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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Charlotte Smith & Frances Kindon

Stacey Solomon's stunning Pickle Cottage makeover - luxe pool, secret gym, epic man cave

Stacey Solomon and her husband Joe Swash regularly share updates of their idyllic life in the Essex countryside.

The happy couple have spent the last two years renovating the Tudor-style Pickle Cottage - a £1.2million mansion tucked away in 2.5 acres of greenery.

The stunning pad boasts its own library, swimming pool, gym, man cave and conservatory, and comes with a gorgeous sprawling garden.

It was where they tied the knot last July; where their first daughter Rose, one, was born and where their new baby will call home.

The couple are also parents to son Rex, three, and Stacey has sons Zachary, 14, and Leighton, 10, from previous relationship, while Joe has son Harry, also from a previous relationship.

Stacey and Joe pictured at Pickle Cottage with their blended family (Instagram)
Stacey transformed the Essex mansion into a Christmas wonderland (staceysolomon/Instagram)

And the kids have played a massive role in the stunning transformation of the one-of-a-kind space.

Here, The Mirror takes a look inside Stacey's not-so-humble abode...

Rose's nursery

Stacey went all out with the pink for Rose's room (staceysolomon/Instagram)
She installed a flower wall for her little girl (Instagram)

Joe and Stacey delayed their wedding when they found out Stacey was pregnant with daughter Rose to ensure all their children could join them on their big day.

And as the only baby girl in the house, Stacey went all out for her nursery.

Rose's room follows a gorgeous pink and white theme, with a beautiful feature pink flower wall that Stacey handcrafted herself.

The room also houses numerous pink stuffed animals and a white crib and rug, as well as other heartfelt details the couple added in for their daughter.

Taking to Instagram, Stacey shared an image of a crafted a rose lamp - similar to that of Disney's Beauty and the Beast - with the caption: "Just a little something from me to you. May it always remind you of mummy and how excited we all are to meet you."

The kitchen

Stacey gave the kitchen a major facelift (instagram.com/staceysolomon)

Another room at Pickle Cottage that has recently been given some TLC is the kitchen, which has had new floor tiles as well as an eco-makeover.

Speaking to her followers on Instagram, Stacey revealed she has gotten rid of the beloved Aga oven that came with the cottage, citing its impact on the environment.

She said: "Audrey the Aga. I love her so much. We fell in love with her when we moved in but it was gas & used a huge amount from a tank in the garden, so we sent her back to Aga for them to repurpose & switched it for an electric one to save energy.

"I called her Audrey and I'm going to jazz the wall up behind her with something special so she stands out even more."

Bathroom

Stacey showed off her DIY skills after transforming her bathroom (staceysolomon/Instagram)
She opted for classic detailing on the sink and toilet (Instagram)

When Stacey and Joe first bought Pickle Cottage, the dusty and dated bathroom was in desperate need of some attention. But fast forward to now, the bathroom couldn't look any more different thanks to Stacey's DIY skills.

When she moved in Stacey said she loved the original detailing on the toilet and the sink so decided to keep those and base the room around it.

She complemented the pale blue walls perfectly by adding corner shelving, which she picked up from Amazon for £35.99, and Primark pampas grass sprigs.

Rex's room

Stacey’s youngest, Rex, wasn't shy when it came to showing just how happy he was with his new bedroom.

In a Instagram post, Stacey shared a picture of her son smiling ear to ear in his brand new grey-and-white bedroom.

The room boasts white walls decorated with trees, birds panda bears and a quote that reads: "The best thing to hold onto in life is each other."

The traditional fireplace in Rex's room was also transformed with white tiling and a black and grey floral pattern.

Stacey says she does the majority of the DIY herself, with the help Joe, and often visits shops such as Amazon, Dunelm and IKEA for her bargain buys.

Dino toilet

Rex also has his own bathroom which is dinosaur-themed (Instagram)
The soap holder is a dinosaur hand (Instagram)

One of the most recent parts of the house to be renovated is the upstairs bathroom which has been transformed with a dinosaur-theme design for their son Rex.

With a plethora of T-Rex toys and even some dinosaur footprints stuck on the floor, fans praised the couple for their creativity that Rex was over-the-moon with.

After the bathroom was completed, Stacey shared photos of Rex bursting with joy as he took in all the details for his brand new bathroom.

Swimming pool

Stacey renovated the pool at the property (Instagram)
The family love spending time in the water (INSTAGRAM)

At first, Stacey was unsure about the pool due to her fear of open water.

But one renovation later and you can't keep her and the family out of it.

The kind-hearted turned it into a lido for her neighbours last summer and recently upgraded the brick work.

Stacey explained: "We couldn't keep the bricks, they were falling apart, so we had to put helli-bars in and support it and then i chose a textured render (so it still felt aged) to go over it and I love it."

The secret gym

Joe and Stacey transformed an old out-building into a gym (Instagram)
The room even has its own personalised logo (Instagram)

Fans thought they'd seen all there was to see at Pickle Cottage until it emerged there's actually a secret gym!

The couple decided to turn one of their many outhouses into a fitness space, and the results were shared on UK company GarageStyleLTD's Instagram page.

The floor is kitted out in a sleek grey covering, but the pièce de résistance is the personalised 'Pickles Gym' logo with floral detailing in the centre of the expanse.


Man cave

Stacey made Joe a man cave for his 40th birthday (Instagram)

The Loose Woman star celebrated Joe's 40th birthday by making him a stunning 'man cave'.

The 32 year old completely transformed their 'Cluedo room' to include a pool table and memorabilia from Joe's career including the MasterChef logo and an Albert Square sign from his EastEnders acting days.

The star covered the original wood and painted the room a blue-grey colour, as well as adding a large corner sofa and pool table.

Stacey wrote on the stories: "So... sorry this has taken forever. I know it's annoying but 5 kids 2 dogs and a Joe Swash I don't get much time.

"I added the last special bits to Joe's room."

As she shared a video of the big reveal, she said: "And then it was time to show him. He was sooooo happy.

"He also was like 'I'm scared to go in babe.' He was worried about his reaction. The pressure."

The sweet clips showed the boys looking just as excited as Joe, with Stacey finishing off with: "Love you to the moon and stars and back again Joe, Always and forever."

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