We could spend hours scrolling through Sarah from @hearts_at_claremont's Instagram feed, which is full of pretty pastels dotted around her beautiful home with Betsy her adorable dog making an appearance too. If you check out her feed we can't be held responsible for any impulsive upcycling or getting the paintbrushes out and painting your front door a dusky blush colour.
We caught up with Sarah to ask a few questions about DIY, home styling and what she and the kids will be getting up to while at home.
What a beautiful home you have! What do you love most about your Edwardian home?
Thank you! I love the large Edwardian windows in our house and all the period features – original floor tiles in our porch and original fireplaces.
What inspires you to upcycle?
I’ve upcycled furniture for years now. I can look at a piece and imagine how it could look if it was given some TLC or painted a different colour! I’ve painted dressers, chairs, fireplaces over the years and brought many pieces back to life!
Have you always been hands-on when it comes to DIY?
Yes absolutely! I love the feeling of having done things myself! I find DIY really relaxing and love making and creating things myself.
When it comes to styling your home, what are your tips?
I like to use lots of neutral colours in my home but add in a few pops of colour depending upon the season. I love pastel colours. I always try to create a cosy feeling at home no matter what time of year. I love candles, fairy lights and fresh flowers all year round!
What’s one thing that always makes you smile?
Flowers and plants always make me smile! And riding my bike too!
What will you be doing to keep positive while at home?
I will be enjoying time in the garden with my family. Reading really helps me to relax and takes me to another world which is lovely and much needed at the moment.
What’s your plan to keep the kids entertained?
We have a vegetable patch at the bottom of the garden, and we love growing things. There’s always lots of things to make and create at home – whether its making fairy light lanterns out of old jam jars, watching the frogspawn in our pond turn into frogs or making crispy cake nests filled with mini eggs…there’s always fun stuff to do!
What would a typical day look like for you usually?
We are usually rushing off to work and school but now we’re at home all the time, we have started a different routine. We get up and start ‘home school’. I work from home while the children do their schoolwork.
We go for a bike ride together (with Betsy the dog running alongside us). If the weather is good, we have a picnic lunch outside in the fresh air. We are lucky to live near the beach and there are lots of flat cycle tracks on our doorstep. We then do the rest of our work in the afternoon and once it’s all done, we have fun together either in the garden or doing a nice activity indoors.
What would be your perfect night in?
My perfect night in would be a long hot bubble bath followed by cosying up by the fire watching a nice movie.
Tell us something we might not know about you…
I work as a lawyer! People often think that Instagram is my job but it's just my happy place which I enjoy for fun in my spare time.
Your favourite…
Room? Our kitchen as it’s the heart of the home.
Upcycled project? My Dutch bike! I painted her pink to match my front door. Her name is Tiffany!
Feature in your home? The windows are my favourite feature as they make everywhere feel so light and bright.
Flower? Peonies!! They are the prettiest flower in the whole world.
Sophie Allport design? They are all gorgeous…but my absolute favourites are the bee print and the heart print.
Sophie Allport product? I love my bee teapot and matching mugs…. perfect for afternoon tea in the garden!
Once you start looking at Sarah's beautiful feed, we can't promise you'll want to stop: @hearts_at_claremont
Have you ever upcycled anything or have a project you're wanting to tackle? Let us know below in the comments, we'd love to hear your stories.
