Splash on colour

0 Comments | Sunday Mirror, Mar 16, 2008 | by JANE BOWLES

WACKY artist Coco Hodgkinson and her family weren't too impressed with the "wall-to-wall magnolia" in the three-bedroom cottage they moved into seven years ago.

But a tight budget meant Coco, 31, and her husband Luke Jones, 34, a thatcher, couldn't afford to give the house in Devon an expensive makeover.

However, even the couple's two children - Billie, who's now 13, and Tobi, now 10 - agreed the place needed some serious livening up.

So with Coco's talent as an artist and muralist and Luke's DIY abilities, they roped in their kids (who now number three after the arrival of Felix five years ago) to create a home that's really got the "wow" factor - without breaking the bank.

"I've always been mad about colour, and I especially love rich, dark shades," says Coco.

"When I was 10, I wanted a navy bedroom, so I asked for a pot of dark blue paint for my birthday. That was the first room I ever decorated, and I suppose I've never looked back!"

Now every room in the family home has a different colour scheme.

"I think I've got a split personality, because I like having different colours in each room to match my various moods," says Coco.

"The dining room is my chillout zone, because the earthy terracotta colour I used is really relaxing.

"I chose lively, vibrant pinks and purples for the sitting room, because that's where we like to socialise with friends, and play games with the children."

And dark blue is obviously still a favourite, as we take a look at how Coco re-invented her bathroom and kitchen...

BATHROOM

PICKING A THEME

COCO'S a great believer in getting their three children involved in doing up their home. "At weekends we love beachcombing and hunting for bits of driftwood and pretty shells - many of which make their way into the bathroom," says Coco.

"The large piece of driftwood I used for the shower curtain rail came from the local beach."

DOING THE WORK

Coco reckons decorating is a brilliant way to spend family time together. "The children loved helping do the mosaics in the bathroom. I used to sit in the bath for hours grouting away while Tobi passed me the pieces to stick on the walls."

Coco's budget makeover used recycled materials. "I can't walk past a skip without having a peek, and lots of stuff in our home has come from the recycling centre," says Coco.

"Our bathroom cost us next to nothing."

But Coco did spend pounds 100 on her perfect loo seat - inlaid with mock barbed wire! The little blue footprints were made by the kids... who walked in the wall paint before trotting across the floor. Coco's colourful style has now turned into a source of income - she has decorated kids' bedrooms and done some community projects. "I believe that having less money makes your imagination work harder," says Coco.

SHOPPING LIST: Walls: Blue Diamond vinyl matt emulsion, pounds 15.99/2.5 litres; Floor: Barley White eggshell, pounds 9.99/litre, (www.dulux.co.uk, 01753 550555). Mosaics, pounds 9.98/sqm, B&Q (www.diy.com, 0845 850 0175). Toilet seat, pounds 100, Pumpkin (01392 498961). Shower curtain, pounds 7, Ikea (0845 355 1141).

KITCHEN

PICKING A THEME

WHEN planning their colourful makeover, Coco and Luke started with bargain basics then added their own touches. "We bought the cheapest units we could find at B&Q, which I then painted in Venetian Bristol satinwood by Dulux," says Coco. "For handles, I used some old stainless steel forks, which Luke made into handles by twisting them with pliers. "Luckily Luke is great at DIY," says Coco. The dark granite-effect worktop cost pounds 120 from B&Q.

DOING THE WORK

THE walls were painted in a similar shade, and the whole room was livened up with stainless steel appliances, lime green cur tains from Trago Mills, a local store, for pounds 19.99, and silver table and chairs, from the same place for pounds 80.

A montage of mirror tiles from Ikea, which cost pounds 3.75 each, helps reflect light into the dark room.

The old fireplace in the chimney breast became home to lengths of terracotta industrial piping, which was given to Coco by a local farmer.

Luke cut them up into sections to create an unusual store for wine bottles.

Metal racks hung from chains at both ends of the kitchen provide easy-to-reach storage.

Behind the hob, Coco put a panel of textured tread plate from a local foundry for an unusual splashback.

SHOPPING LIST: Kitchen units, pounds 1,800, B&Q (www.diy.com, 0845 850 0175). Venetian Bristol satinwood paint, pounds 9.99/litre (www.dulux.co.uk, 01753 550555). Walls: Estate emulsion in Pitch Blue, pounds 23.99/ 2.5 litres (www.farrow-ball.com, 01202 876141).

Rubber kitchen flooring, pounds 400 (www.dalsouple.com, 01278 727733). Cooker and hob (0870 572 7727, www.zanussi- electrolux.co.uk). Mirror tiles, pounds 3.75 (www.ikea.co.uk, 0845 355 1141). Splashback, pounds 40, Foundry Metal (01395 578258).