utility and some character to the room. My next job is to finally get some curtains made for the window, and then start to think about the finishing touches in decorating the room...