Issue 07: October 2025

October’s been a bit of a blur: a month of knocking down, building up, and trying to squeeze every spare hour out of the shorter days. The house has been full of noise, dust, and the smell of fresh paint, but also a real sense of momentum. It finally feels like we’re heading into winter with things actually coming together, not just endlessly “in progress.”

October has been one of those months that’s felt both about three days long and three years long at the same time. We’ve had proper highs, like getting listed consent, finally seeing progress on the bathroom, and sneaking in a few unexpected room makeovers, but also plenty of dust, decisions, and late nights spent scrolling for furniture which doesn’t seem to exist. The house feels alive again with projects happening in every corner, and although it’s been messy, tiring, and a bit chaotic, there’s something really lovely about seeing it all start to come together as the nights draw in.

Progress Peek:

So last month I explained that we had a plan. We’re on a bit of a mission to get quite a few rooms started and finished before Christmas, so we can feel proud when we invite people over this year rather than apologetic for the chaos. And although there were a lot of mini projects we set ourselves, I’m happy to say that we’re making pretty good progress!

As I mentioned last month, we received listed building consent to begin the family bathroom, and demolition of the old suite and tiles is now complete. That was a job and half (which took three times as long as we thought it would), but now we’re about to enter the fun phase: the phase where we start to build the new design.

Whilst John has been working every day on this bathroom, I decided to refurbish our en-suite on the cheap, as I thought I could revamp it for a couple of quid. Spoiler alert: I was right hehe. I also ordered some furniture for the guest bedroom which we built yesterday, so that now looks like a pretty decent place for our families and friends to stay. And, Everly has been asking for her bedroom to be decorated for quite a while now, and I couldn’t take those sad little 3 year old eyes anymore, so surprise, we did that in 3 days! Not a bad month, I guess.

Farmhouse Finds:

Palette pick: Sulking Room Pink by Farrow and Ball. I think I’ve already mentioned this colour but seriously, it is bloody beautiful. We’ve just done it in Everly’s bedroom and although it’s suitable for a little girl, it also feels like a sophisticated and grown up room at the same time because the pink is so dusky and classy.

A brand I’m loving: BC Designs. We’ve been lucky enough to collaborate with them for our family bathroom project, and they’re a perfect partner to help us bring our heritage bathroom to life. Their suites are classic, traditional and striking, and we can’t wait to get the suite installed and the whole bathroom looking gorgeous.

In The Details:

Obviously the big project is the family bathroom right now. There are other little projects going on in the background (we’ve both definitely made the most of having a week off work), but the bathroom is taking the majority of our time, effort, and money. Things have actually changed slightly as we made a few pleasant discoveries.

For the last year and a half, there has been an occasional odd smell drifting from the bathroom, and we assumed it meant there was something horrific hiding underneath the bath platform, or the tiles. I was imagining leaky pipes, raw eggs, and even dead animals rotting away there. However, alas and behold, the smell was really just the old waste in the shower, and the grout in between the tiles, because once we pulled everything up and out, praise to the lords, there are no leaks! No hidden surprises!

What this meant though, is that we were effectively throwing away money for a new bath, when the bath that is currently sitting there is perfectly fine. We also can’t gain access to the back of the bath where the pipes are to disconnect it, so with the fear of a flood which would cave in our kitchen ceiling, and because every penny counts, we’ve decided to keep the current bath. This does destroy some slight dreams of a freestanding bath, but there is one in the ensuite anyway, so maybe I should just stop being greedy and suck it up.

This has resulted in a slight necessary change, which means we are still panelling, but now in front of the bath and then tiling where waterproofing would be wise. Some of you guys have told me you love the old-style toilets with the high-level cisterns, so we’re getting a new one of those and a new shower, so hopefully what was the worst room in our house will quickly become one of the the best.

Aside from renovating, I filmed a podcast for the YouTube channel The DIY Guys today by Nick Morris! How wild is that, me doing a podcast. I was super nervous beforehand and started questioning everything down to my nails and the super convenient day-old spot on my chin, but Nick and his co-partner were so lovely and friendly, and I relaxed into it eventually. I have overthought every single thing I said since finishing it this morning, but hopefully I didn’t come across as a total bean. I’ll share the link with you once it’s published next month and you can let me know!

Photo of the Month:

Let’s just take a moment to appreciate the autumnal morning sun beating into the hallway. This project took 6 months rather than the estimated 6 weeks, but look at it now. Sometimes it’s important to remind ourselves that the seemingly endless days of drilling, sawing and painting have an end point, and that end point is so worth it.

Around The Farmhouse Table:

I’ve been thinking about Christmas a wee bit and actually got organised the other day by pre-ordering my Christmas meat. It got me thinking though about how expensive turkey is (and not even worth it in my opinion), and asked you guys what you think the best Christmas meat is.

Here’s what some of you said:

• “Love a mustard, spice and sugar-glazed ham joint!”
• “We always do a leg of lamb.”
• “Not turkey! But we love the pigs in blankets and stuffing!”
• “Fish pie. Buy the fish and freeze it.”

Looking Ahead:

November is set to be busy in the best kind of way: the family bathroom will finally be finished (hopefully in the first week because you know we love a deadline). After that, we’ll be moving on to those smaller but oh-so-satisfying finishing touches that make the house feel more pulled together before Christmas. Between that, lesson planning, and keeping the heating bills at bay, it’s shaping up to be a cosy, slightly chaotic month. Just how we like it.

Until next month you beautiful bunch,

Shanice 🤍