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how we live
'Sunny mornings with a cup of tea are bliss': Inside Yasmina's refurbished 1970s home in Meath
A room-by-room refinishing is paying off in this bright and stylish home.
About you
Name: Yasmina Aniss-Scully (@chezthescullys)
Age: 31
Occupation: Performing Arts School Director
About your home
Location: Navan, Co Meath
Type of house: 1970s semi-detached
How many bedrooms and bathrooms? Three bedrooms and two bathrooms
When did you move in? August 2018
Who lives there? Myself and my husband, Evan
What made you choose this home over others?
This was our third attempt at getting mortgage approval and with the high prices in the market, we wanted to get a solid home in our budget that we could put our own stamp on it over time but that was a little bit bigger than most first homes.
The amount of light coming into the house is one of the features we love – 1970s windows are wide and I wanted bright spaces. And the location, it’s a quieter, older part of the town that we live in so it’s very peaceful.
What’s your favourite part of your home and why?
Fave part of my home would have to be the corner of the living room with our yellow chair. Mornings with the sun coming in and a cup of tea are bliss.
What’s one part of your home you don’t like so much?
It’s a 1970s build! So it’s old and the finishes were never quite finished. All the pipes were above the floors, so we are slowly but surely getting through one room at a time finishing things. And it’s D rated meaning we use our Stanley stove a lot!
What’s the most unique part of your home?
What was the most unique part was the hot press that was built into our dining room! Safe to say that’s now gone. We’ve kept a few of the original things from the house, such as the fireplace which we have upcycled.
How does an average day start in your home right now?
I work in the arts so generally have the mornings off, which I love as I’m a home bird and love pottering around the house. I’m very lucky that my working hours generally are not very long, I get to enjoy my home!
My husband actually works from home now. Over lockdown, we converted one of the rooms into a clinic. He’s a sports therapist and his hours usually match mine. When I’m teaching, he’s usually looking after clients.
How does an average day end in your home right now?
As we both have mornings off but work afternoons and evenings, our days end later then normal for most – usually finishing around 8 or 9pm. So you could say that we are night owls! We always try to eat dinner together and make an effort to sit in our dining room. Though pizza on Thursdays is always in front of Netflix!
What’s one thing you’d do differently if you were designing your home again?
We actually wouldn’t do anything different again if we were designing it again! We didn’t rush into anything and stuck to our budget completely. There are lots of rooms still not finished, and we think that’s ok.
We actually painted the whole house white as I feel like you need to live in your home for a year to see all the seasons and how the rooms change. Making a house a home is an ongoing project, so never rush it.
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