Real Homes: An Interview With @our_family_at_tulip_house
By Amy Kilvington
We’re so pleased to introduce Instagram interiors extraordinaire Rebecca Lynn @our_family_at_tulip_house, who is next in the line-up of our Real Homes series.
Rebecca’s home has earned her magazine features along with an ever-expanding Instagram following. With a penchant for Scandi-fusion interiors and unique touches, artist Rebecca has curated fresh, bright spaces that brim with personality.
Rebecca very kindly took part in our interview and explained a little more about her beautiful home, where she finds inspiration, and her next big interior plans…
How would you describe your interior design style?
I think our home is a mix of quite a few styles. It is constantly evolving, but there is a definite Scandinavian and mid-century modern influence in there. I’m fairly minimalist in my approach to décor and I like things to be uncluttered and streamlined, keeping the majority of our walls white and brightening them with lots of colourful artwork. Upstairs, I have been a bit more adventurous with colour, especially in my daughters’ bedrooms. I like the colourful contrast compared to the rest of the house.
What was your first design project?
We moved into our home three years ago and the whole place needed a complete overhaul. Within two weeks, we had redecorated our daughters’ rooms and had new carpets. It was important to me that the girls’ spaces were clean and homely. Within a month, we had replaced all the windows and re-plastered upstairs. I also repainted the kitchen and living room white to give us a blank canvas and hide the lemon yellow that was there before.
What was the most exciting or challenging part of renovating your home?
It was exciting planning and designing our kitchen, and seeing what a transformation the white gloss units and new floor made to the room. Before, the kitchen felt small and cramped and had no seating area, so we left one wall free of units to allow us to include a small kitchen table and bench. It’s made such a difference and means the girls can sit and play or draw whilst I cook dinner.
Who and what inspires you?
Instagram is my main go-to source for interior inspiration! I love accounts such as @hallie_and_harrisons_house, @theprintedhome and @life_at_number_63 for their clean, modern styles with a Scandinavian vibe. There is so much inspiration to be found for any area of the home and any budget! Aside from Instagram, Pinterest is great for creating mood boards and searching for new ideas. I’m also an avid home magazine reader and love nothing more than sitting in bed on a weekend morning with a home mag and a cup of tea.
Where do you shop for homeware?
I love the supermarkets for homeware – Sainsburys is my absolute favourite and I’m guilty of adding an item or two into my trolley on the weekly shop. I also love H&M Home and Matalan, as well as online retailers such as La Redoute, Iconic Lights and Maisons du Monde. As a lover of all things Scandinavian, IKEA is my go-to shop for furniture, textiles, plants and photo frames, and I love their collaborations with smaller independent designers to create affordable, functional and stylish furniture that suits our budget. I have some art prints from Juniqe as they have a wide range of designs by wonderful international artists and also from independent small businesses that I have discovered on Instagram. I am currently in the process of setting up my own business designing wall art prints for the home with a Scandi influence, come and say hello to me at @tuliphousestudio on Instagram.
What are your next home plans?
We have just had planning permission granted for an extension, so we are excitedly and nervously planning our first full renovation project, which will hopefully start within the year. The whole of the downstairs will be opened up to create an open plan family space and, hopefully, the garden will be transformed soon after. The extension will give us a much longed for kitchen-diner space, with a large living area and window seat opening up onto the garden. We will also have a downstairs shower room and, most importantly, a utility room, which really will be a game changer for me.
How do you choose new window treatments?
We currently have curtains in the living room as we have two huge, inefficient patio doors that need replacing – and our thermally lined curtains really help keep in the heat, but being floor length and wider than average were a huge investment when we first moved in. When we renovate, we will go for wooden blinds for the entire downstairs for a more streamlined, modern look. I like our window dressings to blend into, rather than lead the look of the room, so we have opted for soft greys and neutrals in most rooms.
If you had 10,000 to spend on a piece of furniture or interior design, what would it be and why?
The boring and sensible answer would be to put towards the extension. But dream furniture items would be original Swedish string shelving for our new extension and Ercol bedroom furniture. We have saved up to buy an Ercol Teramo Kingsize bed and I absolutely love the quality and design – it will last forever!
What are your top tips for someone planning a renovation?
Take your time and don’t rush into anything. We have been planning our extension since we moved in, but our ideas on how we would go about it have changed so dramatically. I think we really understand what we want from the space now, and hopefully the final result will be worth the wait.
A great big thank you to Rebecca for sharing this with us. We are delighted that she collaborated with Blinds Direct and now showcases two of our brand new lamp shades, the Fryetts Bergen Grey and the Touched by Design Stargazing Grey, in her home. Be sure to visit Rebecca’s Instagram account, @our_family_at_tulip_house, give her a follow and let her know we sent you over!
Are you looking for a new window treatment, lamp shade or cushion to brighten up your home? Take a look at our collection at Blinds Direct.
