Our Nest: Why Beth and Ollie’s Bellway Mulberry is a cut above

When professional hairdresser Beth and her husband Ollie needed to look for a larger house to accommodate their growing family, their hearts were already set on a new-build home. Having owned one previously, they knew a new home was a great fit for them and their busy lifestyles – however as well as space for two young children (plus a dog and cat), Beth and Ollie each needed room for working from home, and found that Bellway’s Mulberry house style comfortably accommodated their very different requirements.

“The Mulberry was the perfect 4-bedroom home for us,” explains Beth. “We have a dedicated study to use as an office for my husband, and plenty of family space with the separate living room, and the snug area in the kitchen.

“Meanwhile I run my hairdressing business from a purpose-built studio in our garden, which couldn’t be better for our young family. Our lovely big garden comfortably houses my studio without impacting the room we have for adults to socialise, and for children to play.”

The Mulberry boasts a dual-aspect living room with French doors that open onto the garden, with a second set of French doors in the open-plan kitchen, dining and family area; Beth and Ollie immediately noticed how this impacted the feel of the home:

“I’m a lover of all things bright and airy,” says Beth. “The Mulberry house style was sold to me straight away when I noticed its many windows, and all the light flooding through the home. I believe my interior style complements this with a light décor, to which I’ve added twists of pictures, plants and statement furniture.”

Securing their new home was easy for Beth and Ollie thanks to Bellway’s exclusive Express Mover scheme. Bellway took on the process of selling their existing home, working with recommended local estate agents to find a buyer – which happened even faster than they could have expected.

“We found the Express Mover scheme so straightforward and stress-free to use. We sold our home in just two days and accepted the asking price, with no estate agent fees to pay!”

Sharing snapshots of a bright and bold new home

After reserving their new home, Beth couldn’t wait to join the online community of thousands of Bellway homeowners and set up their dedicated home Instagram account, @littlehousearoundthecorner. Beth’s snapshots of their home show off her bright, fresh, and fun interior style, which emphasises natural materials in the form of light wood and rattan furniture, contrasted with bold patterns and black accents, plus plenty of houseplants throughout for lively dashes of colour.

“I started our Instagram account mainly to document our progress and to be able to see how far we’ve come. I love to look back at the white walls we once had and see what a lovely home it’s becoming.

“My favourite room so far has to be the snug. The picture wall tells our family story and adds so much personality to a blank space. With the forest green sofa and plants, it’s such a relaxing space to sit and watch the birds in the garden, or for the kids to play and socialise.”

Creating ‘corners’ and using statement furniture and accessories has been key to Beth’s impactful interior décor, as well as her playful use of paint to add colour to their new-build home.

“We’re certainly obsessed with a ‘feature chair’!” laughs Beth, “Most of them I’ve found second hand and upcycled, which again adds personality to a space and fills corners of a room to create a welcoming feel.

“I’ve always been so brave with how I paint; I’m not one for painting a wall from top to bottom, and love detail such as borders, scallop edges and panelling. This has added so much character to our new home without too much effort.”

Decorating another new-build home was a challenge that the couple were ready for, especially as they had already started adding their individual touches long before moving-in day arrived.

“There is nothing better than starting with the blank canvas that only a new build can offer you. Even before getting the keys, we’d already had the opportunity to personalise our new-build Bellway home at our options appointment, when we made our choices for our flooring, kitchen, and bathroom finishes along with other aspects.

“This process was amazing, yet even though we had already chosen the details and our home looked great on handover, I still couldn’t wait to start bringing more personality into it. Ollie even said at one point that every time he would come home from working out of the house, another wall had changed colour!”

Being a creative hairdresser, Beth has no qualms about getting hands-on with their home interior and setting out to learn new skills wherever needed – even if it doesn’t always work out:

“I’d never wallpapered before we started decorating this home, and so I thought I’d teach myself by wallpapering my youngest daughter’s bedroom. That was certainly an experience, and I’m not afraid to admit that I did call in a decorator to help. Artistic painting is absolutely for me, but I will leave wallpapering to the professionals!”

‘White box syndrome’ is a phenomenon that many people can experience after moving into a new-build home, and Beth has some useful tips for overcoming it.

“My advice for anyone in the process of decorating a new-build home is to not get too ahead of yourself. Live in it for a few months and play about with ideas; see where the light hits in the morning and evening, so you know what colour schemes to work with.

“Also, plant as many outdoor plants as you can straight away so you can enjoy the following spring and summer in a maturing garden.”

Follow Beth and Ollie’s new-build home journey on Instagram at @littlehousearoundthecorner, and learn more about Bellway’s Express Mover and Part Exchange schemes and how they could help you to secure your dream Bellway home too. For even more interior inspiration from real Bellway homeowners, explore all of our exciting Our Nest features including Vicky’s pretty pink Bellway Plane, Emma and Dom’s Millennial modern Bellway Tailor, and Shantelle and Hugo’s Scandi-inspired Bellway Japonica.