Bright ideas

On the verge of moving, Jemma and Phil Cox had a rethink and decided to stay put and refurb instead

- CIARA ELLIOTT

Our home couldn’t look any more different to the original house we bought,’ says florist Jemma Cox. She and her husband Phil moved to the terraced Northamptonshire property 18 years ago when she was pregnant with their first child. ‘It was the only place we viewed and even though it was dark with woodchip wallpaper and a peach bathroom, we both knew we could turn it into our forever home,’ says Jemma.

Creating the right scheme for their family, including children Madison, 17, and Darcie, 13, had its challenges. ‘We must have decorated 10 times since moving in and our home has seen everything from Ikea to Cath Kidston to full-on Laura Ashley, but we could never seem to get it right,’ she says.