8 Denby Lane

Heaton Chapel

empty house (2009) ◊ moving in (2009) ◊ winter (2009) ◊ furnished (2010) ◊ gardening (2010) ◊ decorating (2010) ◊ decorating (2010 to 2014) ◊ gardening (2011 & 2012) ◊ landscaping (2012 & 2013) ◊ gardening (2013 & 2014)

Furnished (2010)

Two things were apparent once we moved our furniture into Denby Lane.  Firstly, and unsurprisingly, we didn't have enough from a two-bedroom flat to fill a four-bedroom house.  Secondly, despite the first point, because of the fitted wardrobes in the two main bedrooms, we had too many wardrobes (although one could argue that girls can never had too many wardrobes - not me, though).

First up, though, the guest bedroom now with bed (before it was just a guest room).  Also featuring: a side table!  Man, this exciting.

Here's the main bedroom, now also (thankfully) with a bed.

Out into the landing, we see where the evidence of having too many wardrobes.  And to prove that we are, like, so intellectual, our bookshelf.  Ok, so it's not huge, but it's a start.

The third bedroom swiftly became a cross between a dump room and the make-up department (i.e. where Lynne gets ready every morning).

And finally for upstairs, the office, which has been filled with kit, albeit kit that is a little out of date (for example, the PC dates back to circa 2001, I think).  The (very) eagle-eyed amongst you will spot a game of travel Connect 4 on the shelving unit.  Not used that in a while.  Man, it's fiddly.

But it was downstairs that things really started to take shape, helped by not first needing any decoration (more on that later).  Here is perhaps my favourite room, the front room.  Furnished a sleek black, benefiting from a new TV (the HD on the old one stopped working) and receiving the coffee tables we had from the flat, this room also houses the PlayStation 3, Sky HD and a whole host of DVDs and games.  In short: heaven.  The Ikea shelving unit is short a couple of shelves, however.  That will hopefully be rectified soon (I am writing this in May 2010).

In the living room, a place where Lynne prefers to hang out (she's there now in fact), we kept with the suite from the old flat, which, thanks to the well-lit surroundings, have seemingly changed colour, from a dark-ish brown to a much redder brown.  Here is the view to the back, with the new dining table set, with which Lynne opted for the patterned fabric chairs, a material that was most difficult to keep clean and therefore most likely to end in tears.  Nice to get chairs that aren't actually for sitting on.  Oh well.

And, flipping round, the other side of the living room: old TV with surround sound, abstract painting commissioned from a friend, and Lynne's bass guitar and amp.

We were originally thinking of ditching the round table we had inherited from our old flat's previous owners, but it fitted so well in the kitchen that we have kept it to this day.  It enables a nice view into the garden.  The first, slightly less aesthetic shot shows the old stereo unit with the TV from the flat's main bedroom, plus recycling boxes.  How lovely.

Just before we got the keys to the house, I went round to speak to the owners about how stuff worked.  It was then that I discovered that they were planning on taking the oven.  Not a big problem, except it left a ruddy big gap, which we could only fill with an oven of equivalent size.  Hence this monster.  Six bastard hobs!

Next up: some garden shots.  I also need to put some garage shots on this page.  Can you wait?