uFurnish.com Founder Deirdre Mc Gettrick sat down with Claire Appleton - 2025 uFurnish.com Home Awards finalist to talk all things interiors inspiration and advice for those on their own interiors journey.
Name: Claire Appleton
Instagram handle: @making_a_home_
Location: The Yorkshire Dales
Sum up your home interior style in 3 words or less:
Neutral, cosy, country
What’s your favourite item in your home?
Probably my bath in the bedroom - it feels like such a little everyday luxury.
If your home had a theme song what would it be?
When I’m Cleaning Windows! We have so many windows, but it does make the house feel really bright and airy.
Toilet roll over or under on the holder?
The great debate! Always over - you can actually find the end that way.
Do you place your cups and glasses facing up or down in your cupboard?
Down - no one wants dusty cups! Although I know that opens up the whole “you should clean your cupboards more” argument…
What inspired your home’s interior style and how did you bring that vision to life?
When we first moved in, I was really drawn to a more modern look to contrast with the period features. But over time, I’ve definitely leaned more towards timeless pieces that feel like they belong here. I think my style has naturally evolved as we’ve lived in the house. Instagram has been a huge source of inspiration, but I’ve also learned it’s easy to become a bit over-inspired, so I try to stay true to what actually works for us.
How did you balance your design goals with your budget and do you have any clever hacks or cost-saving tips for readers?
Our budget tightened more than we expected after missing the stamp duty deadline, so we’ve had to be quite resourceful. We’ve done as much DIY as we can, bought lots of preloved furniture, and tried our hand at some temporary upcycles - like in the kitchen and utility. I’ve also been lucky enough to work with some amazing brands, which has helped us bring in pieces we love in a more manageable way.
What has been your biggest challenge designing your home and how have you overcome it?
Definitely dealing with previous DIY jobs! We uncovered quite a few surprises, especially with the floorboards - they’d been cut through in places, so we ended up replacing a lot of them. We reused the better boards to fix the worst areas, which actually worked out really well in the end.
If you could give one piece of advice to someone starting their own renovation journey what would it be?
Slow down and really get to know your house. Start with the structure - there’s no point making things look lovely if there are bigger issues underneath. I’ve also learned not to rush into big purchases just to fill a space. I definitely made that mistake with our sofa - it’s beautiful, but probably not what I’d choose now.
Is there a particular space in your home that you’re most proud of and why?
Randomly, both of our loos! They’re small spaces, but they’re the ones guests always see, so I think it’s worth making them feel just as nice and thought-through as the rest of the house.
Where do you find your inspiration? Are there designers, Instagram accounts or brands that influence your style?
A lot of it comes from Instagram, but usually it starts with an idea in my head. Then I’ll head to Pinterest to find similar looks so I can piece the vision together a bit more clearly.
What’s the next interiors project you want to work on?
Hopefully a new home but I’ll keep that a little quiet for now!
Any other information you’d like to share about your home interiors journey?
Every home journey looks different, and budget has definitely played a big part in ours. We hadn’t actually planned to move yet - we were due to remortgage and carry on - but life doesn’t always go to plan, and that’s okay too.
Each month we'll be interviewing one of our uFurnish.com Home Awards finalists asking them all about their home renovation journey, their inspiration and more so be sure to come back each month to learn more. Find out more about our Home Awards here, follow us on Instagram here for more inspiration and updates and subscribe to our emails here for weekly offers and more.