When interiors lover Helen Ford, who can be found on Instagram @homewithhelenandco, and her husband David moved into their small bungalow in Yorkshire, the interior was dark and dated. With a palette of cheery pastel colours and a sense of fun, they have transformed their space into a welcoming home that makes them smile every day.
A very personal retreat
Your home is your sanctuary, the place where you can escape from the pressures of life and truly be yourself. So it makes sense that we should decorate our homes in a way that makes us happy. Whether that means warm colours, beautiful patterns or a profusion of comfortable furniture, when we are surrounded by our favourite things, our bodies release the hormone dopamine which lifts our spirits.
Helen explained their approach to decorating: “Injecting joyful colours and keeping our home as light and bright as possible is a real mood booster for us. We love the pastel shades of Miami and Palm Springs and thought why not bring a bit of that sunshine vibe to Yorkshire!”
Having fun with colour
By taking the same colour palette and flooring throughout their bungalow, Helen has given their home a sense of movement and created the illusion of more space. Using blush pink as the focal colour, Helen has added other complementary pastel shades in blue, green and copper for a softly coordinated look still that gives each room its own individuality. Patterned walls and whimsical accessories complete the look and add quirky fun elements.
Helen told us: “Our home is bright, colourful and quite playful, expressing our light-hearted approach to life. We wanted our home to feel happy and uplifting, even on the greyest of days.
“We wanted to use the same floor throughout our home, but we also wanted the flooring to be both beautiful and practical. We opted for Canadian Nude Oak and just love how natural it looks. It’s so light and bright yet adds a warm tone at the same time. Because our home is compact, we decided to install the floor at a 45 degree angle to enhance the impression of space.”
Practical but never boring
Concluding, Helen said: “The floor really complements our pastel interior beautifully, especially in the kitchen which has a more minimalist style. The continuity of the flooring really helps to open up the space and I love that there is no break in the planks at the door thresholds.
“Our living room opens up to the garden and with our tiny Pomeranian, Cubby, and a cat in the house who are both constantly in and out bringing mud indoors, this was the perfect flooring choice. I love not having to worry if the floor gets wet as it’s so easy to keep clean.”
