Hitting the spot

We’re in plant paradise after visiting Amy, owner of Gloucester Old Spot pub, and Phil, a head chef, in their beautiful Easton home. We chat about how they transformed their two-bedroom house into a home for the couple that is soon to become a family of three.

From Pub Owner to Home Designer

Amy took on the pub seven years ago and lived above it for the first four years. “I re-branded the pub and completed lots of renovations there - knocked through walls, re-did the garden and completely re-decorated. I’m always thinking about new projects to do around the pub, so when I saw the opportunity to buy this house, I was eager and excited to have another space to get creative and renovate. I was initially attracted to the size of the house. I moved to Bristol in my early 20’s and it reminded me of the house I lived in then in Southville - the period features and high ceilings, I loved it!”

Unveiling Potential

Despite the gorgeous green oasis, the house is today, it hasn’t always looked this way. “It was definitely a little run down, but I saw a lot of potential as I love getting stuck into a project. We spent the first three months renovating, starting in December and we didn’t move in until March. We did the lot - ripped up carpets, sanded all the floors, a lot of plastering, installed a log burner and generally just tidied everything up. Then once we moved in, we completed all the paintwork and decorating. Six months later, we moved the bathroom upstairs and created an office space downstairs with a new roof, carpets, and plastering. In lockdown, we did up the garden and put the decking in, and just last month we painted the back of the house too.”

“It was definitely a little run down, but I saw a lot of potential as I love getting stuck into a project"

Embracing Community

Widely known for its strong community, Amy and Phil have loved living in Easton over the past three years. “It has everything you need! Just around the corner on St Marks Road, there’s East Bristol Bakery, Thali, and The Garden of Easton, as well as The Greenbank pub and Este Kitchen close-by too. We’re also a two-minute walk from the Bristol to Bath cycle path which is so handy!”

Plants, Instagram, and Vintage Finds

“I decorate with lots of plants, of course, I’m obsessed! But I get most of my interior inspiration from Instagram and Pinterest as I follow a lot of home accounts. I mostly source furniture and homeware from antique shops, car boots sales and Facebook marketplace. I love vintage style pieces with some life in them, so I mainly buy second-hand - and it’s cheaper!”

Future Plans 

With dreams of being back in the countryside, the couple is planning to move to the Wye Valley area. “We’re on the hunt for somewhere fairly close to Bristol but with a bit more peace and quiet, away from the city life. We both grew up in the countryside, I was just outside of Bath and Phil grew up in the Cotswolds, so we’d love for our future children to have the same experiences that we did!”

"I mostly source furniture and homeware from antique shops, car boots sales and Facebook marketplace. I love vintage style pieces with some life in them, so I mainly buy second-hand - and it’s cheaper!.”