I’ve been a huge fan of Robyn Elliott since I first stumbled across her inspirational Instagram page: The House Account back in 2018. She is the undisputed queen of DIY, the handiest of girls next door, there’s no task too daunting for her to tackle. She’s also one of those rare personalities you just can’t help but love. There’s no heirs or graces, she calls a spade a spade, and if you don’t like it then you’d better walk on because she isn’t going to change. I adore her strength, her ability to inform and delight, and her tenacity when faced with life-altering events.
Robyn studied Fashion Business at university with dreams of becoming a buyer. But life had other plans. After spending 13 years working in insurance, her world changed suddenly in 2017 when her stepdad was diagnosed with terminal cancer. At the time, he and Robyn’s mum were her family’s main childcare support, meaning Robyn had to make the difficult decision to leave her job and be at home with her children. Tragically, her stepdad passed away before she had even worked her notice.
Finding herself unemployed for the first time, Robyn began building an online children’s clothing business and started documenting the renovation and styling of her home. What began as a creative outlet soon grew into a thriving career, with her honest, inspiring and down-to-earth content resonating with audiences across the UK and beyond.
Today, Robyn has built up a hugely loyal online community through her love of interiors, fashion, family life and brilliantly relatable content. She’s amassed over one million followers across Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Facebook, with over 900k on Instagram alone. If you are one of those followers then you’re going to love this interview as I delve deeper into her home life, renovation journey and what it was really like nearly losing your husband to be just before the wedding. If you’re new to Robyn’s world, then get ready, you’re about to make a new life-long friend.
How long have you lived in your current home? Tell us about its history and did you love it the moment you set eyes upon it? How does it differ from your previous home?
We only moved into our new house last October, so we’re still very much at the beginning of the journey. It’s an Edwardian property, built somewhere between 1901 and 1910, and it has six bedrooms and the most amazing period features.
It’s very different from our previous home, but that house was all about the location. When we bought it 12 years ago, our budget was obviously much smaller, and we never imagined we’d end up here. This is our third home, and all three have been renovations. That’s really how we’ve managed to climb the property ladder — by buying houses that needed work and slowly turning them into something special.
Tell me more about your last home and the huge amount of work you did to it. Is that where you learnt a lot of your DIY skills? Was it hard leaving it?
We bought our previous home for a really good price — £290,000 — and it genuinely was on our dream road.
We used to walk our eldest son, Cannon, down that road in his buggy and I would always say: “I’d love to live here one day.” Jake would reply: “One day.” But never in a million years did I actually think we would.
At the time, Jake used to work away from home. I saw the house come up on Rightmove and phoned straight away, even though we couldn’t afford the asking price. I managed to get a viewing the following day and took my six-year-old nephew with me because Jake was away for work.
I fell in love with it instantly. It was dated and needed completely ripping out, but I could see the potential straight away. I went home and put in an offer before Jake had even seen it.
They didn’t accept our first offer, so I went back with the absolute maximum the bank would lend us at the time, which was £290,000. It was £40,000 under the asking price, but they accepted it. Still at this point Jake hadn’t seen the house, so technically I bought it without him even stepping foot inside.
It was a probate house being sold by the grandchildren of the lady who had passed away, and they desperately wanted it to go to a family. I found out after everything had gone through that they had actually turned down a higher offer, which felt completely insane.
When we moved in, the previous owners had left lots of things in the loft. One day, we came across the mortgage offer and completion letter from when they bought the house in 1985.
My stomach nearly came out of my mouth.
The date on the letter, and the date they moved in, was 28 August 1985 — the day I was born. So, while I was being born just down the road, they were moving into the house that would one day become my home. It felt like fate. Like the path had been set from the beginning.
The reason I went into all of that is because, when we moved in, we were completely maxed out on the mortgage. We were skint, so the only thing we could do was learn how to renovate it ourselves. I started watching YouTube videos and just giving things a go — and the rest is history.
Ten years later, people sometimes think I’ve got it all worked out and that I know exactly what I’m doing, but the truth is, I literally just picked up the tools one day, watched a video and gave it a go.
Leaving that house was really hard, which is why we didn’t sell it. It is the most incredible house in the best location, but I also love that other people now get to come and visit it, see it in the flesh and experience how cool and full of life Folkestone has become.
Our first house was a two-year flip, and we made a nice profit on it, which gave us the deposit for what we always thought would be our forever home. Until recently, that is.
So you’re renting out your previous home now?
Yes, rather than selling it and closing the door on a decade of memories, we took a big risk choosing to give it a new life as a seaside holiday let. It’s been emotional, but incredibly rewarding too. Seeing the house loved and enjoyed by other families has made the leap feel all the more worthwhile.
Folkestone itself has become one of the UK’s most exciting coastal destinations, blending traditional seaside charm with a thriving creative scene, independent shops, brilliant restaurants, beach bars, the Harbour Arm and the town’s much-loved Creative Quarter. Our house is set on the seafront, so it’s brilliantly situated. It’s fully booked this summer, but there are still some dates available for the rest of the year. Massive plug, but do check out the Instagram page, or book online here.
Is your real home life in any way different from the life we get to see?
What you see online is definitely real, but there’s a lot more chaos behind the scenes. As a family, we’re constantly taking the mick out of each other, and we don’t take life too seriously at all.
How do you juggle being a mum, a full time content creator and all that home renovating? Do you have any help?
Funny you should ask this. Last year, it was definitely a struggle, but things have changed quite a lot recently.
Jake, my husband, has now left the company he was working for and works with me in the business. He also picks up a lot more of the home stuff, like the washing and school runs, so things are becoming much more balanced.
I don’t really broadcast that on social media, but it’s not a secret either.
Tell us about the time your now husband didn’t turn up for the wedding. That must have been a terrifying time?
He had one job: turn up. And he didn’t 😂
In 2023, we flew to Santorini to get married with 52 of our friends and family. Two days before the wedding, we went to the venue to pay the final balance for everything, and you know what weddings are like. We were talking thousands. So, two days before the wedding, everything was paid for and good to go. Or so we thought.
That evening, Jake went out with his friends for a meal and a few drinks. Honestly, it was nothing too crazy. Us girls and the kids all went out for a nice meal and then headed back to the hotel bar for a few drinks afterwards. The boys slowly started trickling back. It was around 10:30 or 11pm at this point.
One of our male friends came back and I heard him try to pull my best friend to the side. He said: “Come with me. Don’t get Robyn.” Obviously, hearing that, I went straight over and said, “What’s going on?”
He said: “Jake has fallen off the cliff.”
We all knew exactly what cliff he meant. Opposite our hotel was a 100-metre drop, with only a tiny wall in front of it. We’d already been there a few days, so we were all really paranoid and careful whenever we walked into town, holding the kids’ hands tightly and being extra aware of it.
Well, that was it. I just started screaming.
I don’t remember too much about what happened after that. It was such a surreal experience — a bit like a blackout. You know in films when people seem to go in and out of consciousness? It felt like that.
I was told it wasn’t going to be good and that they were trying to locate him. It was pitch black and there were no lights down there at all.
I was driven to the hospital, but when I got there, they wouldn’t let me see him until they had stabilised him. They couldn’t tell me anything, not whether he was going to be okay, not how bad it was, nothing. It was two hours of torture waiting outside that hospital.
Then the police turned up and I instantly thought the worst. I thought he was dead and they had come to tell me. But they had actually come to breathalyse him for insurance purposes. At the time, I had no idea.
Two hours later, they told me they had stabilised him and that I could see him. He was a mess. The first thing he said to me was: “Do you hate me?”
Crikey Moses Robyn, this is horrific. How bad were his injuries?
No one really knew how bad the injuries were until the next day. They spent the night scanning him and doing tests. The following day, they told us he had broken seven ribs, his back and one of his legs. One of his lungs had collapsed, and he had a mass on his spleen which they said could rupture at any time. They didn’t have the facilities there to deal with it. It was incomprehensible. I just couldn’t take in what was happening.
They said they needed to airlift him to Athens for an operation, and they booked the helicopter for that evening. He was only allowed one passenger with him, which was me, and the kids and everyone else had to stay behind.
That was probably one of the worst days of my life. I remember standing outside the hospital barely able to stand, just sobbing to my sister and sister-in-law.
While my bridesmaids packed me a bag, I was only allowed to take a small backpack and nothing else, my sister-in-law and brother-in-law took me up to the wedding venue, where I had to tell them we wouldn’t be getting married.
Later that evening, we were taken by the army in a helicopter to a hospital in Athens. The hospital was complete chaos. I had never seen anything like it in my life. There were beds and people lined up in every corridor with the most horrific injuries. We later found out that a car bomb had just gone off. It honestly felt like something from a Netflix documentary.
I’m not sure why, but I wasn’t allowed to be in the same room as Jake until they had assessed him. That wasn’t going to happen until the morning, so I had to go and find a hotel to stay in. I stayed there for two nights and then rented myself an apartment. Jake’s dad also came over to stay with me.
A lot happened after that. Jake had to be operated on, which was terrifying. The language barrier and the hospital conditions were really difficult to navigate, and it was just an incredibly overwhelming time.
After about three weeks, when I knew he was stable, I flew home to see our kids. My mum had taken them home from Santorini and was looking after them. The guilt I felt was indescribable.
After about another week, the holiday insurance flew Jake home in an air ambulance. He stayed in hospital for another couple of weeks back in the UK because they reassessed him and found that his other leg was also broken. That needed operating on too, with metal screws put in.
Eventually, he came home in a wheelchair and had to rebuild himself. I was also trying my best to care for him, washing him and looking after him, which I found really hard. But we got through it all.
We didn’t get our wedding that year, but we did return to Santorini the following year — twice. Once, just the two of us, to get some closure, and then a second time to finally live out the dream of getting married there.
And actually, as I’m writing this, it’s our second wedding anniversary tomorrow and we are both eternally grateful for a second chance.
Wowzers! Thank you for being so open about all that. I’m so glad, as I’m sure everyone else reading this is, to know that he’s ok. Seems a bit bizarre to carry on asking interiors-related questions after that, but onwards we must go. Describe your design style in one sentence.
I’m fully in my granny chic era!
How much of the way you feel about home is influenced by your home life as a child?
A lot, I think. When my parents separated, my sister and I went to live with my mum. She bought a really run-down house, she still lives in the same one now, and it needed so much work. I remember she bought it for £52,000, which sounds crazy now.
We spent so many weekends and evenings after school stripping wallpaper, painting and helping her do it up. I think that’s where my passion for interiors and renovating houses really came from.
Tell us about your garden and how important is it to you?
The garden in our new home needs a lot of work, but it has this gorgeous brick wall all around it and I can’t wait to see it come to life.
I am definitely the person who only likes white and green flowers, so the plan is lots of hydrangeas, especially out the front.
In the back garden, I really want to recreate something similar to the garden room we had at the old house. I would also absolutely love a small swimming pool, but I’m still working on Jake. You’ll have to follow along to see if he caves!
Our old garden was the hub of our home. We were always out there. We recently built a bar and a home gym in it, and we were always having friends over. Some of our best memories were made in that garden.
Other than family and pets obvs, if you could only save one item in your home in a fire, what would it be?
My tripod, so I could record it. That would make good content. 🤣🤣
One of the things I love about you is your sense of realness. It’s clear that what you show on your social channels is exactly as you are. Have there ever been times when you’ve filmed something and then thought better of it and binned it?
Hmmm, I tend to post exactly what I’m thinking, which does sometimes piss a few people off, but I’m okay with not being liked by everyone.
I will never be the person (again) who says something, or films something, just to look good or to be liked. I spent a lot of my younger years feeling like I wasn’t good enough, or I had to act a certain way to please people, but that couldn’t be further from who I am now.
What is your favourite place in your home and garden and why?
I think my favourite room will always be the kitchen. I love being in there cooking, drinking wine and watching my favourite podcast or a reality TV programme on my Echo Show.
DIY or get the trades in?
You’re probably expecting me to say DIY, but honestly, it depends what it is. We’ve just had the front of our house repointed and rendered. I did have a little go while the professionals were doing it, but it’s not something I’d consider doing properly myself.
Where do you get inspiration from?
Hotels when we’re on holiday, Instagram and Pinterest.
What does your ideal, no-plans-at-all Sunday afternoon look like?
Sundays are probably my favourite day. I love a roast dinner and a glass of wine. We have a Sunday Roast Club with our friends where we go to different local pubs every couple of months. We take it in turns to book the next place, then we usually head back to one of our houses, drink wine and crank up the old-school R&B.
Lamps or the big light?
Only psychos use the big light. I covered the big light switch in our old lounge with a tall dresser, and the little twats still managed to get their fingers behind it and turn it on.
If your home was on a 1-10 scale of “neat freak” to “total disaster,” where would it be and why?
At the moment, probably a 9. We’re living in a complete renovation, nothing has a place, and we don’t have a lot of furniture because we left most of it at our old house. It feels like a bit of a total disaster, which I’m not used to. When the house is finished — in about five years, knowing us — it’ll be more of a 2 or 3.
Tell us an interiors or gardening hack or handy tip you swear by.
If you’d asked me this last year, I would have said having a “putting away” basket for each bedroom for the washing. But now we’re redesigning our home, we’re planning a laundry room upstairs, and I’m hoping that will take the whole system to another level. Not having to take dirty washing downstairs just to wash it and bring it all back upstairs again feels like the dream.
Do you have an ultimate career goal or dream? Tell us something you haven’t achieved yet, but want to?
I would really like to reach one million followers on IG - purely for my Mum and the party, I’d love to give our friends a really good night to remember. So can I do a shameless plug here and ask people to give me a follow over on instagram @the_house_acc 😂
What is your go-to comfort meal to cook at home?
If it’s not a roast dinner, then it’s a slow-cooked lasagne with garlic bread and a good salad — beetroot, coleslaw, tomatoes, cucumber, spring onions, the full works — with a good drizzle of Sainsbury’s balsamic glaze.
New, vintage or both?
It’s got to be both. I love a good charity shop rummage as much as I love a Zara Home haul.
Cosy night in, or an evening out with friends?
It depends what mood I’m in. If I’m out with friends, I’m always the last one at the party not wanting to leave. But I definitely don’t do it as much as I used to, and a cosy night in with a hangover-free morning is just as nice these days.
Biggest ever interiors/garden splurge?
The garden room at our old house, or our suspended log burner. I miss them both so much!
Most avoided home or garden chore?
Hanging the washing out. I hate it.
What is the one room you will never show to anyone and why?
There’s nothing inside I don’t show. I’m a pretty open book. I do draw the line at showing my street name.
Proudest moment?
Probably graduating from university after a four-year degree. I was working full time, studying part time and renovating our first home all at once. They were tough times, and I very nearly dropped out in my final year. I’m so glad I stuck it out, because I graduated from UAL with a 2:1 in Fashion Business.
Oh, and I also got to go to the BAFTAS this year with P&O, which was pretty epic and very surreal.
What is your favourite part of the day?
Bedtime. I’d sleep for 12 hours a night if I could. I love sleep.
Do you have a secret guilty pleasure?
A nice cold glass of wine most nights. Although it’s not really a secret.
What’s your husband’s worst habit?
I honestly don’t know! Nothing really… he’s a pretty good egg. It used to be not answering his phone when he was out. We’ve been together nearly 20 years, so we’ve grown up together, but he’s nothing like he used to be. He’s a proper responsible adult now.
Biggest home or garden design disaster?
Nothing major to date — although putting our laundry room upstairs in the new house could end up being one. I suppose we’ll soon find out.
You’ve created a hugely successful career on social media. What advice would you give to anyone starting out these days?
Oh my god…….. the most important thing is BE YOURSELF!!!! You’re never going to please everyone so there’s no point in trying. You’ll end up coming across as someone you’re not. Be ok with not being liked by everyone, it’s impossible and genuinely I’m ok with it. I don’t feel the need to be liked by everyone, I’d rather stay true to myself.
Share the things you love and that make you happy because at the end of the day if this does become a full time job you’re going to be doing it every day and life is all about being happy.
If you could add a secret passage to your home, where would you want it to lead?
To the grape fields of New Zealand
If you could have a private tour of one person’s home who’s would it be?
Khloe Kardashian! - make it happen JP.
Design pet peeve?
Glossed white skirting boards. And yes, I’ve done it. We’ve all been there.
What’s the secret to a happy home?
Family and friends always around, parties, big Christmases, good wine, a good skincare routine and everything away in its place.
That’s my idea of the dream home.
I told you you’d love her! Isn’t she just a breath of fresh air? A huge thank you to Robyn for allowing us into her home and for sharing more of her life with us.
Join Robyn’s Instagram page here.
If you missed my first five guest interviews then you can find them all under the At Home With… tab at the top of my homepage. There are six more guest interviews lined up in the current series. Each new interview will be completely FREE to read.
This Friday will be the last weekly get together on our private chat before we all take a summer break. Be sure to join us at 5.30pm to have a little celebration. Don’t be shy, everyone is very friendly. We each share a photo of something that has made us happy this week, it could be a new room you’ve painted, a rose that’s blooming, or where you’ve been on holiday. We generally have a good old natter and a giggle. It’s lots of fun.
Our weekly get-togethers will resume for the autumn season on Friday 4th September. But, the chat is still available 24/7 to paid members to just say hi, or ask me or any of us here to solve your interior/gardening/travel dilemmas. There’s always someone around to help.
There’ll be another post from me on Sunday all about my latest vintage finds and how I’m going to use them in the barn. Plus, there’s a big barn renovation update straight after that. Have the best day everyone.
Just wanted to say a big thank you for all the heart ♥️ taps, comments and restacks (that’s the recycle symbol below). It’s the only way this little newsletter gets noticed by new lovely people just like you. Plus, it lets me know your thoughts and whether you enjoyed what you read. Xx
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