pardon the mess

I'm a sucker for home improvement programmes and the big reveal at the end. By the same token, I cannot resist clicking on the "before" and "after" renovation pix of my Facebook friends. The more drastic the changes, the more I like.

I don't have any "after" photos yet, but here are some "before" shots of my 40-year-old flat, much of it still in its "original" condition, as real estate agents are wont to say.



The glass of the main door acts like a lightbox.



My beloved arch, leading to the kitchen.



Kitchen floor tiles which I'm keeping.



The entire toilet will be gutted, so there won't be a partition between the shower and the toilet.



I asked Mr Contractor if there are rubbish chutes which are foot operated. He looked at me like I was the laziest ass in the world.



I would have loved to retain the old skool sink but it was very badly cracked. I'm getting something similar, but with two basins. I still cannot believe that my sink costs double of my toilet bowl, which arguably has a more complex mechanism.



To the left, when you enter through the main door, is what I call the front balcony. Check out the terrazzo which I fondly describe as the colour of dried blood. I'm keeping it.



From the front balcony, you can enter the front room (there are two rooms). This wall will become a wall of bookshelves with a set of French doors set in the middle.



In the kitchen, on the left of the sink, is the back balcony, which it is going to be widened to be a dining room (the windows and walls on the left are coming down). There is a delicate mosaic hacking operation going on now to "borrow" as many tiles as possible from the kitchen and bathroom to extend the floor.



The back room, which is accessed from the back balcony. The wooden shutters will be saved to make a screen or something, not sure yet. Both front and back rooms are going to be hacked into one giant room.



Sadly, these sockets are extinct and I will be changing to modern white ones.



This looks like the most awesome retro tiles but actually is gross vinyl flooring which is completely cracked and caked with dirt.



Same as above, this is vinyl and will have to go. Below it is raw concrete which will be painted white and then covered with high gloss epoxy. Apparently, it is not super lasting, but we'll see.



Auntie Laura, who sold me the flat, left me her dressing table. It was her dowry from 40 years ago. Love!



Her husband, Uncle George (not his real name, but he looks like a George to me), left me his cupboard. He also gave me a bunch of film cameras and an old suitcase. Double love!



Renovation started about two weeks ago.



Any ideas what I can do with these grills? Throwing them away is not an option.



Exposed bricks! Not painted white yet.



The view from the living room into the giant bedroom (two bedrooms combined by hacking down the dividing wall).



Mr Contractor brought me to a retro tile shop after I turned my nose up at all the modern ones he showed me. Guess which tile I chose for the toilet floor?

I'll spare you the photo of the sink and toilet bowl I chose, but watch out for more renovation shots over the next month or so.