Introducing The Salvage Squad:
A Home Makeover Show with a Difference!
The Salvage Squad is a fun new home interior makeover series packing an important sustainability punch. Each episode features two families who have the opportunity to get a room makeover with a twist - everything must be freecycled, up-cycled, sustainable, second-hand or salvaged!
This series is all about bringing joy back into tired spaces. The Salvage Squad designers, upcycling experts and trusty tradespeople are tasked with the transformation on a budget of €1,000 and just three days to sustainably turn a neglected room into a gorgeous, functional new space. But this isn’t a budget show – it's all about thinking outside the box and putting sustainability to the forefront.
Kevin & Jenni from our Nutgrove store meet Team Salvage Squad
Pat McDonnell Paints – Sustainable Paint Suppliers to The Salvage Squad
Pat McDonnell Paints were delighted to supply paints and painting accessories to team Salvage Squad! For the most sustainable option, we felt that Ralston was the perfect fit!
Ralston uses the latest technology to create paints that are not only high-quality but also friendlier to our environment. This water-based paint range uses premium raw materials derived, where possible from natural sources to minimise the environmental impact of their products. Extending the life cycles of their paint products, and striving to reduce waste, water usage and CO2 emissions are core to their manufacturing principles.
Ralston's biobased range is VOC-free and made from fully renewable, sustainably extracted organic ingredients while maintaining best-in-class paint performance. The BIOseries contains raw materials that can grow back within the lifetime of the paint. These materials are extracted from renewable sources, produced responsibly and don’t negatively impact on the food chain.
Episode 1, House A: Ali & Ríona in Cobh
For the first episode, The Salvage Squad travelled Leeside to help two families based in the colourful seaside town of Cobh. Kerry-based designer Aoife Tobin (aka @stylesosimple) helped mother and daughter, Ali and Ríona, breathe new life into their kitchen-dining area.
Cramped and furnished with a mishmash of items accumulated over the years, this room was in need of a refresh. “The plan is to really give it a complete uplift”, designer Aoife explained, “So... we will paint the walls, paint the skirting, paint the doors. Everything needs to be lightened and brightened.”
To give the area a much-needed breath of fresh air, Aoife created a fresh, cool-toned colour palette inspired by Ali’s artwork. The walls were painted in ‘Arctic Fox’ by Ralston. This was paired with ‘P12920’ (colour available in-store) in Ralston Aqua Satin which was applied on the skirting boards and arxchitrave/door frame.
To give the kitchen a cheap and cheerful update, the team applied a crisp white on the tiled backsplash on which they then painted stencils in ‘P12920’. To get the perfect finish on the tiles, they used Ralston Aqua Satin.
Episode 1, House B: The Murphy's in Cobh
For the second makeover, Cork-based Interior designer Cathy Angelini (@cathyflamingo) helped young couple Nick and Naomi make over their living room. Nick and Naomi had recently moved in and had little budget to furnish and decorate their home. The living room posed a particular challenge with its 1970s-style orange-coral carpet!
For the design, designer Cathy leaned into the carpet colour by implementing a Wes Anderson-inspired colour palette made up of pinks, oranges, greens and mustards.
She opted to use the soft pink of ‘Setting Plaster’ to provide a backdrop for this colourful design, painting the walls, skirting and radiators in this shade. To achieve this colour-drenched effect, Ralston ExtraTex Matt was used on the walls while Ralston Aqua Satin was applied on the skirting and radiators.
For something special – dad, Nick, worked with Salvage Squad handyman, Trevor, to build a custom toy box for baby Iarlaith. This beautiful piece was finished in G19570 with sprayed-on gold accents.
You can tune into The Salvage Squad on Sundays at 8pm on Virgin Media One or online via the Virgin Media Player.