I’ve spent almost £80k to create my dream Bridgerton-inspired home!

Ahead of the launch of the new Bridgerton season (May 16th), innovative interiors brand, Ruggable, spoke exclusively to Bridgerton fan, Elle Hervin, who has shared an insight into her home decor that captures the regency aesthetic of the period drama.

40-year-old writer, Elle, moved into her 1930s semi-detached house in Whitley Bay in 2019:

“We bought the house in April 2019 and moved in later that year after doing a whole-house renovation in around 6 months.

The whole house needed gutting! It hadn’t been touched in around 40 years and still had 70s-style wallpaper in a few of the rooms, including E.T wallpaper inside one of the built-in cupboards! It was like stepping into a time-warp.

It needed a complete rewire and new plumbing throughout and we knocked down walls and reconfigured some of the rooms.

The overall cost of the renovation was around £70,000, including all major works, and then over the last 5 years, we’ve probably spent an additional £8,000 on decorating and furnishings.”

When finding inspiration for her renovated home interior, Elle explains how her own family and Bridgerton have influenced her decor decisions:

“My biggest inspiration was my grandparents’ home when I was growing up; my Granny had a keen eye for antiques and their house was filled with heirlooms, original oil paintings and beautiful antiques. My grandmother loved to mix old and new and she somehow made their rather boxy 1980s house look timeless and traditional. Mixing old and new to create a unique aesthetic is something I’ve grown up with and it’s definitely reflected in my décor style today.

I am also a complete sucker for period dramas! I love Bridgerton; it combines all my favourite things – feisty, multi-dimensional characters, divine décor that’s a true feast for the eyes and, of course, dreamy costumes!

The show is really inspiring in many ways but for me, I can’t get enough of the décor. I adore the use of layered fabrics, damask wallpaper, regal patterns and colour combinations; the opulence and decadence of it all is rather intoxicating!”

For other budding Bridgerton fans, Elle shares her top tips on how to master the regencycore interior look for each season:

“For all year round, use colour but stick to a simple palette of 2-3 complimentary colours for consistency. Layer patterned fabrics and cushions for a cosy, ‘granny chic’ style that’s both characterful and comforting.

For Spring and Summer, it is all about the big, blousy blooms for me; the house is filled with large floral displays which work so well against the warm tones of my antique furniture.

I absolutely love embracing a regency core aesthetic at Christmas time in particular! It’s the perfect time to embrace opulence and drama and so I always create a large, whimsical mantel garland featuring lots and lots of foliage and jewel colours to compliment the colour palette in my home.

More is more at that time of year I think and I also really enjoy adding traditional jewel-coloured ornaments to the Christmas trees; it gives the house an understated elegance which I think is key to capturing the ‘regencycore’ aesthetic.”