Interview boydens.co.uk 44 TRUE wishes come Making We chat with ‘The Home Genie’ Georgina Burnett, TV presenter and property author, about her love of a renovation project and top tips for buying or selling a home. What triggered your interest in property and home renovation? My parents always renovated to enable them to move up the ladder as we weren’t wealthy, so I grew up thinking that’s what people do. I’ve always loved interior design, and painstakingly styled my rooms when I was growing up. When I was renting, I moved 12 times in eight years and yet, each and every room I lived in, I put weeks of effort into making special with whatever budget I had. My now husband then bought a flat in Folkestone, which I decorated and styled with upcycled furniture and, when he sold it, the buyer wanted everything in it as well, which gave me the confidence to continue! Tell us about your first experience of buying a property… It was about 12 years ago and was a terraced Victorian house. It was incredibly dated and nicotine-stained. I had to remove many layers of wallpaper whilst nicotine dripped on me from the ceiling! The whole house needed decorating, new carpet, and I renovated the original Victorian floorboards myself on the ground floor. We also extended the kitchen where there was a lean-to originally. I will always have a soft spot for this place. The bathroom was my favourite. When we removed the dolphin tiles, it exposed some beautiful brickwork, which we decided not to tile over and created the most beautiful bathroom on a very low budget! When did you start working your magic for other people seeking advice on their own home projects and what made you want to do this? I’ve been life coaching clients since 2007 with great success, but about 10 years ago I think it was, there was a client who just wasn’t progressing. So, I asked if I could see his flat. It became clear he was a 30-year-old man stuck in a time warp of his 20-something student self. So, together we created his power room, which became his space for strategic thinking and planning. It was like a
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