Room refashion for £2.09!

I have a room in my house I hate....I know it could be lovely but it doesn't really have the chance. It is our back porch/utility room. Being at the back of the house this is really the 'service area' and ever since we have moved in that is what it has been, a muddy boot room, somewhere to house the washing machine and tumble dryer and the dogs VERY large cage. That is all normal but due to the odd layout of our driveway it also serves as the main entrance to the house, our beautiful imposing front door and stone steps never see any use, as seems to be often the case in country houses.

So this dirty, messy room is what everyone first see's when they come to visit, I KNOW that I am overly fussy about my home, but I really loathed it, this weekend something had to be done!

The dog cage was taken away and after 4 nights and 2 trips out without him and no damage on our return I am crossing my fingers that he has made the transition and we are going to be lucky! I am SO pleased to be rid of the horrible huge cage. Next step was to un-stack the tumble dryer from the top of the washing machine, which had to be done to accommodate the cage, meaning that on the walk up the drive all visitors could see was a tower of white appliances thanks to the all round windows.

Now those all round windows are my favourite bit of the room, mainly thanks to some clever (even if I do say so myself) dressing and the sun streaming in through them today. OK, so far just minor appliance shifting and no money spent, anyone bored yet?!

I have for a long time had an idea of using old embroidered tablecloths for curtains, I have quite a stash of them, both family heirlooms and charity shop finds and wanted to display them in a way they would be more appreciated, rather than the pile on my shelves. So, with a bit of curtain wire (29pence!) and a meter or so of pom-pom trim (£1.80), some much loved Liberty (last weeks  Zakka project must have made me brave at using it as I've been hoarding some of this for years!) and an odd end of lace, new curtains were made! Of course I completely forgot to take any before pictures, just believe me when I say it was nasty!

I was careful not to make any changes to the family tablecloths that could not be unpicked, the charity shop one I cut up to give me two small curtains. They only took an hour or so to run up, they are 'rustic' I guess to say the least, but I LOVE THEM!

I am so pleased I was brave enough to use the Liberty, I think it actually physically pained me when I was cutting into it, what if it didn't work? What if they looked awful? I told myself I could always unpick it and use it again in tiny patchwork. No need, I am thrilled, now I get to look at it every time I go through the door :-)

LOVE this one, I spy a chicken in the background!

I even covered an old shoe box to make a little seat and made a cushion with the left over tablecloth fabric

Someone can reguarly be found in his bed now, I think he is enjoying the new look room!

I really must try to use precious material more often, it is definitely worth it. Of course the room still houses appliances, a rather ugly plastic dog bed and a thousand or more coats and is in desperate need of a good paint but somehow the prettiness makes all that disappear, and all for less than a take away coffee!

Perhaps I should warn my husband that tablecloths might start cropping up in windows all over the house ;-)