Laura Melhuish-Sprague

[Liptastic]

There have been a few requests to create a thread for Laura and I have a few things I want to share, so I thought I'd get the ball rolling.

I love her house, beautiful 5 bed Victorian terrace in Somerset, that she bought with her now fiancé Oliver. They are not afraid to get their hands dirty and are renovating the house mostly by themselves, which is very impressive. I don't really care about her fashion content and it's a bit boring. I'm all about their reno content.

I was watching her older video "Get to know me" and she has changed her accent, in this video she says but in a very Devon accent, however now she really makes an effort to say it in RP. Ashamed of your roots, Laura?

 

[Definitely Maybe]

Yes I agree the RP strangulated vowels make my ears hurt. I do enjoy the diy content, and I agree that they both work very hard on their house. She does like classic, high end clothes but I feel most of them are too old for her . I haven't been watching her latest engagement/ wedding content and I tend to swerve her clothes hauls too.

 

[Liptastic]

When I started following her I couldn't really understand how she could afford of all those high end clothes and other bits and bobs of homewear when their house is £475k and they couldn't afford to do it up with professional help or buy a house that's already done up. I don't understand these type of priorities. Also it doesn't look that she earns that much from Youtube and Instagram, I would be surprised if it covered all of her expenses like mortgage/bills/food, so Oli's salary must be covering some of her purchases as well. I might be wrong and she's getting a nice 50k a year income from being an influencer, but checking on companies house, there's no info on her. Oli is a director of his family business though.

 

[andreaoid]

Thank you for this thread! I was waiting patiently for someone to start one. They are both very priviliged people who bought a half a million pound town house in their mid-20s because they could, it's simple as that. I really dislike how they portray themselves as 'normal' and relatable, just two john-does doing some dyi home reno. No, they are 100% not. Plus Oli's dad helps a lot, I believe he's a builder.
Their life is a like a postcard of middle class family, everething is so picture perfect (engagagement, house, holidays, etc.).

 

[Liptastic]

Can't deny they work hard on their house though, the 2020 reno highlight video was a great reminder on what they have achieved. But so true that this type of live is not achievable for most. I'd say this is beyond middle class in this day and age. The engagement is a fairy tale. Her decorating the house for Christmas and buying special wrapping paper is also so over the top. I don't know anyone who goes to such lengths.

I must admit it makes me feel like I'm missing out even though my financial situation is very similar to theirs, I still would not prioritise my spending in this way and go over the top with everything. It just seems so excessive.

Also forgot about their little income stream of renting out the downstairs bedroom, interesting to know what that would bring in. On The Anna Edit thread there's many debates about their new £1mil house and weather it has 6 bedrooms or 4, since the loft bedrooms don't really count in their case. In Laura's house it actual 6 full double bedrooms, it's a very large house and will get even bigger once they extend. For only £475k they did much better than Anna in getting a stunning house with a large footprint.

 

[Liptastic]

Exactly! I am pretty sure they are not really taxing their side income on the rental.

What feels a bit shady is actually the price of the house to me. It was £475k in 2018, whilst the house literaly next door sold for the same price in 2010 and according to the pictures it was in a similar condition to Laura's (old person's house). Other identical houses on the street were selling for £525k and £600k+ in 2008. Strange...

Just had a quick look as I was intrigued. The neighbours' house was in better condition, it was very dated, but clean and non-controversial with more well maintained garden. Laura also mentioned they put a note through the vendor's door to ask to view the house, sounds like they had a bit of a personal relationships going there and the vendor liked them, maybe they got a bit of a discount due to the absolute state the house was in?

I also wonder if they got such a good deal because the vendor had to sell quickly?

 

[Mrs McCarthy]

Oh, didn’t know she had a thread here!
Of course she is privileged, all influencers are But she does feel nicer than many others (hello, Lily Pebbles and Fashion Mumblr!), even if it’s just a facade. She is quite good with what she shows online it seems, and unlike Lily and Anna she actually has a degree related to interior design, so her opinions and ideas about it have some more base under them.

 

[Dontwritejustread]

I also said she worked in a tile shop company so her choices are good. Yeah she and Oli are financially stable from family but at least they fun to watch. Andddd they dont kill a beautiful old house with soo many modern choices!!! (yes I am looking at Lilly Pebbles)

 

[Harpyharpyunder]

She’s one of my favourites to watch atm!! It’s actually mine and my partners dream to buy an old house and do it all up, but we would never be able to afford all the Reno’s or actually have time to do it with our full time jobs.
I love how they’re trying to restore original features and are doing a lot of it themselves. Also I love how involved Laura is. Not to go too far into gender debates, it is a stereotype that more girly girl, I guess ‘well kept’ women like Laura wouldn’t want to get their hands dirty but she really does ! Which I love, and actually find super encouraging in my own life to just get on with stuff around the house because if she can do it so can I! I also like how they’re taking their time, and it doesn’t look like they’re producing much waste with getting a second hand kitchen, reusing the wood they have etc.
I’m a fan!
Also as a side note they seem to keep their relationship on the DL (which I appreciate bc I hate gushy OTT public relationships) but when you get snippets of their relationship it seems so nice and healthy, and Ollie seems super lovely too

 

[Liptastic]

Her being selected as a designed for Made.com collab was really impressive. Not sure their families are that well off. Ollie's family owns a jewellery business, but their accounts don't look too great. And someone said his dad is a builder? Laura also puts on her posh accent.

We bought a property at the same time as they did and I followed her journey throughout and yes, it's so impressive what they have done. Just the physical demand on their bodies is huge, especially keeping in mind Ollie used to commute to London and then do work on the house on the weekend. Or even now, working full time and coming home to do the floors. That's a mammoth task mentally and physically.

 

[PiggyPoo]

I love the reno content and some of the design choices they've made so far but her put-on accent makes me CRINGE

I found the drama with the wet room baffling. Surely there would be no need for noisy pumps etc if they just had a normal bathroom? Why do people feel the need for a wet room to splash about in?

Agree her life is unfolding like a middle class fairy tale. She will be married at 30, baby at 32 and 34 then open an art gallery on the Avenue, I'm calling it now.

 

[StrattyNeet]

I like her house content. She does come from a comfortable middle class background. But as the comedian Chris Rock says ‘ Don’t hate the player hate the game.’ In these times it is only young people from those backgrounds who could afford to buy a house and renovate to such a high standard relatively quickly. I do think she should stay away from present opening. I really couldn’t care less what your mother bought you for your birthday and clothes hauls. Klarna has a lot to answer for.

 

[Shmoogles]

I liked her much better before these last few months. She's unfortunately coming off a lot more fake and forced to me lately, and I find her and Ollie a bit...gag worthy? Sorry, they just for some reason come off as a bit too perfect and "nice". Also anyone that films a video of your proposal to put on YouTube I just can't see as genuine. She seems to have been making sure to be over-the-top "I'm sooooo happy and in love!" for the camera ever since, as well.

I guess they are taking great care with the floors, they've taken forever and it's tiresome to watch. Probably realistic though. Also deja vu with the bathroom shelves - she literally showed the same footage in two videos now? Wondering how long ago this was filmed now.

Also, I'm sick of the teasing with the bathroom "reveal". It looks like a zillion other marble bathrooms..... She's built it up way too much for me.

 

[Liptastic]

I liked her much better before these last few months. She's unfortunately coming off a lot more fake and forced to me lately, and I find her and Ollie a bit...gag worthy? Sorry, they just for some reason come off as a bit too perfect and "nice". Also anyone that films a video of your proposal to put on YouTube I just can't see as genuine. She seems to have been making sure to be over-the-top "I'm sooooo happy and in love!" for the camera ever since, as well.

I guess they are taking great care with the floors, they've taken forever and it's tiresome to watch. Probably realistic though. Also deja vu with the bathroom shelves - she literally showed the same footage in two videos now? Wondering how long ago this was filmed now.

Also, I'm sick of the teasing with the bathroom "reveal". It looks like a zillion other marble bathrooms..... She's built it up way too much for me.

She already showed majority of the bathroom, I don't understand what the big deal is. Did she forget she already gave us a full view of the bathroom flooring, loo, loo seat, sink etc?

I really hate their dark floors. Yes, they did an amazing job on them, it's back breaking labour... but in the end it looks like something an old couple would chose. They just hit 30, but their taste is so grandma sometimes. Perhaps it's because they are so desperately trying to be classy?

 

[Shmoogles]

She already showed majority of the bathroom, I don't understand what the big deal is. Did she forget she already gave us a full view of the bathroom flooring, loo, loo seat, sink etc?

I really hate their dark floors. Yes, they did an amazing job on them, it's back breaking labour... but in the end it looks like something an old couple would chose. They just hit 30, but their taste is so grandma sometimes. Perhaps it's because they are so desperately trying to be classy?

Yeah I cringed a bit when they first started staining them dark. Maybe because our house had so much very similar dark stained wood in it when we moved in, that I've since repainted. They looked gorgeous before they stained them.
I so far prefer the "temporary" work they've done on the ground floor to what they've shown of the permanent stuff.

And yes, she already showed us the bathroom tiles, the sink and toilet etc., and now the shelves (twice). Really stretching out her content the last couple of months.

 

[Mrs McCarthy]

She stopped doing her fashion content for some reason, she doesn’t really do vlogs, so if renovations have slowed down, what can she talk about?

 

[Liptastic]

She stopped doing her fashion content for some reason, she doesn’t really do vlogs, so if renovations have slowed down, what can she talk about?

I never cared about her fashion content, I found her when they bought their house, her video came up as a recommendation. I think a big chunk of her followers are the same, only here for the reno content.

 

[Mrs McCarthy]

I never cared about her fashion content, I found her when they bought their house, her video came up as a recommendation. I think a big chunk of her followers are the same, only here for the reno content.

I am there for everything really, and have been subscribed before the renovations started. It’s just boring to hear about the same thing over and over again.

 

[andreaoid]

Laura is such an embodiment of middle class Brtitishness and I am here for it. Like a Millennial version of The Archers.

 

[Liptastic]

None of her handles on the Alexa ad IG stories were active, so you can't click on the amazonuk and alexa99 that she's advertising, not doing a great job there. Did Amazon actually approve this? It's not like it's Laura's first time doing ads