Issue 06: September 2025

Marking the beginning of the ‘ber months, September has been extremely full-on with work, bathroom and bedroom plans, and some final go-aheads from Historic England.

The slow days of summer are officially over, and the season of lists, early alarms, and a diary full of colour-coded chaos has begun. Between looking for schools to apply for for Everly, me back at work after the summer off, and John still trying to work out how to not walk dust through the entire house… it’s safe to say September has been a juggle. But, in true farmhouse fashion, we’re still making progress, and in fact, the busyness of this month has sped up our goals and plans for our next renovation projects.

Progress Peek:

We have a plan. We’re on a bit of a mission to get the living room, family bathroom, porch, downstairs bathroom and guest bedroom done, all before Christmas. Is it realistic? Maybe, maybe not, but if there’s someone who likes a deadline and a challenge, it’s me (and John…kind of.)

So, the downstairs bathroom is just a wallpaper and tap away from being finished. I started to doubt my wallpapering abilities having only done it once, and so have put it off longer and longer until there’s now no option, so I need to suck it up and not ruin John’s whole masterpiece. The tap also got delayed from Wayfair, so that’s not ideal, but hopefully we can finish that this coming weekend. The porch needed a deep clean: it was caked in spiders and cobwebs because we literally never use that room. John has now thoroughly cleaned it all, including the door and windows, and now it’s (almost) a welcoming entryway into the kitchen.

The living room won’t take much, but we have written down our plans for improving it in 3 months, and the same goes for the guest bedroom.

The big project is the family bathroom… that one is going to be a messy boatload of chaos, so prepare for next month’s newsletter to be written from deep under a pile of mouldy old tiles.

Farmhouse Finds:

Palette pick: Roasted Macadamia by Farrow and Ball. I’ve been looking for a neutral brown colour for the living room for a while, and I think this may be perfect. Soft tones with an autumnal, calming feel, it’s spot on for a cosy lounge without being overly bold, which contrasts our snug at the other side of the house.

A brand I’m loving: Tile.co.uk (again!). Their samples are scattered all over our bathroom so that every time we walk into the room, we can admire what’s to come.

In The Details:

The big project on our minds right now is the family bathroom, which is finally about to get the makeover it deserves. The plan is green wall tiles in the shower, paired with dark green panelling to carry that rich Georgian depth through the room. A freestanding bath will sit proudly in front of a reinstated Victorian fireplace (we’re putting one back in – bathrooms were never meant to be boring here). Underfoot, we’re going bold with terracotta hexagon tiles from Ca’Pietra, which will tie everything together with warmth and texture.

Because we’re a Grade II listed house, every detail needs to go through listed building consent. It’s something a lot of people don’t realise: even internal changes like bathrooms, fireplaces or panelling can require permission if they affect the character of the building. It means more paperwork and patience, but it also protects the history of the house, and hopefully makes the end result even more rewarding.

Outside of the dust and tile samples, we’re totally embracing the autumnal season. September feels like the time to start lighting candles again, cooking proper Sunday roasts, and leaning into those small cosy rituals that make the darker evenings something to look forward to. If you’re anything like us, this is the time of year when home really becomes the backdrop for everything, and we eagerly count down to Christmas!

Photo of the Month:

I’ve recently learned that the term ‘snug’ is a British thing. So for all of my lovely non-British followers, this is basically the more intimate living room just off our kitchen, which we spend more time in than our more formal living room.

Around The Farmhouse Table:

I asked you all what you’d like to know from me and here were some of the questions with my answers:

• Q: “Where do you find your design inspiration?” A: Lots of places really: magazines, Pinterest, Instagram, TV. I guess it’s a combination in my mind of really beautiful things I’ve seen with tiny adaptations here and there to make them feel like they would fit our house.

• Q: “How do you decide which room to do next?” A: Prioritise! We usually look at how we use rooms and how important they are to our everyday living, plus if we have the budget yet to do it. We’ve wanted to do the family bathroom since we moved in but we’ve had to build towards it because it will be a fairly expensive job out of everything we’ve done.

• Q: “What’s your favourite meal after a day of DIY or work?” A: Ooh, probably a steak. Medium rare with a bit of peppercorn or chimichurri and homemade fries!

• Q: “Do you like to be at home or go out with friends?” A: A bit of both! It really depends on my mood and how tired I am from working/DIYing, but I speak to my friends most days and we try to plan lunches, weekends and spas for some much needed together time.

• Q: “How do you deal with damp walls?” A: We’ve been told that some form of damp will likely always exist in really old houses, and it’s not always the disaster people think it is. For really bad cases though, we’ve found out the source (e.g. a leak between the window and wall or bricks needing repointing) and fixed that, then removed the damp plaster and let it breathe for a while. Once the wall is dry, the best thing is to replaster, ideally with lime or a breathable finish. So the trick usually is maintenance: figure out the source, and fix it.

• Q: “Do you want more children?” A: No, we’re one and done!

Someone did also ask where to even begin with a new kitchen, so I thought I’d make a special little design edition of this newsletter in the next week, so keep an eye out!

Looking Ahead:

October promises to be dusty and dramatic: the bathroom should be well on its way to glory, and (if all goes to plan) we’ll have made a decent start on the guest bedroom, and finished the porch and downstairs bathroom. I’ll also be balancing a full teaching timetable again, so expect plenty of tea, paintbrushes, and the occasional frazzled story update.

Until next month you beautiful bunch,

Shanice 🤍