From Skip Diving to Magazine Cover
Amy Kitcher, who lives in Mountain Ash with her husband Kev O’Connor and their two teenagers, has transformed her late-Victorian semi-detached house into a vibrant, personality-filled home full of colour and pattern. The home is featured in the June 2026 edition of HomeStyle Magazine under the headline, 'It’s got period charm with a modern twist'.
Amy says: “I’m absolutely thrilled to see our home on the cover of HomeStyle. When we first moved in, the house had beautiful original features but felt quite clinical, so I wanted to bring warmth, colour and personality back into it. I’m proud that a home from Mountain Ash has been featured nationally — and I hope it inspires people to be brave with their own style.”
Patience and Bargain Hunting
Amy sources items on Facebook Marketplace, eBay, and Gumtree, but she also has a knack for spotting skips and items left on pavements. She laughs: “I do love a bargain and I think my husband would prefer it if I loved even more bargains! We were driving home and somebody was ripping out a house and there was a skip by the side of the road and in the skip was the most gorgeous Victorian door. We asked if we could have it, now it's currently on my daughter's bedroom.”
She adds: “I think that in a way is if you're doing like an older house or period house, it's more important to look for vintage items because they come with history, all of the people who've owned it before, they bring in their own character and story.”
Worth the Wait
Amy is patient as well as thrifty and will only bring items into her home that she finds irresistible. She says: “Two weeks ago I drove to Bristol to get a vintage door, another one is being sent from a salvage yard in London - I've literally spent two years looking for these doors and I managed to find two in about a month. So that's amazing, it was worth the wait.”
“I love charity shops too, you can visit month after month and then suddenly you find something you want and need, and it's a brilliant feeling; being patient. We don't have a carpet on the landing yet because I haven't managed to find one that I like and that's been maybe three years now.”
Art as a Starting Point
Once an item is welcomed into the house, Amy decides how to personalise it - new handles, upcycled with paint, stencilling. However, she says the simplest way to change a room is a piece of art. This love of artwork came to the rescue when Amy was stumped about how to visually connect the kitchen to the dining area - the wall was bare and so she painted a large patterned stencil on it, which is now a major feature.
Another way Amy has brought art into her home is via a stunning wall mural in the hall that has informed the rest of the décor in that space - the colour tones, the patterns, the vibe.
Gaining Colour Confidence
Amy's home is packed with pattern and oozes colour, but she says anyone worried about stepping out of their beige comfort zone should start small. She says: “So I think people feel nervous because they think, 'oh, what if it looks bad?' Well, don't worry, if it looks bad it's not like a tattoo, it's not permanent! You can undo it, so just try it.”
“You don't have to do a whole room, just paint one wall, bring in one item, style one shelf on a bookcase. Just ease yourself into things. Then build on what you find you love, maybe a wallpaper, and then spiral it out from there.”
“If you're not ready, if you genuinely don't know what to do, then maybe just wait a little bit longer because there's no rush, you're not on a ticking clock or anything. So, just take your time until you fall in love with something and then the confidence comes from that, comes from the things that you love.”
Choosing a Favourite Room
When asked to choose her favourite room, Amy finds it a challenge. She says: “I love being in the kitchen. It's highly functional space that really works, with appliances hidden but I love being in there because of the colours, it's a bit like a jewellery box using the colours that I love, it's a lovely space to cook in and to be with the kids.”
“But then, you know, in the winter in the front room, the one with the big fireplace and the yellow chimney breast, we've got a wood burner; we close the door, we put the wood burner on, and it's the most cosiest, snuggliest, comfortable room to be in.”
“But then, on a Sunday morning, when I'm having a lie in, the bedroom is quite cocooning and we open the curtains and we look out across the valley, so all I can see from bed is the greens of the hillside opposite, or if it's autumn the russets of all the dying bracken - it's lovely.”
“So, you know, it's difficult to choose, it's a bit tricky to say which is my favourite because I genuinely do love all of them.”
Personal Style is Key
Amy adds: “When it comes to interior design not everything is for everybody, but if we all liked the same things... you know, the world would be a really boring place if all our houses were identical. It's your home and you only have to please yourself. So if you work from that basis, if you like it then it's right - you can't make a mistake if you like it.”
