Natasha, Skope electric fire, Sports bar renovation

Natasha ,
Natasha 's Product
January 29, 2019

As well as a Skope 135R Inset electric fire, Natasha also enjoys getting cosy in front of our Yeoman Dartmoor gas stove with her lovely cat, Gus.

Read more below about Natasha’s impressive Sports bar renovation. You can follow her on Instagram for further home renovation updates: @inside_oak_house.

Tell us about your Sports bar renovation…what inspired you?
We have a large double garage, which is separate to our home, and is situated behind the house within the gardens. We always knew it would make a great garden room of some description, as we never used it as a garage or for storage as we have other storage areas, so it was an unused space and such a shame! It was my husband, Brad who said how about a bar/sports room with pool table, darts board etc. and bar area! So that’s where it all started, armed with several ideas, luckily my dad is a joiner/carpenter so he could bring all our ideas to life! We love a real mix of interior styles, generally modern styles but bringing in some traditional elements to compliment.

What do you love most about your home? What is your favourite feature?
We love all of our home it’s a similar style to the sports room, we love bold dark skirting with chalky neutral paint on the walls, mixing unusual wallpapers to add interest with a modern version of the classic column radiators to match the dark skirting. We spend a lot of time in the garden in the summer and have spent many years getting it to where it is now! So now with the addition of the sports/bar room, it will be even more perfect! It has big bi-fold doors and a bi-fold window with granite bar area that sits both inside and out, so the room can be as one with the garden in summer time and we can all sit around the bar in the sun whilst still watching the sports. We thoroughly enjoy entertaining friends and family, so I certainly think that now more than ever the garden is going to be the favourite part of our home & will be a big hit with everyone else!

What drew you to our Skope 135R Inset electric fire?

As we had already renovated the driveway to our home, we were limited to what we could have, gas was not an option and expense wise it would have been a massive additional cost onto the project to add in a multi-fuel/log burner. I looked at several electric fire options, and this one looked the most realistic with several customisable options with the colour of the light for the bed and flame effect. Built in easily enough by my dad into the cabinets, which he custom made using MDF and timber.

What is your advice to anyone looking to renovate their own home?

Do your research into everything! I tirelessly look into every aspect, order samples of everything to make sure I’m happy with all the elements together before I commit. Nothing worse than painting the walls to realise they don’t match your flooring or fabric choices! Obviously things can be changed, but it can all get very costly! Ensure you get credible workman who you can trust, and gather as many pictures as possible as I think it’s easier to explain what your visions are by pictures! And finally, the budget!! Prioritise where and what is most important to you and where you can save money in one area to maybe pay more on another! My husband was adamant he wanted a particular pool table, so we decided not to have such a fancy flooring like we may have had, and also my dad and I made the sofa area instead of buying ready-made corner sofa! Lastly, shop about, get several quotes for the same work (don’t necessarily go with the cheapest) but by doing this it ensures your not going to get ripped off!

If you knew your retailer, can you tell us why you chose them?
We originally were going to buy the fire from an online retailer, as this was the best price we could find, but due to stock issues and quite a long delay we decided to cancel the order. We then happened to find a local retailer (Fireplace Warehouse) that actually sold Stovax/Gazco, and also were able to price match to what we had seen online! We were able to see it working in the shop, and also ensure we had someone to go to if we encountered any problems.

Retailer Name: Fireplace Warehouse
Social Media: @inside_oak_house

Please note that Stovax & Gazco accept no liability for their installation suitability, safety or building regulations conformance. The images shown on these pages are from real independent homes, many taken before installation is complete, and these form no basis of an installation recommendation by Stovax or Gazco. Please consult the complete installation instructions for your chosen product and consult with an appropriately qualified person for your own installation.