#Reena Simon

Lots of you told me you also have a cold 🤧, I hope I’m at the end of mine now. It’s days away from being 5 years since we got the keys to our single storey bungalow that we turned into ‘The Black House.’ I am not sure I will ever get over what we have achieved even if we have been the slowest ever renovators that Instagram has seen! I’ve shared snippets of my back story before but from being raised for part of my childhood in Women’s Aid refuges & in a single parent family, a complicated step family & a health crisis aged 39 which was also two years ago this month, I feel a great sense of pride of what we have achieved. I have a big vision and goals for where I would love to take @hygge_for_home next. Any ideas on what I’m thinking or even better what would you like to see next? It’s only with you all by my side that any of this has been possible 🤎 thank you! 🫶🏽 #reenasimon #scandirustic #myhyggehome #blackhouse

I feel like if “Scandi Rustic” was a season it would be Autumn 🍂 Cosy nights in, all of the texture, bringing the outdoors indoors! It’s definitely hard to say yes to going out at this time of year. But our girls are still at an age where 🎃is a big thing so definitely joining in with that. Will you be? #scandirustic #reenasimon #myhyggehome #scandihome

ad The question I get asked the most: where are your doors from? It was the renovation decision that took us the longest until I discovered @maxlightltd I’ve championed the brand since 2019 because I genuinely believe in what they do: creating light, calm, and a connection to nature through beautiful glazing. And now, it feels full circle, I’m joining them as Creative Director. Over the past few months, I’ve travelled across the country filming a new series, House Tours by Maxlight, exploring homes where light is more than design, its emotion, and design with feeling. The first film, The Home that Exhales, begins where it all started: here at The Black House in Wales. With Maxlight, the boundaries blur. We open the doors, and the house breathes. We would love you to watch the full House Tour LIVE on YouTube (link in bio). Creative Director Reena Simon Filmed by @nosa.casa_ Production for Maxlight Director, Photographer & Editor - @isseyrider DOP & Movi Op - @stephanknight_ Light. Architecture. Connection. Calm. Emotion. Design Series. Reena Simon x Maxlight.

ad The Art of Komorebi For this episode of House Tours by @maxlightltd I’m visiting the home of interior designer and Japandi author @catesthill exploring the idea of Komorebi. Komorebi is the Japanese word for dappled light as it filters softly through trees. As you move through the house, you begin to notice how light shapes the experience of each space. The connection to nature becomes part of everyday living rather than something separate from it. It’s a simple idea, but an important one, when light is considered carefully, a home begins to breathe. That sits at the heart of the philosophy of Maxlight, creating homes where glass is more than design, shaping atmosphere, connection, and the way a home feels to live in. The Art of Komorebi is now LIVE on YouTube (link in bio). I’d love you to watch the full tour. Creative Director: Reena Simon for @maxlightltd A @nosa.casa_ Production Director & Editor: @isseyrider DOP: @stephanknight_ Light. Architecture. Connection. Calm. Emotion. Reena Simon x Maxlight. A home that breathes begins with light. M

The story of a 1960s Bungalow renovated and turned into The Black House. Want to see inside the original bungalow next? x #hyggeforhome #scandimodern #reenasimon #theintentionalhome

ad I am delighted to announce the Reena Simon range designed in collaboration with @themaincompany We shared a vision for making a timeless kitchen and range that appreciates nature and beauty that surrounds us all in everyday life. We paid attention to every detail from fluting panelling which continues to the legs of the kitchen island. The combination of white-washed oak cabinetry and fluted glass evokes a sensorial feeling inviting you in. What detail draws you in or catches your imagination? If you would like to come and view the range, please pop to the Showroom housed at the Business Design Centre in Islington. And I will be there on Wednesday celebrating the launch of the Reena Simon range at the Surface Design Show. Filmed by @isseyrider

5 Reasons to Buy a Bungalow and Why I’d Do It Again … When we bought our 1960s bungalow, it didn’t have a first floor and it certainly wasn’t love at first sight! It wasn’t on a street lined with period or beautiful properties because it’s a house behind a house. But it had something better, potential! Bungalows often sit on wider plots, with front gardens that can become driveways and they can offer flexibility. We extended upwards and out, and we knocked down a lot of walls to create an open plan living space. I think they are adaptable too, serving us well now with our three girls but will still work when we are older and if they leave home one day! It might not be everyone’s dream home on paper. But for us, a bungalow was the most adaptable and rewarding decision we could’ve made. So here’s to all the humble bungalows out there which are often overlooked but worth a second look! Hope you have a lovely weekend.

1 more sleep & 24hrs to go before we our on our way to the new house! Everyone has worked so hard to get us in & over the past few nights the team @vale_venetian have bought our bathroom walls to life! . I went for a Tadelakt finish after obsessing over it for the past two years (it’s a waterproof plaster surface used in Moroccan architecture to make baths, sinks, interior and exterior walls, ceilings, roofs, and floors & is waterproof / water repellent) it’s so beautiful! I can’t wait to show you more & blog post coming to explain more about it. . In the meantime give @vale_venetian a follow for major wall finishes inspiration! I never knew there were so many options! . And we finally have a toilet which makes it debut at the end of the Reel! 😉😂🙌🏽 . You will have to wait for the full reveal to see the bathroom floor & the bath is being plumbed in today. . Reel features PR products from @kastconcretebasins & @crosswater_uk . #tadelakt #tadelaktbathroom #venetianplaster #limeplaster #bathroomdesign #bathroomremodel #bathroomrenovation #bathroominspo

How are you? Is it Easter Holidays / Spring Break for you? We are having a very rainy Easter holidays here in Wales!! This much rain definitely makes things trickier with the little ladies. So far we’ve been to the cinema to see Ghostbusters, it’s a 12a & I thought it would be all good, but there’s one scene which took me by surprise.. if you know, you know! 🫣 hoping it went over their heads! 🤣 They went to a baking workshop at my favourite bakery, swimming & today will be a PJ day. And in house news, we are finishing off the front garden ready for landscaping, drive is done ✔️ next is planting & lighting. And on the hunt for internal doors, debating wooden / glass or metal / glass. #reenasimon #hyggeforhome #scandirustic #hygge #hyggehome #blackkitchen #oka #scandinaviandesign #scandinavianhome #koselig

#reena #shankhdaar #2023 #♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️ #

We chose a bungalow and it wasn’t the obvious choice. There was no first floor, lots of small, disconnected rooms, and ours is actually behind another house, not the kind of home people usually imagine choosing. But it had something more important than instant curb appeal. It had potential. Looking back, these are the three reasons I would choose a bungalow again: 1. Wide, not tall Living mostly across one level changes how a home feels entirely. Spaces connect more naturally, light moves deeper through the rooms, and everyday life feels calmer because everything flows horizontally rather than being divided by floors. 2. The front garden becomes a useful space Many bungalows sit further back on their plots, which means our front garden could eventually become parking. It sounds simple, but always having somewhere to arrive home to is one of those decisions that makes daily life noticeably easier. 3. Room to extend Starting with a single-storey structure gave us real flexibility. We were able to extend upwards and outwards over time, allowing the house to grow alongside our family instead of needing to move when life changed. The simplicity of the original footprint made more design decisions possible. Sometimes a bungalow is less about what it is, and more about what it allows you to create.

Some of your favourite spaces in my neutral, Scandi Rustic home. I think this has to be a part one because I have so much more to say about the elements that bring together a sensorial home that appeals to all of our senses. I’ve had a busy week in London taking it all of the new Spring / Summer collections, I will share to stories for you. What are you looking for right now for your house? I am going to work on an Edit this coming week so if you haven’t found a vase or a light or need help choosing a paint colour or material, let me know. Enjoy your weekend & don’t forget to enter my Maldives giveaway! #scandirustic #reenasimon #scandinaviandesign #scandinavianhome #myhyggehome #hygge #cosyhome #cosyhomes