Woman's renovated cottage 'unsellable' because of the eccentric decor
An artist who spent three decades decorating her rundown country cottage says it is now “unsellable” after turning it into a “life size dolls house”.
Mary Rose Young, 61, bought her countryside cottage in Lydney, Gloucester, for just £30,000 in 1987.
The property – consisting of two separate cottages – was occupied by squatters before she decided to take on the project of renovating the dilapidated home.
Young has spent the last 30 years decorating her home, which she lives in with her musician husband Phil Butcher, in vibrant colours, loud patterns and playful trinkets.
Among the home’s many features are striking yellow and green walls, black and white tiled floors, a zebra-patterned toilet seat and bright pink furnishings.
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The ceramic artist put the cottage on the market in 2014, after estate agents said the property could sell for £500,000.
But so far, the “playhouse for adults” has failed to drum up any serious interest.
Agents have only been able to secure one viewing in six years due to her eccentric style, with the potential buyer choosing not to proceed.
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Despite the troubles in selling her kaleidoscopic home, Young refuses to paint over the decor - which she describes as “a playhouse for adults”.
Young said: “I love my house and the house really works for me. I’m a colourful person and I even have pink hair. I like it more and more as I get older.
“I made this house around my own life and I wasn’t thinking about it being sellable.
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“We’re living like two children in a doll’s house and in retrospect why would anybody else want to buy it?
“I just thought it might go to a mad collector of my work who might want to buy it, but no one was interested."