Many moons ago, back in 2021, I had the pleasure of writing about Karen Coleman’s thoroughly upcycled home. Karen shares her design adventures and upcycling projects on her Instagram account @homing_in_progress and that’s where I first discovered her eye-catching interior. I’ve also shared many other interesting home tours on my blog so be sure to check those out too!
The house is located in Dublin and is a 1950s semi, much like my own home. However, the interior is a world away from my own minimalist mid-century style – and that’s what I love about it so much. Every room has unique touches with plenty of upcycling projects that Karen has completed herself.
I previously included one of Karen’s projects in my 5 Amazing Upcycles by Inspirational Interior Instagrammers article so be sure to have a read of that too – it’s great inspiration for creating something unique from old items.
The whole home has a cohesive look, with forest green walls, original wooden floors, accents of deep inky blue and pops of pastel pink. Foliage appears in every space, with the hallway being given a jungle-like makeover with palm-leaf patterned wallpaper from B&Q and woodwork painted in Petrol by Tikkurila.
When Karen wanted to change the look of her favourite wingback armchair, she decided to tackle the upholstery project herself – a woman after my own heart! I recently reupholstered my Ercol sofa and I love the difference it has made to my living space. Karen used the original fabric from the chair as a template to create a new velvet cover and the result is a standout piece for her sitting room.
Karen inherited her art-deco sideboard from her grandmother-in-law and Karen decided to upcycle the piece to make it work in her interior. She painted it in Sulking Room pink by Farrow & Ball, keeping the carved details in the original wood finish to highlight the art-deco design.
Moving upstairs to the bedrooms, Karen has created many more unique pieces with her own hands, including this headboard. She already owned a wooden headboard but envisaged something softer and wanted to include her favourite dusky pink tones in the room. So she upcycled the old headboard with padding and covered it with a new fabric cover to transform it.
What do you love most about Karen’s home? Have you upcycled any similar pieces to create a unique home yourself? Let me know in the comments below. As a mid-century enthusiast, one of my favourite pieces is her teak bureau – with those handles, it looks a lot like a McIntosh sideboard my mum has, I wonder if is from the mid-century furniture manufacturer?
Be sure to follow Karen on Instagram @homing_in_progress for more photos of her lovely interior and if you’d like to see more interesting homes filled with upcycling projects and vintage pieces, have a look at my Home Tours category.
Pin it for later
