Feb 14

Feb 14 Malcolm Begg of Design Sixty Nine, a renovation of a Victorian Home

Today on the blog I have Malcom Begg, award winning interior blogger, artist, DIY'er and self-confessed inspiration addict. Malcolm is gradually doing up his three-bedroom terrace and writing about the journey. Today he is sharing the rooms he's completed, which are naturally stunning. I love his ideas of how to create bespoke furniture out of Ikea standard stuff.

Go and find out more about his journey and inspiration.

Introduction

I am an inspiration addict. It’s just EVERYHERE!! How can I not be?! Pinterest consumes my life, so I guess blogging could be my new ‘healthy obsession’, right?

Professionally, I am an Art and Design Lecturer at the college here in Aberdeen, Scotland. It’s a great career which allows me to go in to work every day to talk about and do what I love. Pretty cushy really. It also allowed me to do the best thing of all…. YOU GUYS, I BOUGHT A HOUSE!! *cue tumbleweed.

After two flats which I loved, I have finally moved up the property ladder a few rungs and progressed to a beautiful 3 bed terraced house. I’ve lived here for three years and am very proud to call it home. Although I have made a very good start on its refurb, there is still a long way to go! I have documented every step…including the fails, and will be sharing it all on my blog, along with some DIY projects and perhaps the odd bit of design inspiration.

So please, stick with this 30-something, Scottish, design obsessed DIY’er…even if it’s just to laugh at my failures…

You can read Malcolm's award winning blog here.

Learn More

I moved into number 69 just over three years ago. I’ve always been a prolific decorator, mostly due to a lack of space and my love of interior design. When the space is at a premium, you just start over again. Number 69 offered me multiple rooms… meaning that I could spread out my hobby, rather than re-do every other month. The fact that it was a beautiful (and mostly untouched) Victorian terrace, meant that I wanted to create a more permanent space than I had previously. I think this has made me refine my style that bit more.

The living room was the space that really sold the house to me. It has lovely proportions, and I knew exactly how I wanted it to look from the moment I saw it. The fireplace, I replaced with an original Victorian surround bought on Gumtree. Going dark on the walls, woodwork and ceiling really helped to tie the space together. We decided to paint the bookcases the same colour after living with them white for a short while. These were made from IKEA Billy bookcases, on top of kitchen bridging units. The addition of downlights has really helped to bring it to life.

Being on a limited budget, I’ve tried to do everything for as little cost as possible, without cutting corners. The bedroom was the first room to be completed. Having uncovered the original fireplace, which was a huge surprise, I’ve tried to keep the rest of the room pretty neutral to allow it to be a focal point. The wardrobes were IKEA PAX, which I cut down and re-clad to create a more bespoke built-in look. The headboard was built as a temporary measure, from scrap wood. We ended up really liking it, so I think it may be here to stay. The bedside cabinets were an old chest of drawers, cut down and re-clad.

The hallway was a huge task. It took weeks to peel back the layers, just to get to a good base to start from. I’m a huge fan of deep muted colours, so opted for a dark grey/green on the stairs and newly installed panelling. I carried the same herringbone floor through from the living room. A shot of colour has been added with a bright pink rug. A total surprise for me but I love it!!

Upstairs, the colour scheme has been carried up on to the attic stairs; a strange little storage solution, built by the previous owner. It’s quirky and we adore it. So handy! Being an art lecturer, I’m a huge fan of original art work, often buying graduates work. A lot of the work on the gallery wall is by some of my ex-students.

The next big project will be to tackle the downstairs extension. We have to tear down two existing extensions, to build a dining room and third bedroom with en-suite shower room. We are hoping to do a lot of the work ourselves, which should keep down costs.