At last!

The builders left on Saturday and we spent quite a bit of time finishing off a few things that had been left undone. Our furniture came back on Friday and I couldn't help remember how when we had packed it up we had thought we would be seeing it again in a couple of weeks. Instead it has been over two months! I managed to get rid of most of the dust and dirt (although after writing this I expect I'll find some somewhere!) and after cleaning the floor twice the rooms were ready for their contents. My "before" photos:

And then after unwrapping miles of bubble wrap and snipping through acres of brown tape, collapsing box after box and shuffling furniture around, the "after" photos:

I still have a bit of unpacking to do, and some decisions to make; the mirror that we used to have above the dining room fireplace was always never quite right in that spot so I need to think about where else it could go. I also need to decide whether I put the tablecloth back on the dining room table or leave it as is. There are also some framed pictures (on the chest in the sitting room) which used to go above the sofa but I'm not sure if I will put these up of not. I think I would actually prefer just one rustic oil painting of flowers or a landscape above the sofa instead.

Our second bedroom is looking very empty now as we have moved the bed and my husband's desk, chair and computer into the new garden room. We still have a bit of sorting out to do in here, but it is now a usable office space for my husband and a cosy guest bedroom for anyone who comes to stay.

I also replaced the brass bathroom door knobs with these lovely oval porcelain ones. I did order some original antique ones from the french eBay but unfortunately the spindles were too small for the rim lock. So I found a new pair in the same style all the way in Marseilles! A little bit of Southern France on my reclaimed door from Cornwall found on the UK eBay.

We also kept a portion of space for a small shed area, as we didn't want to completely get rid of all of our outside storage space! Inside the space is organised by shelves for paint and brushes etc. I also have a tool rack for hanging all of our garden tools.