Ashia Redhead, a family support worker from Hastings and the content creator behind Instagram account @no2.hastings, shares how she and her partner brought life back to their Victorian semi.

Take one look at Ashia Redhead’s Instagram account and you’ll no doubt be drawn in by her home’s bold exterior. The dark-blue paint paired with the sunny orange front door is quite the statement – showing a glimpse of the distinct style that continues throughout the interior. 

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Buying their home in January 2020, Ashia and her partner relocated from London to Hastings three months before the Covid-19 pandemic struck the UK, and they’ve been busy renovating ever since. Seamlessly blending dark tones, nature-inspired shades and antique furniture with bright pops of colour, she takes us through how they have created a personality-filled family home. 

“From the day we moved in, we’ve been painting; there’s not an inch of this house that hasn’t seen a paintbrush,” she tells Stylist. “We’re still going two-and-a-half years on; we still need to finish the kitchen and we’ve not made a start on our bathroom.” 

“It’s an end-of-terrace Victorian house. We were drawn to its location as it’s just a 10-minutes walk to the beach and there’s so much potential to put our own stamp on it.

“The house was a holiday let, so most of its character had been ripped out. There were some cowboy builders who did lots of bodge jobs, but we’re here to bring back its character and repair it.” 

What was your biggest décor inspiration when starting your renovation?

“We’re massive colour addicts and maximalists; most of our inspiration comes from holidays and the everyday things that inspire us. We painted the house navy with an orange door after taking a picture of my partner in Shoreditch wearing an orange jacket outside a navy house.

“We find inspiration all around us. Plus, my mum has been hugely influential as she’s worked in visual merchandise, interiors and is now a florist. She has such creative styling ideas. Interiors is my creative outlet; I’m especially drawn to colour and texture.

“I particularly like bright, bold colours. Each of the rooms in the house has a completely different feel to it. We start by choosing the colour of the room first – most of the colours remind us of elements in nature, such as water, greenery, stone and wood.” 

Which DIY hack are you most proud of?

“Painting our kitchen cabinets is our best DIY hack. It’s saved us thousands. Never did we think they would turn out this good.

“It also helped us to be less wasteful – the kitchen is fairly new and it seemed like a massive waste to rip it out when we could use our imagination to transform it to our taste. We used Mylands paint in the Haymarket No. 47 shade and the coverage is brilliant” 

Which room is your favourite and why?

“The living room is my favourite room. We painted it Bancha by Farrow & Ball and I’m obsessed with the colour.

“It’s the room that feels most complete, with the shelving being home to some of the treasured possessions we’ve found over time in charity shops, antique markets and car boots. My grandparents use to be antique dealers, so I’m very inspired and have learned a lot from them.

“Most of our other items are from the vintage shops that we love exploring in Hastings Old Town, such as Roberts Rummage, The Rye Emporium or Sivyers Antique Emporium in Bexhill.”

What has been your biggest renovation challenge?

“Our biggest challenge has to be our exterior. Originally, we thought we just needed to paint it; however, when work started, we found out it needed rendering in places, new guttering and the roof needed patching. It was a much bigger job than we had expected. It took a month to do in total and we used Johnstone’s Paint matched to Farrow & Ball’s Scotch Blue shade.” 

What do you wish you knew before starting your renovation?

“I wish we had not chosen the paint colour for some of the rooms before moving in. You definitely need to live in your home to see how the room receives light in the day.

“The colour we chose for the dining room ended up being too dark and we had to repaint it, going from a very dark shade to a neutral.” 

Ashia’s favourite home Instagram accounts

• Chez Shez

  “A fellow seaside homeowner who has brought a property by herself. I adore her use of bold colours and patterns throughout.” 

• A Modest Semi

  “I love this colourful home account and the Sunday Scroll series in their highlights.” 

• Millennials Pad

  “They’re hilarious, and what a journey they’ve been on. A really big renovation while still having lots of fun.” 

Photography courtesy of Ashia Redhead

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