Lynn O’Rourke: Grab a chance for a sneaky bit of Easter DIY

THE EASTER bank holiday weekend may traditionally be a time when many families and homeowners take the opportunity to tackle DIY tasks at home, shaking off the last of the winter months with a bit of sprucing up, and painting and decorating.

However, our household has taken a vote to wait until spring properly shows itself before we join the seasonal stampede to the DIY stores.

Instead, we’ve swapped the birthday bunting for Easter bunting in a colourful bid to banish the doom and gloom of this wintry weather. The fire is on and I intend to avoid any egg rolling down chilly hills for as long as possible. And, if I keep feeding my offspring chocolate, I might just get away with it.

Having just received a copy of interior designer India Mahdavi’s first book, Home Chic: Decorating with Style, I’d be quite happy to escape into that for a while. A lady of strong opinion, I’m loving her personal take on the dos and don’ts of home styling (No! to central ceiling lights over a dining table, which will age your guests a decade each, and Yes! to mix-and-match tableware). How long I will be left to ponder the merits of matching budget chic with designer style (not that there’s much of that in evidence in our home) is questionable, but I can always dream.

This week we take a look at a property and lifestyle that could easily be described as the perfect escape. Ruari Beaton and Jennifer Dempsie live and run a thriving business on the south-west coast of the island of Harris in the Western Isles. You can see the stunning beach setting and read their renovation story. We take a look inside the beautiful family home Kerrie and Colin Grier have created in Edinburgh here. And also, there were plumbing disasters galore for Anne-Marie and Stephen Kerr’s striking Glasgow home.