'I love neutrals, but the grey had to go!'

Using clever paint effects and plenty of panelling, Samantha Kelly has transformed a dull house into a family home full of light, warmth, and texture

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When it was time for Samantha Kelly and her husband Jack to find a new home, top of Samantha's wishlist was somewhere she could fill with character. 'We needed more space and, as our previous home was a new-build, this time around I wanted something that I could naturally add period charm and personality to,' she says. The couple loved the layout and location of this house, just five minutes from the sea, and the potential to create a forever family home was obvious, but first Samantha had to rid the house of all the grey. 'I love a neutral scheme-white-on-white with soft beige and wood accessories - but every room in this house had some form of grey, whether it was the walls or the carpet,' explains Samantha. 'Even the kitchen cabinets were dark grey, so it had to go.'

STRONG START

On day two of moving in, Samantha had her brushes out ready to paint the living room in Skimming Stone by Farrow & Ball. 'I'd used it in our previous home and loved the results, so I decided not to overthink the scheme here,’ she says. ‘I made my decorating mistakes in our last reno so by the time we moved here, I'd found my style and I knew what I liked, so it was just a case of recreating it.’