A Colorful UK Home’s Kitchen Has DIY Stenciled Floors That Look Just Like Expensive Tiles

published Mar 9, 2022

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Name: Carla Elliman, my other half, and our cat
Location: Chester, UK
Type of home: Three-bedroom, semi-detached house
Years lived in: 6 years, owned

Credit: Carla Elliman

We painted this bright colour block to zone off this corner from the rest of the living room

Tell us a little (or a lot) about your home and the people who live there: I live with my partner, Fraser, and our cat, Bramble, in a small semi-detached house in Chester. During the pandemic we found ourselves spending a lot more time at home with a lot of free time on our hands so we threw ourselves into renovating our house. Our main focus was injecting personality through color, pattern, and a bit of texture along the way to create a happy sanctuary to unwind in. We did a lot of experimenting along the way but I now feel we have really found our home style.

Credit: Carla Elliman

We hand painted the tile pattern on this floor using stencils to mimic some expensive tiles we found online.

Working to a tight budget and with limited tradespeople availability we learnt a lot of skills along the way carrying out DIYs and upcycles. We learnt to lay flooring, apply wallpaper, panel walls, and so much more. We painted all the tiles in our bathroom, which now looks like a brand new bathroom, and took on stenciling our kitchen floor to create the look of a fancy new tiled floor without replacing what was there. I am keen to share the message to experiment and be creative with your home, and that you don’t always need a professional, you can learn to do a lot yourself with a bit of a can-do attitude (and YouTube!).

Credit: Carla Elliman

We used paint to totally transform our bathroom. We painted all the wall tiles, stencilled the floor, painted the towel rail and loo seat. It feels like a totally new room now!

I’m really into anything that’s bright, bold and geometric, which is really reflected through our home as well as what I wear. I like to surround myself with things that are bright and uplifting. My favorite color is yellow, which threads through every room of our house.

Credit: Carla Elliman

We created a gallery wall as the focal point in our master bedroom. I love how easy it is to change the prints for an instant refresh feel.

Describe your home’s style in 5 words or less: Bright, colorful, fun, energetic, bold

Credit: Carla Elliman

Our living room is the heart of our home.

What is your favorite room and why? It has to be the living room; it’s the room we spend the most time in making it the heart of our home. We designed this room around a bold geometric rug we picked up for a bargain price in an end of line sale a few years ago, the colors and patterns from it are mirrored through all the other items in the room — the furniture, the accessories, and the wall colors, which gives the room a bright yet harmonious feel.

Credit: Carla Elliman

Our spare room also acts as our home office and our home workout room, it's very multi functional. We panelled the whole room and painted it a single colour to give it a cohesive feel.

What’s the last thing you bought (or found!) for your home? We bought a key bowl that’s shaped like a hippo! The mouth is open wide to drop your keys into; I love anything quirky and random like that!

Credit: Carla Elliman

Our kitchen is very neutral so we added colour through all our bright accessories.

Any advice for creating a home you love? Have fun and experiment! Not all decor decisions will go to plan, everyone makes mistakes along the way, but I feel that this is part of the fun and the learning process.

This submission’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.

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