The Easter bank holiday weekend is apparently the time of the year when we are most likely to undertake diy tasks. So, I thought that today was a good a time to show you my makeover of the dining space. As you may remember from my previous post, my dining room had been painted in a lovely mid-deep-Blue shade called Prussian from Zoffany. And though this worked for the first three years, when we primarily used the space as a sociable space in the evenings – dubbed the cocktail room. Everything changed when we were kindly gifted the Edelweiss dining table from MADE last year, followed by the exquisite Ilios pendant light by Atelier Areti from Nest which I had been coveting for years. The space suddenly felt too dark for its purpose, too cosy, overburdened with furniture for our casual style of family dining.

I’d had it in mind for at least two years that I’d like to use one of the new neutral shades I’ve been talking about on here for so long. New neutrals being those shades that have replaced magnolia and grey sitting in the earthier spectrum of Greige, and this simple makeover is all about the paint, some new lighting and a few accessories. The new look in the room has really taught me the power of the wisdom that paint can be, not only the most accessible, but also the most impactful and transformative change of them all.

The colours I chose were from the new collection of neutrals from Mylands. I have had this brand on my radar for the last three years since I spotted them at Decorex at London Design Festival. And I can hand on heart tell you that I have been blown away not only by the gorgeous colours, but also the incredible quality of the product. With over 130 years experience and a royal seal from the Queen, Mylands is one of those interior specialist secrets. The paint is beautifully thick (I think I could have almost gotten away with one coat which is pretty astonishing given the dark shade this light one was covering).

I love the shade combination of Grouse and Pediment I chose in here, it is a palette of ice- cream like softness, but there is also a beautiful depth to it. The main walls are painted in Grouse providing a beautiful warm neutral with an undertone of grey, it feels fresh and sophisticated in daylight and cosy but cool in the evenings. Never not one to jump on a trend that grabs me, I decided to also paint what is currently dubbed the fifth wall – the ceiling – in a contrasting shade with a pinkish hue called Pediment. The softest and most calm hint of femininity, this colour is a perfect foil to the more architectural neutrality of Grouse. I have painted the main door to the room in Pediment and the skirtings, picture rail and the bookcase in Grouse. These colours are so stunning, especially in combination, they feel both sophisticated and pretty.

But I haven’t just painted the bookcase, I have also committed a supposed design crime that my husband, who is a book buyer by profession, said he’d never allow. I have colour coded our books in here with full knowledge that this is a huge faux pas punishable by eternal scorn from librarians and purists. But those books were really bouncy in their multi colours, and if you’re trying to calm a scheme down a Pantone array of colourful books is the last thing you want. And I may sound like I’m over-defending my position here, but y’know I’m aware that I’ve appalled a member of our household with this, I think if you really love your books (as I do) and know them well enough you can remember the editions you bought them in and they are still alphabetical within colour so I have made some accommodation to order.

In front of the bookcase I have put one of my stand out pieces, the Slam Dunk lamp in bronze from Loaf I have been swooning over the pretty lines of this piece since it launched last autumn and the new colour way in bronze is just up my street. I love how this piece blends gorgeous femininity with curves and those linen pleats against an industrial material that makes it the kind of piece that won’t date. It is also incredibly versatile, this standard lamp extends up and down, the arm can be repositioned and the lamp can be slanted however you like, which is perfect as I can change up the ambience depending on how we are using the room at that moment.

Next on the new lighting front is an absolutely gorgeous piece by Lene Bjerre from Wayfair. It’s so striking, I love the Hokona lamp with its beautiful frosted shade and black metal stylised lines. One of those really versatile pieces that would look great anywhere but which I think really brings this little inter-war corner to life on top of the chest from my grandmother and next to a twenties typewriter.

If you saw my original plans for this room when I posted back in February, you may remember that I had plans for a sideboard and feature wall paper. In honesty, as incredible as the print pattern was, after I’d painted the room, I felt positive that it would distract from the serene feel of the new space. Ditto the extra furniture, having pulled out a chair and a record stand, it felt wrong to re-clutter the space and although a sideboard would have been brilliant to house excess books, it would have been bulky, so deciding to accommodate the old bookcase in plans was a happy compromise.

Styling wise I have added some new artwork with the Picssso sausage dog print and rehomed some others from around the house, including the Whale print from the living room and Atelier CPH print from the bedroom.

I have removed all items of kitsch and colour from the space (including bottles on the cocktail trolley) and added in some pieces that are quieter in style. From the piece of coral from the Kelly Hoppen collection I was gifted on my Puerto Rican Cruise a few weeks ago, to the rehoming of my Hay wooden blocks I’ve tried to bring in pieces that add natural layers. I have also brought in a lot of vases, from the handmade monochrome Rica vases from Oyoy to the artisan style Linear Bulb vase from my M&S edit a few months back filled with dried fennel. On the bookcase I’ve brought a much loved Stelton vase with abstract blue wash to the fore alongside an elegant tall cream Mia vase from the new Anthropologie collection.