Growing up in Leicester, Emily & Jordan first met at high school and first got together in May 2020.
“I (Emily) used to be an estate agent so I have a good understanding of the whole process of moving home.”
Emily was instrumental in helping find the house, and also convincing Jordan to go and view the property as the photos were low quality and made the house appear to be small.
Jordan has a graphic design degree and both have always had a keen interest in interiors, but they have never really had the opportunity to turn their ideas into reality.
After purchasing their home in November 2020, the couple have constantly been working on the renovation at every opportunity.
“Lockdown has really helped speed things up, as it has meant we could really focus our time on the renovation, and we ended up doing one room a month!”
To begin with, the property was full of character but was in need of a ‘spruce up’. Emily says that the bones were there, but the property just felt a little tired.
“Excluding the kitchen, most of the work we’ve done is cosmetic and has just been all about adding colour & life to the rooms.”
A property with character was something that Emily & Jordan were keen on from the off-set. After searching high and low, they finally came across ‘The Hinckley Road Project’ and they knew instantly that this was the home for them.
“We viewed tons of properties but nothing put a smile on our faces quite as much as this house.”
As a result of their love for character and charm, Emily & Jordan have kept all of the original features, adding a couple of things to complete certain rooms.
“We love modern eclectic interiors, with a touch of maximalism thrown in for good measure.”
“We have added an old fireplace to the lounge as the previous owner had put a modern one in there which didn’t go with the aesthetic of the house. It was second hand from eBay and cost us just £55 for the hearth and the mantle.”
Up to now, their favourite part of the renovation was the restoration of the original door for the pantry. Although only a small project, they had to strip many layers of gloss paint from the door and the original rim lock.
“The lock had to spend a night in the slow cooker to get all the paint off. Which sounds crazy, but it really works!”
Although they now have a stunning home, the renovation was not all plain sailing… Having decided to knock down a wall in the kitchen, Emily & Jordan turned to a reputable trade website to find a builder. After paying £1000 up front, the builder then disappeared with £1000 of Emily & Jordan’s cash.
“He made up stories and has now stopped replying to us, which has obviously made us weary of trades people, left us out of pocket & behind on the renovation.”
As a word of advice, Emily & Jordan suggest taking recommendations from friends and family and avoid paying for any work up front.
Family & friends can be a real help when renovating a property. Both parents of Emily & Jordan were influential in helping put together their kitchen, saving them a small fortune in the process.
“Don’t be afraid of the challenge, you would be amazed at the skills you pick up along the way!”
Having fun while renovating is important, and adding your own character into the property can give a real feeling of accomplishment.
“We don’t follow trends, we just decorate things in styles we love and it has left us with a home that we can’t wait to come home to.”
Emily & Jordan started @thehinckleyroadproject as a personal diary to keep track of the work that they were doing at home, which became especially useful to show friends and family throughout lockdown.
“It wasn’t until we started posting that we realised how great the community was for support, ideas and just chatting to people.”
