Keeping the charm of a period home with Jo of Life with Holly

Meet Jo, better known as Life with Holly, the UK interior design and lifestyle blogger who divides her time between raising her daughter, and running the charming lifestyle blog Life with Holly. With wealth of knowledge in DIYs and up-cycling, Jo documents her home renovations and tips on keeping a beautiful period home’s charm in the modern day. We spoke with her to discover some of her inspirations, sustainability tips, and how to get that quintessential period home look with some of her favourite Vinterior finds.

You feature a lot of tutorials and DIYs for home decor and renovation, what sparked this?

I’ve been into up cycling furniture for my home for a long time now, and friends often asked me how I’d done a particular job. Another friend suggested I start a blog, and it has snowballed from there. It’s also a great way for me to look back and see what projects we have done and see how the house has changed as we progress. If I can inspire someone or give them to confidence to attempt a job they might have been frightened of, I’ll be really happy. 

How do you balance home renovation whilst still keeping the charm of a Victorian home?

 It is really important to me to cherish the Victorian features we have been lucky enough to inherit with the house. I try to work with these features and highlight them (as in the case of our living room. By painting the coving and ceiling an off white and the walls a light grey, the period features are highlighted). We chose this house specifically for its period features so I’m definitely keeping them. 

Do you embrace a more modern aesthetic with your interiors?

I would say I tend to be more on the traditional side when it comes to our aesthetic. I like a classic look, maybe with a bit of an edge to it. Classic shapes and antique furniture really appeal to me. 

Are there any design trends that you’re keen to experiment with in 2020?

I’m hoping to incorporate a bit more colour (in my daughters room) and bring in some patterned wallpaper. I’d also to bring in some different textures to the living room, perhaps in a velvet footstool or something similar. 

What are your favourite pieces of furniture in your home currently? (ideally vintage pieces or upcycle pieces)

One of my favourite pieces is my wardrobe. I have no idea of its age, but it came from a local furniture auction and cost £45. It’s a solid, heavy wardrobe which took four men to get it into my bedroom, so it’ll never be coming out! 

How important is sustainability in your home?

Sustainability is really important in my home. It’s one of the reasons I love using older furniture. Not only does the piece have more character, but it’s saving more perfectly good items ending up in landfill. 

Do you have any tips for everyday people to help them be a little bit greener?

When shopping for a piece of furniture, consider a vintage piece of furniture. If not possible, make sure it’s made from materials from a sustainable source. 

Get the Look 

I’ve had a look on the Vinterior website – too many items to choose from! However, my top 5 are as follows:

1. Vintage cabinet

This piece really stood out for me. I could see this styled either as a bookcase or display cabinet or as a linen cupboard in a bathroom. It could also be a beautiful addition to the kitchen as a unique pantry cupboard.

2. Old mill factory table

This is my idea of a dream kitchen dining table. I love it’s character! It looks great with mismatched vintage chairs, but would look equally great with modern chairs to create a real statement. 

3. Apothecary cabinet

This vintage apothecary cabinet would look great in a kitchen and could be used for a statement piece of extra storage. It would make a truly unique pantry cupboard.

4. Victorian engineers industrial pine chest of drawers

I would use these drawers in my bedroom. I love the character they have, and the fact that there is a matching pair is a real bonus. They look to contain a lot of storage and it’s nice to make a feature of this, rather than hiding it all away. 

5. Vintage French over mantle mirror

This mirror is just stunning! I love the foxed effect which adds real character and the gold is just the right shade of gold. I would use this piece either over my fireplace in the lounge or as a standalone mirror in the bedroom, perhaps placed on top of a chest of drawers.