5 points to consider when converting your garage

5 points to consider when converting your garage | H is for Home

If you’re beginning to outgrow your current home, upping sticks and moving to a larger house isn’t your only option. Instead of relocating, perhaps you should consider converting your garage into something more useful than a haphazard storage area. It’s an often underused space that could be transformed successfully into a spare bedroom, gym, home office, art, creative studio or laundry room.

Carpeted floor with knitted footstool

Flooring

The original floor of your garage is most likely going to be a basic poured concrete which is cold, hard and not necessarily the most attractive. The decision you make about new flooring will largely depend on your budget and whether you plan on laying it yourself or getting professionals in to do the job. If you’re confident with your DIY skills, engineered wood flooring or carpet with underlay are warm and good-looking options.

Underfloor heating

Heating

Typically, heating wouldn’t have been a consideration when a garage was constructed; the space may not have been included when your home’s central heating was installed. If you’re planning a major refit when converting your garage, installing underfloor heating would be a sensible option. If that seems like too disruptive a task, modern electric radiators that simply plug into a wall socket can be an economical alternative, costing mere pennies per hour to run.

Home gym equipment

Storage

No matter what you plan to use your garage conversion for, you’ll probably need some quantity of shelving and cupboard space. If you’re creating a laundry room, you’ll want somewhere to store and conceal your iron, ironing board, cleaning products and freshly laundered items. Every home office will need strong and practical shelves for keeping books, files and paperwork in order. A home gym comes with lots of equipment that needs a place to live; skipping ropes, weights, exercise mats and the like. To avoid them becoming tripping hazards, storing them in cupboards or lockers will keep them, and you, safe. If you’ll be storing precious or high-value items, ensure that any garage door repair work has been carried out beforehand.

Warm pendant lighting

Lighting

Lighting is the aspect that will ultimately set the mood and atmosphere of your new space; you don’t want to get it wrong. The usual lighting you find in a garage is those harsh fluorescent tube lights. In your new scheme, will you need bright, directional task lighting for craft working? Maybe you want warm up-lighting for a relaxed and chilled vibe. Lighting can be introduced into the room by using ceiling pendant lights, floor standing standard lamps or desk/table lamps with adjustable shades.

Working from home

Furniture

This will be where you add the finishing touches to your new garage conversion. The primary use of the space will determine the items that will be needed the most. If the plan is for it to be a workspace, you will need a desk or worktop space, filing cabinet and comfortable seating. If it’s going to be a chill out room, a comfy sofa and slouchy bean bags will be top of your shopping list.

And finally, don’t forget those last little decorative details such as wall art, soft furnishings such as curtains & cushions, pottery & glassware and a selection of house plants.

Your old garage, which used to be nothing more than a dumping ground, can be transformed into a beautiful and beneficial space.

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You may approach the bench

Un-restored vintage work bench | H is for Home

In last Monday’s Get their Look post we featured a very nice relaxed kitchen which combined open shelving and contemporary fixtures & fittings with one-off vintage pieces. One such item was a lovely rustic work bench that took a prominent position in the space. As luck had it, we came across this old woodworking bench at auction the following day. With the potential that these items possess still firmly in our mind, we obviously couldn’t resist putting in a bid.

Vintage unrestored work bench showing the side attached vice

We already have a large work bench in our own kitchen, but you can never have too many! We’re confident that this one will look amazing after a bit of TLC. First off, it needs a good wash to remove the grime. Fortunately, there’s no horrible layers of grease, oil or tar – so that should be a very straightforward task with a bit of diluted wood wash. Then, we’ll let it dry thoroughly, make a couple of tiny repairs, then finally wax and polish. We can see that the wood has a lovely colour and grain beneath the dust and grime.

Vintage unrestored work bench showing the tool storage holes

The finished piece will be perfect for the kitchen or garden room. The holes along one edge are ideal for knives, wooden spoons or other kitchen utensils… trowels and dibbers if it ends up with a more horticultural re-purposing. There’s plenty of space underneath for boxes, baskets or sacks too. This one doesn’t have slats sitting atop the cross stretchers. We’ll probably leave as is, but they could easily be added if desired.

Here are some more examples of these old work benches given new leases of life!

Vintage workbench in a carpenter's studiocredit

Vintage wooden work bench upcycled as a sink islandcredit

Vintage wooden work bench upcycled into a kitchen islandcredit

Vintage wooden work bench repurposed into a dining tablecredit

Paint by Conran

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Paint by Conran sample pots

We recently received some Paint by Conran samples to test out.

Paint by Conran sample pots and brochure

We were mulling over what to do with them when we spied this vintage Bristol Maid hospital locker at auction.

vintage Bristol Maid Hospital Equipment locker

We often leave such pieces untouched, but the paintwork on this one was a bit the worse for wear, so we decided to do a bit of refurbishment.

label on a vintage Bristol Maid Hospital Equipment locker

There were five sample paints and five compartments – it was meant to be!

label on a vintage Bristol Maid Hospital Equipment locker

So it was out with the razor blade & sandpaper – preparation is everything!

open sample paint pot of Dropped Pollen by Paint by Conran

The Paint by Conran range is inspired by British plants and landscapes and are grouped into five collections: Kitchen Garden, Cottage Garden, Harvest, Highland and Orchard. The paints we chose were all in the green/yellow colourway and are from across the collections.

open door on vintage Bristol Maid Hospital Equipment locker

The locker is perfect for the bathroom to house first aid items, medicines or toiletries.

detail of repainted vintage Bristol Maid Hospital Equipment locker

The new paintwork has given it a real lift…

repainted vintage Bristol Maid Hospital Equipment locker

…and it’s ready for a new life off the ward!

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Before & After

We recently picked up some lovely vintage teak dining chairs from a local auction. They’re from the Moselle range produced by A. Younger Ltd in the 1950s. The seat covers were looking very tired, generally letting the chairs down. We’ve set about re-covering them. We bought the fabric a few years ago and have been waiting for just the right project to use it on. Here are the early reupholstery results.

They’ll soon make a wonderful set. They come with a matching extendable dining table.