Interview with @old_millhouse
We recently had the pleasure of catching up with Susie from Old_millhouse, who has a gorgeous 1820s home in Scotland. Susie chose our fantastic real wood blinds to fit in with her cottage core style. We chatted with Susie about her beautiful home, her new blinds, and her approach to interior design!
How would you describe your interior style?
I would describe my interior style as a country cottage look, using neutral, earthy tones along with colours that reflect the countryside around us. I love bringing the outdoors in through natural textures and soft, calming shades. That said, I do enjoy using bold colours in certain spaces—our green guest bedroom is a good example, with its rich tone and a vintage art gallery wall that adds character and a touch of drama.
What is a commonly overlooked but an essential staple for your home?
I think people often overlook lighting when designing or styling a space. Our old mill house has very low ceilings and the previous owners had installed spot lights in a number of rooms as there is limited head height for any light fitting. I find the spot lights quite harsh, so we have installed some wall lights and also have lamps around the house that give a more intimate feel. I have made a few lamps myself using vintage brass candles sticks with a lamp shade and a rechargeable battery, so can have lamps in places where there are no sockets and also don’t have cables to deal with.
Why did you choose Real Wood Venetian Blinds?
I loved the natural look of the undressed windows in our country style kitchen in our old millhouse, however we are on the roadside and people could look in when walking by, so we wanted some privacy and also to prevent heat loss. I therefore wanted something that would tie in with the neutral colour scheme, improve heat efficiency, and possibly most importantly for me, still be able to have plants in the wind recesses and not take away too much light. I decided on the real wood for their heat efficiency, but also because I found the perfect colour to match the paint colour on the window frames. The blinds therefore blend in so well and still allow lots of natural light to flood in when open.
What are your next plans for your home?
We still have a few rooms to do, so next on the cards is to update my home office / sewing room, then the master on-suite, followed by the back hallway, and then our daughter’s bedroom. The home office and our daughter’s bedroom were both painted when we moved here 2 years ago, but I want to add more vintage charm and textures, with a gallery wall planned for the office and some up-cycling of some furniture. I also want to add some more colour to the landing upstairs, but still trying to work out what to do here.
What difference has having Venetian blinds made to day to day life?
They really make the kitchen / family room more cosy and I love how much natural light we still get in here along with the patterns from the wooden slats. We tend to leave the blinds down all the time and tilt the slats to get the best of the light, but also on sunny days recently we have been able to get some shade. They are so easy to operate too.
What’s your favourite season and would you say this season is reflected in your interior style?
My favourite season is Spring, as I love seeing everything green up and come alive again. I think my interior style reflects this with the abundance of greenery from the plants that I have in our home. I find plants bring me so much joy, especially in the winter months when there is an absence of greenery outdoors.
What are your top tips for someone wanting to make a house a home?
My top tip would be to choose things that you like, and don’t try and go with a trend. I find that if a home shows it has been created with love, then that is what really makes it a home.
Where do you get home inspiration from?
Most of my inspiration comes from the countryside around us, but I also like finding pre-loved pieces that I like and then planning a room around them. When I renovated our old mill house, I got a lot of inspiration from Pinterest, but I then started my Instagram Home account 18 months ago and now get loads of inspiration, ideas and support from following other people.
If you could look round any famous person’s house, who would it be?
That’s a hard one for me to answer as I am clueless about famous people! I would love to look around Andy and Kim Murray’s Cromlix Hotel near Dunblane though, as this sits within a Victorian Country estate and has been extensively refurbished and from what I have read, this has a homely vintage feel as well as modern luxury touches, with beautiful colour combinations and art work. Maybe I just need to splurge and book a stay here.
