Who is the Girl About The House?

Girl About The House is owned and run by Jan Rothwell, who also does most of the work alongside her husband John.

When did you first start designing and decorating?

When people ask me,”how long have you been in business”, I find it difficult to answer. My service has really evolved over the last 20 years or so and has had various forms.

I have always been interested in art and design, even as a child I noticed how friends and relatives homes were decorated and decided my home was going to be beautiful when I grew up.

I was fascinated by new trends, and envied designers because they had a job doing what they loved. The problem was that they were often too expensive for most people. I thought this was wrong. In those days (late 1970′s early 1980′s) there was not the access to affordable products and shops were very uninspiring.

I started advising people informally about how to make the best of their homes, what colour schemes and accessories to use and where I had found the best deals to buy them.

In the meantime I had a pretty varied career working at different times in sales, Social Services and even a stint as a Playboy bunny!

Over the years, especially whilst at home with two young children, I continued to improve my skills, working on my own homes, reading essential info and advising people I met how to make the best of their houses. I had always sewed my own clothes to make them different, so it was easy to extend my skills and I started making soft furnishings, cushions, curtains, duvet covers, customising lampshades etc.

Together with my husband John we renovated, restored and refurbished houses in various places including, Stockport, Wales, Shrewsbury, Telford. We also have been working on one in Italy, where we lived for a time.

My first company

During this time I qualified as an Interior Designer and a painter and decorator.

I found myself not only designing and decorating people’s homes to live in but also spending time advising people who were moving house how to make the best of their home in order to sell or rent it quickly. This wasn’t talked about much in the media at the time but proved very successful and in fact two years later a programme appeared on the television doing exactly the same thing.

I started my first business ‘Ideas on a Shoestring’, specialising in providing interior design advice at affordable prices.  Initially I contracted out the work to various people, including soft furnishers (who also worked for Laura Ashley), decorators and a handyman who worked to my specifications but I realised that I felt more fulfilled carrying out the decorating myself and that it was the only way to guarantee that the work met my exacting standards! So I resolved not to subcontract but to see every job through personally along with my husband John, where needed.

During this time we were both working in other jobs too. John managed the factory at Laura Ashley in Mid Wales and I worked in various well paid social care jobs in childrens homes and with vulnerable people in various locations including Mid Wales, Shropshire,  Manchester and Cheshire. We also fostered children for four years, whilst living in Stockport.

My second company

Whilst doing this work,  I realised how many ladies were nervous of having male workers in their homes.

This gave me the idea to set up a female decorating service and I called this company ‘Girl About The House’ which has thrived. Even I was surprised at the level of demand but I always felt there was a greater need out there. Due to my vast experience in all fields and qualifications, I decide that I need to diversify again if I wanted to continue to have a unique service.

The best of both worlds

As a result I decided to run a combined one stop shop, advising on interior design, advising on and purchasing materials and accessories and carrying out the decorating personally.

Which brings me up to present day.

Why has it worked so well?

My business is very successful, because I care about you and want you to have a home you love, for a reasonable and affordable price. My consultations are based on high street prices, which means affordability

Not just that but we rely on word-of-mouth and have worked hard to build a reputation so our standard of work is very high.

Our combined and varied skills mean that we are able to adapt items to your requirements, where possible. We love a challenge and the satisfaction of making you happy in your home.

Our one stop shop approach is popular, because it cuts out any friction between designers and tradespeople, creating a stress free environment for you.

Call us now to arrange a consultation or click here to use our contact form