Simona and her husband changed the interior of the studio and the house in a few months: “I like dark colors, they allow me to create” | Life

I rented an old apartment with broken windows.

Simona has lived in Ireland with Richard and their children for 16 years. In a small Ballinasloe The town couple rented old, abandoned apartments last fall, where Simona had her photography studio.

According to the interlocutor, it all started from the studio, in a striking color interior, which was later moved into the house.

When I entered, there was no photo: some windows were broken, the smell was terrible, everything was abandoned.

“The history of the study began a long time ago. He had looked at those apartments even when he had no idea of ​​setting up a studio. I really liked them. Those apartments were very abandoned, but even then, many years ago, when I walked into them, I realized what I could do here. That vision came to my mind.

And then when I decided to open the studio, I was looking to rent something similar, the so-called Georgian style (English architectural and interior style, developed from the beginning of the reign of George I in 1714 until the death of George IV in 1830 – aut.) To have large windows, an old style, that aura. And I remembered these apartments, I thought, “Or maybe not rent.”

It so coincided that I was driving down the street and the man who rented those apartments sprouted right in front of my eyes. I stopped, opened the window, asked him if he was still renting that apartment and said, “Yes, I have a key in my hand, maybe you want to see it?”

When I entered, the painting was nothing: some windows were broken, the smell was terrible, everything was abandoned. But I knew it was me, ”Simona says with a smile.

The studios and the interiors of the houses were created by themselves.

The interviewee says that her main desire was to set up a studio that would be like a second home because she knew she would spend a lot of time in it.

“This type of study is not popular in Ireland, they prefer a white background. We also bought it when we needed it, but in terms of the whole interior, I had a clear vision from the beginning of how everything should be here to reveal myself.

My goal was to create an environment for myself and others so that the person who entered here felt as if they were in a different world. In general, I have carried that vision since childhood. I always knew what kind of house I wanted to live in, that it had to be an old house or an apartment for it to have its own aura. And I always wanted big windows. So when I walked into these apartments, I thought, “Let me build here, spread out, and I’ll look like I’ll do my best.”

Relatives are used to it, I was not surprised when I said that I wanted to paint the walls black.

The same at home. Relatives are used to it, I was not surprised when I said that I wanted to paint the walls black. Then we came to a compromise that was still dark green. As I’m sitting now, I look at that dark green and think, ‘No, it should have been black anyway (Serie“Somehow we reached those commitments with my family, they have already accepted my sense of taste and style and it no longer surprises them,” says Simona.

With the intention of renovating the rented apartment, Simona and Richard called the teachers, but from the interviewee they heard an incredible price for the repair.

“So we thought it would be better to invest that money in something else and try to do the work ourselves as much as possible. That’s how it all started, and when it started, there was no going back ”, says the interlocutor with a smile.

The studio apartment has two separate rooms, a kitchen and a bathroom with a toilet and shower. It took the couple about three months to repair, renovate and create the interior.

According to Simona, the owner of the apartment replaced the windows, the master demolished the wall, laid the floor in one of the rooms, put the tiles in the toilet, and turned on the electricity. All the rest of the work was done by Simona with her husband Richard:

“We hadn’t done any of that before we started updating the studio. Well, just wallpapering. The man put the women on the walls, he painted, I painted, we did other work. It was difficult, but step by step I managed. And it was definitely worth it. “

Buy second-hand things and furniture

After finishing work on the studio, the couple set out to renovate their home. Once upon a time, when it was purchased, the living room walls were white and the fireplace was wood-colored. This time, Simona convinced the man to decide to paint the walls dark gray.

“At first the man disagreed, the gray seemed too dark. And now I’ve been asked a few times if we’re really going to paint the lush blue studio walls and if it’s really deep green in the starting site. But I knew it would definitely be okay. Now they both look and like each other. That gray also looked and he liked it a lot, but in the long run he got tired, he wanted changes, so we took them. “

After sharing the changes to the interior of her home and studio on the “Before and After” Facebook group, the woman received much praise for the “harmony of royal color”, interior details and impressive luxury.

Simona herself says that it is important for her to show herself and others that it is possible to spend minimally, but to achieve maximum results:

“It just came to our knowledge then. I am not a lover of new things. Everything has to have its own aura for me. When I go shopping, I know it immediately, for me or not for me. It’s not like I bought an item and then I thought maybe I didn’t need to buy it. So it all came second-hand to the studio. There’s nothing new there. “

True, the sofas, which are now located on the site of the family house, were bought for the study, but in the end, according to the interlocutor, they did not have much space left:

“Those sofas were bought second-hand, they were beige. We bought them before the studio opened, we plan to build them there. We ordered material from Lithuania, we found a Lithuanian who interrupted us here. However, when we settled into the study, we realized that there was not much space left for those sofas. This is how they appeared on our website.

It was not necessary to create new elements for the new interior of the house. We had everything. In addition to repainting the walls, the man also placed ladies on them, as in the study, we changed the curtains, the dining room table, and the chairs. We had a simple rectangular dining table with six chairs, but I always wanted a round one. So we bought one, we bought old chairs. “

The walls are dark but light enough

The interior created by Simona is the opposite of the still popular Scandinavian-style interior, which is dominated by light tones. When asked if the walls of the house are not too dark in such dark and rich colors, the interlocutor says that the light is really enough.

“Maybe it looks like this in the photos because it was photographed at dusk to create more comfort. But this is definitely not the case, on the contrary, it is very bright, because the living room and the dining room are large, spacious, it has three huge windows.

And I really like that convenience: I light light bulbs, I light candles, I light a fireplace, that’s the only way I can create. Around the target I cannot reveal myself as a personality, I cannot go out. Others like it, but it depends on the person.

Surrounding the target, I cannot reveal myself as a personality.

In Ireland, we photographed weddings for eight years. The Irish love to celebrate them in castles. We have been around a lot of them and every time I seem to pass out when I walk in there. There is a feeling that my environment is here, it is possible to create here. I also wanted to create that comfort in my home.

Of course, this interior is certainly not for everyone and not everyone likes it. I can’t say that Scandinavian is ugly. Everything done in style is beautiful. But this is not for me.

In general, I want to wish that everyone listens to themselves, that they do not follow the fashion, and that they first find out what looks good on him and what he likes. Because only then can you feel a sense of fullness and it will make you happy, both by creating a common environment and by discovering a unique style. Everyone feels who is closest to our heart, that’s what we should choose, – Simona wishes and adds:

– In addition, to protect the environment and slightly curb excessive consumption, to make more exchanges: sell yours, buy from someone else. That is also very relevant today. “