Jul 18

Jul 18 Brooklands Eclectic and Quirky Home Build

He has one of the coolest homes on Instagram (and now I've told you, he will probably say that makes him uncool), and his posts always make me laugh out loud (definitely not to be read in the quiet coach of a train), today's home tour is with Danny of Brooklands23.

This incredibly home was designed and built by Danny himself, with the help of his labourer as building homes is his day job; Danny is a builder from Surrey. Danny is also a mean designer having designed the interior of this house himself too.

A keen rider of Harley Davidson bikes and a fan of snowboarding and other high-octane activities, Danny's rooms, especially the more masculine ones, truly reflect that personality.

But I'm sure Danny won't mind me talking about is his feminine side, since he does regularly, and there are elements of this side in his home; he can often be seen walking across fields after a trip to the farm shop for avocados and flowers on a Saturday or hoovering the patio.

Danny lives in Ripley a village in Surrey with his girlfriend Lolly and Pedro the Chihuahua, who regularly features on his account and you will see throughout this post.

The house is 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms and has an open plan feel downstairs with the kitchen running into the hallway and living areas.

Welcome to the kitchen, the pièce de résistance of the house, where if you listen to Danny, a vast consumption of calories and gin occur on a regular basis, along with cleaning of his marble worktop. Pedro can regularly be found on the work surfaces but the aforementioned cleaning and the fact that Pedro is often cleaner than Danny (after a day at the building site) means he gets away with it.

The kitchen has a huge island unit painted in a contrasting colour to the other units, but which co-ordinates perfectly with the tiles. Industrial lighting, vintage shelving, marble and rugs, all add a texture to this room, which is quite large yet feels cosy. A dining area and sitting area lead to the patio doors which open out onto the garden.

From the kitchen, you move into the main sitting and dining areas, on both sides of the fireplace which you will see below. These rooms are darker and more masculine yet still filled with colour and items such as the pink sheepskin which add a lighter touch to the rooms, along with quirky art work.

Mid-century wooden furniture lightens up the dark space alongside statement furniture such as a Chesterfield sofa and velvet chair.

And finally, one of the three bathrooms, and a sneak peek at the bedrooms, below the colour of the master bedroom is matched to Danny's car and motorbike; green and black.

Once again contrasting in style, texture and colour, which is what makes this home so unique.