Money-saving makeovers & practical hurdles, with Jo
Transforming a home from the front door in can be a mission-and-a-half, especially when you've got little ones running around. Never one to shy away from a challenge, Jo Gultig (@jo_at_sixty8) explains how she takes it in her stride.
Jo (@jo_at_sixty8) elevates her drawers with our SWIFT Swirled Knobs.
Jo is a keen DIY queen with a knack for all things colour and renovating. Having followed the constant makeovers to her 1930’s family home, washed with a satisfying colour palette of neutrals, soft pastels and black, we couldn’t help but dig deep to learn about Jo’s style, inspiration and the lessons she learned along the way.A calming canvas
"I think my style has evolved a fair bit over a short period. We've been in this house for almost 4 years (so even before our Insta account) and, already, I notice decisions I made then that I might not make now. But that’s just natural progression, isn’t it? I’m keen to bring a level of character back into the house. I love period details so, for a 30’s house, that includes; picture rails, hallway panelling, wooden floorboards, etc. I lean more towards neutral colours and muted tones as a base palette, since it feels calming — and that’s so important when life is as hectic as it is for us! It’s hard to not fall down the rabbit hole of getting on board with every trend for the "likes", so each room takes a long time to plan and create, to ensure it’s the right decision for us and our home. One element that seems to flow throughout the main living areas, is black accents — e.g. decorative accessories, furniture and picture frames. This tends to tie the rooms together, even when there are different coloured walls. I did try painting a room a lovely dark green once, but swiftly realised it’s not my style."Reno’ to the rescue
"We don’t often buy brand new furniture (an exception being the drawers in this project!), for a couple of reasons — one being our budget, but also that it’s SO satisfying finding a second hand bargain and updating it for our home. I’m browsing Facebook Marketplace every night looking for something to jazz up. I’m currently looking for a small unit for a corner of our hallway.It feels good to rescue something from the tip and create something unique, for a fraction of the cost of a fancy equivalent. Plus the skills we’ve learned along the way are skills for life; cutting wood, using mitre saws, adding feet, drilling, repainting furniture etc. Our confidence grows with each and every project."
Luxe on a budget
"The master bedroom is in progress and I’ve been looking at going super luxe with black furniture and brass hardware. However, some of my wish list drawers are well over £500, which is well over our budget. The Dunelm Lynton drawers were on sale at around £150 and they were the ideal size for our bedroom, but just needed some zhuzhing-up to fit in. I’ve bought lots of handles from Plank in the past, so I can trust that the styles will be on trend and the quality is excellent. I love how weighty they feel in my hand, and the petite SADLER Knobs are the ideal pairing with the drawers —the SWIRLED detail takes the finish up a level too ✨
A closer look at Jo’s hardware of choice, selected for her dresser — our SADLER Knobs.
Keeping up with the kids
"Working on the house with kids around has definitely been a challenge — especially throughout the lockdowns, where we’ve taken on projects but can’t rely on relatives to help babysit! On the flip side, it's meant the kids have got used to us doing jobs when they’re at home, so we either take it in turns to keep an eye on them, or they'll quite happily play within earshot. Or further away if drilling is involved!I think it’s great that our kids have become familiar with the realities of DIY — as they get older I’d love to get them more involved, so we can pass on our knowledge, just like my dad has to us. Plus it’s given our girls a creative streak! They've seen first-hand what can be achieved with a lick of paint!"Dreamy storage solutions
"On the whole, we try to keep on top of the kid‘s mess as much as we can. We do have quite a collection of baskets, as they’re easy for throwing toys in whilst also looking nice!You can never have too much storage when kids are concerned. I dream of a built-in bunk bed, with under-bed storage and shelving niches, but I’m not sure if that’s quite our DIY level — although never say never."Cheeky bev’ break
"In general, I’m a big tea drinker — Teapigs English Breakfast with Oatly Barista and one sugar is my holy grail. Sometimes as a treat my husband, Damien, will do a coffee run at our local coffee shop — there’s nothing quite like a caffeine hit to give us a boost when we’re lagging. And if we’re doing some work after the kids have gone to bed, then it’s a cold bottle of beer 😊"DIY royalty
"I'm forever inspired by the accounts I follow on Instagram. Here's three of my faves:Melanie at @melanielissackinteriors — I’ve followed Melanie for years. She has great style and her DIY blogs have been such a help — particularly her pieces on panelling, restoring cast iron fireplaces and floral displays.Jen at @crack_the_shutters — You’d have to be living under a rock to not have seen her account, so this might be an obvious one but she is a Marketplace/IKEA hacking queen! So much inspo. She really nails the neutral/soft colour accent aesthetic. Amara at @thepajaamahub — A new find for me, but her rental-friendly hacks are so clever, e.g. peel-able paint and removable wallpaper, and her use of colour and pattern is so joyful."Groovy tunes
"If Damien and I are DIY’ing together, the music needs to work for both of us. We have quite an eclectic mix — from Fleetwood Mac to Kanye, Elton John, 90's dance classics, garage, trance and plenty of hip hop. We either need something to sing along to (badly!), or something upbeat to dance about to 🤣"A huge thanks to Jo for joining us for a TEA BREAK. Why not follow her renovation journey at @jo_at_sixty8?
Blog
