A couple who fell in love with a 17th century cottage have spent three years renovating it - and have now given it a stunning Christmas makeover for just £75. Leanne, a 39 year old property acquisitions manager, bought the cottage in Somerset with her partner Jamie and has spent three and a half years doing it up.
After years of work, much of it done themselves, the couple have finally been able to deck their dream home out with stunning Christmas decorations - making their cottage look festive and cosy for just £75. With Christmas swiftly approaching, Leanne, who has documented her journey on her Instagram @leanneandthecottage, revealed how she used natural foliage and her DIY skills to decorate her home for the festivities - on a budget.
“Decorating a cottage for Christmas is just the best, it’s what these old homes live for. I like to use natural foliage and this year I’ve gone for hops as I had them up anyway and added dried white and red gypsophila. The fireplace garland and wreath are all DIY and I love seeing what I can create as I usually just go with it and see where it ends up.”
To keep the costs of decorations down, and keep Christmas as sustainable as possible, Leanne invests in decor and DIY tools she can reuse on a yearly basis. She told luxury hamper makers Cartwright & Butler: “I do recycle the moss rings from the wreaths and use them as mini rustic wreaths throughout the rest of the year and for the wreath next Christmas too."
In Leanne’s home, no room goes undecorated - including her hallway. “I wrap the beams downstairs in fairy lights and add other small decorations around the house as well as fix fairy lights to the outside of the cottage," she said. Because Leanne’s 17th century cottage has so much existing character, getting her home ready for Christmas is an easy task.
This character and the original features of the property are the reason she decided to invest in the home. “It’s got a beautiful curb appeal but it just got better and better as I walked around.”
She said: “It’s deceptively bigger inside, with four bedrooms and an attic space. It’s full of different levels and beautiful original features such as beams, stone fireplaces, a bread oven and lots of wonky floors and walls.”
Leanne and Jamie put £25,000 aside for the renovation and restoration of their cottage, including three bathrooms, the kitchen, flooring, plaster and the buying of new furniture. To stick to this budget, the couple were forced to take on a lot of the renovation work themselves.
Whilst they said that “the property wasn’t in a terrible state” when they moved in, “it was in need of some love”, with the flooring, bathrooms and kitchen all in dated condition. Leanne was also keen to inject some colour into the all-white property: "The whole house was painted white top to bottom… I was itching to give it a bit of warmth and colour.”
When decorating her home, Leanne took inspiration from her favourite natural materials and traditional countryside properties: “I love natural, rustic materials and in terms of inspiration I’m loving the old manor house, rustic pub style with dramatic oil paintings, strong colours and a cosy atmosphere at the moment, but it evolves.”
The couple undertook a lot of DIY themselves, including most of the painting and decorating. In fact, they were closely involved in most of the renovation - “aside from the bigger jobs that required a professional,” in an attempt to keep within their £25,000 budget.
Leanne continued: "We had to prioritise with the projects we undertook and whilst the attic was probably in need of the most work, the rest of the house took priority until we had saved enough to have it done.”
Leanne shopped mostly on Facebook Marketplace and at local antique halls to achieve her beloved cottage style on a budget: “I rarely buy any furniture brand new so most of what we have is recycled from the likes of Facebook Marketplace or Antique Halls. I love a good Antique Hall.”
Shopping second-hand meant that Leanne was able to stick to her £25k budget, while achieving an eclectic, authentic look. She said: "I have so many second-hand pieces I love - our dining bench, chairs and table, the leather professor chair in the snug and the washstand in the bathroom to name a few… most of what we have aside from the sofas, rugs and beds are all recycled."
