Tour Daniel Bland’s glamorous home filled with creative upcycling

When Daniel Bland and his partner viewed a Victorian semi in 2017, the high ceilings and features drew them in, despite the drab interior and missing original fireplace and coving in some rooms

Based in a Georgian market town in Cambridgeshire, the property is part of a row of historic houses that had been built in the 19^th century on the grounds of a hospital. It backs on to the local park, offering green open spaces for peaceful walks within the busy market town.

The house appeared to be liveable but hadn’t been updated in 20 years, so Daniel knew he had work to do. But after starting to decorate, he discovered water damage from a leaking roof, the tell-tale signs of which had been covered by conveniently positioned posters. The damp walls needed to be replastered and the roof repaired. ‘Luckily, other than replacing the boiler, the rest of the renovations have been mainly cosmetic,’ recalls Daniel.

Not knowing the state of the plasterwork behind it, Daniel decided to keep the vintage anaglypta wallpaper in-situ and incorporate it into his interior theme, adding architrave to create authentic panelling. ‘Since moving to a period property I’ve really lent into the Victoriana style and gothic influences,’ says Daniel. The resulting decor references traditional elements of the time with a contemporary spin, using rich strong colours, antique furniture and touches of decadence with his signature gilding.

‘Because the rooms are all quite different looks, I’ve tied them together by continuing gloss black woodwork throughout the house,’ he reveals. However, Daniel agrees that using darker colours can be daunting, especially when looking at swatches against a light background. He recommends painting a large swatch on to black paper to help minimise the contrast. ‘I find that removing white as a reference point gives you a completely different colour context.’

This approach, and the resulting moody interior, was a catalyst for Daniel’s change of career. ‘When I moved and began sharing my DIY projects online, I started getting enquiries from followers asking to hire me!’ he says. ‘Over the next few years, I reduced my hours at my retail job and my business started to grow.’

Daniel now works full time creating bespoke hand-painted murals and gilded finishes, and has recently launched his own metallic wallpaper collection at Bland Design, a fun word-play on his surname that’s in ironic contrast to the opulent decor he’s created.

Gothic notes

The layout of the property offered plenty of rooms off a long hallway that runs the length of the building; Daniel jokes that this was the biggest ‘room’ to deal with. The staircase was covered with beige carpet, which he promptly removed along with ‘one million staples’ before he discovered that the hallway floor wasn’t original, nor suitable for sanding. So he took the opportunity to get creative by hand-painting a black and white chequerboard design with a traditional marble effect using durable floor paint by Rust-Oleum.

Upstairs the hallway is all about the gallery wall – and gallery ceiling – with Daniel’s collection of prints, original artwork and objects spanning the space. He created the unique bent frame by cutting up a charity shop landscape frame and fixing it together at a right angle. This connects the gallery wall to the other pieces he mounted on the ceiling and is the project that has attracted much admiration from Instagram followers.

The living space was turned into a music room inspired by the second-hand baby grand piano he found for just £400 and his collection of old and broken instruments. When he found a set of green leather Chesterfield sofas at a local house clearance shop they were only £200 but in poor condition. After researching options, he discovered leather filler that he used to carefully repair the buttoned sofa arms.

Gilded glamour

Adding wooden beading to the kitchen cabinets gave them a panelled look, while new handles and a paint job completely transformed them for under £500.

In the master bedroom, Daniel discovered original floorboards and decided to simply clean and oil them to keep their character. Along with the caramel tones of the painted anaglypta and vintage wooden furniture, the floor provides a fitting backdrop for the standout parquet headboard. ‘I really wanted to make a feature headboard, big enough to fill out the wall,’ he explains. ‘Using a sheet of ply and some leftover reclaimed parquet from a previous project, I glued it in a herringbone pattern and framed it with architrave painted black.’

In the alcoves, he gilded the walls, floor to ceiling, ageing it to dull the shine and hand-painting magnolia trees and cherry blossom to create a truly bespoke chinoiserie look.

The gradient-painted ceiling and gold-leaf detailing on the stars and chimney breast of the guest room deliver a cocooning night-sky effect in what is now Daniel’s favourite space. ‘It’s so quiet and calming and I love to spend time in there with my cats Tallulah and Lord Mittens,’ he says.

WORDS: CASSIE FAIRY