10 minute read
‘WE LOVE URBAN ECLECTIC
from Hjjhj
by elloco2019
‘We love urban
COLOUR FRAME
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‘Grey paint on the door creates contrast, while my artwork by Eduardo Muñoz Bachs adds fun’
COME ON IN!
IDEA TO STEAL
ABOUT ME I’m Rachel Turner, 46, a fashion brand consultant. I live here with my partner JJ Maurage, 44, a TV editor and musician, and our daughters Edie, 14, and Minnie, seven. OUR HOME A two-bed apartment in a converted Victorian bank in Brighton, bought in March 2020. WHEN WE MOVED IN It was an unloved student rental flat that hadn’t been touched since the 1990s, with a leaking bathroom and outdated kitchen. AND NOW New kitchen and bathroom, brickwork exposed, a disused lift shaft turned into a dressing room, floors painted and the whole apartment redecorated. STYLE TIP Don’t take yourself too seriously. Buy what you like and a relaxed eclectic style will emerge.
ROUGH WITH THE SMOOTH
‘I painstakingly exposed the original brickwork to add character to our open-plan space. I love the downtown New York loft vibe we’ve created’
ECLECTIC STYLE’
With patience and hard work Rachel and JJ transformed a dated and unloved student rental into a cool and contemporary family apartment
My partner JJ and I had moved to a village on the outskirts of Brighton when our daughters Edie and Minnie were little, for a change of pace and a home with much more space compared to our previous property in nearby Hove,’ says Rachel. ‘It was supposed to be a short-term change, but in the blink of an eye, six years had passed, and our eldest daughter Edie was now a teenager!
‘She was beginning to struggle with living in the country, spending more time with friends in town. As we were keen to get back on the Brighton property ladder, we decided a move back into the city was our next step. Elsewhere in the country we might have afforded a grand, family home. In Brighton, however, we could only stretch to a two-bed apartment. But you have to start somewhere!
Sound investment
We wanted to be savvy and find something that would work for us financially, a property that could be rented out, giving us an income to then rent something bigger for ourselves. We found a run-down two-bedroom apartment in a converted Victorian bank. The location was perfect, right in the heart of Brighton and only one block from the sea, but it had been let to students and hadn’t been updated since the 1990s. It felt very unloved. Most people would have been put off, but I instantly saw the potential. The two double bedrooms were on the small side, but the open-plan kitchen and living area was huge and there was a glimpse of the sea from the front windows. I felt an instant connection and knew this
was the property for us. We exchanged contracts at the beginning of March 2020. I’m no stranger to renovation work, so I started to get stuck in immediately, removing plaster and demolishing the existing kitchen and bathroom. However, two weeks later the entire country went into lockdown. It was a tricky time. As we couldn’t leave our homes, apart from for essential travel, we decided to take a mortgage break and stay put, in our rented home in the country. It was also becoming increasingly difficult to source even basic things like plaster, let alone go and look at a new kitchen and bathroom suite, so we hunkered down for a few months until lockdown began to ease. On the plus side, I had plenty of time to focus on the apartment’s look and feel, spending hours on the internet finding inspiration and putting together mood boards. So, when restrictions lifted, I hit the ground running! Apart from help with some plumbing and carpentry, I did all the work myself!
Kitchen plans
There was nothing wrong with the layout of the original kitchen, so I simply extended it out by a metre with a stud wall to accommodate a freestanding fridge, and to give us some extra storage space. It was then fitted out with new black cabinetry from Magnet and a laminate worktop which had an overhang for a breakfast bar along the length of
L ‘THE HARDEST PART OCKDOWN. I COULDN’T OF THE RENOVATION WAS FIND BUILDING SUPPLIES: PLASTER WAS MORE EXPENSIVE THAN GOLD!’
SAVVY BUY
‘I love to invest in good quality second-hand furniture, like this Ercol sideboard; the design stays relevant for years’
NEW WAVE
‘The Warhol print of Debbie Harry from King & McGaw is a funky focal point’
IDEA TO STEAL
3 of the best POP ART PRINTS
These posters create a graphic statement
HEADY PIECE
Brainstorm art print, from £12.95, Abstract House
BOLD WORDS
Andy Warhol Art Is... print, from £10, John Lewis & Partners
COOL CANINE
Boston Terrier, framed, from £75, Squark Design
DESIGN CLASSICS
‘Our generous open-plan living space has room for two mid-century sofas, a sideboard and a drinks cabinet that I rescued and restored’
ADDED EXTRAS
‘Cushions, throws and a vibrant pouffe bring dashes of colour’
IDEA TO STEAL
i . i i and white diagonal tiles to create continuity between the floor and walls and I used inexpensive, stainless steel duct piping for the extractor fan, adding a touch of industrial chic to the space. I’m a great believer in upcycling and saved money buying second-hand appliances including a fabulous pink Smeg fridge, which looks quite at home.
Brick beauty
In the living/dining area of our open-plan space, we exposed the brickwork along the whole length of the wall. It really gives character to the room and was a look I had saved many times on Pinterest. What I didn’t anticipate however, was how messy and time-consuming it would be. It felt like I was swimming in dust for days, but I couldn’t be happier with the result. It looks beautiful. The rest of the room unfurled from there. All the other walls were given a fresh lick of paint and the floorboards fixed up and painted with a hardwearing floor paint.
Mid-century style
I had already started to collect some mid-century furniture: two Ercol sofas, a Scandinavian dresser and a drinks cabinet, which I rescued from a garage and then restored. These all found perfect spots in the redecorated space. We bought two large Berber rugs for the dining and living areas to help define each space, and displayed bright, colourful artwork on the walls. The pièce de résistance is the large disco ball, which added to the New York loft feel that
ON DISPLAY
‘I created an open shelf from an old scaffold board to make use of the space above the sink’
FAMILY SPACE
‘The kitchen has seen the biggest transformation, with brand-new cabinetry from Magnet and a long breakfast bar, home to comfy kitchen stools found on Amazon’
Doit!ZONE AN OPEN-PLAN SPACE
Add partitions or raised platforms, or incorporate a kitchen island to create a clear divide between the cooking, eating and relaxing areas.
Use rugs to visually separate the space. They can be different sizes and shapes, textured or a simple woven design.
Contrasting paint colours on door frames or arches subtly signify the different zones in the open space.
Decorate walls in contrasting ways, from simple white to exposed brickwork, and tiles or painted cabinetry in the kitchen.
Lighting is key to create different vibes in each area – you could opt for a large pendant light over the dining table, wall lights in the kitchen, and floor and table lamps in the living area.
FUNKY PERCH WHITE & BRIGHT
‘Painting the floorboards in hardwearing paint by Dulux was the cheapest way to update the flooring but has had the biggest impact. The whole apartment now feels fresh’
GATHER ROUND
‘Benches ensure a relaxed feel for dining and can accommodate more people than chairs’
had emerged in the room. Throughout the rest of the apartment, we’ve given the walls and floors a freshen up. Even the redundant lift shaft has been transformed into a dressing room.
Quirky makeover hack
We fully renovated the bathroom, with a shower enclosure replacing the previous bath and a bijou sink unit created from a mid-century record cabinet. I wanted something unique here, because these functional spaces can sometimes feel quite clinical. I injected some extra fun with terrazzo tiles on one side and pink square tiles in the shower enclosure.
Good thinking
With the work almost finished we decided, with a little trepidation, to make the move into our new home. Sometimes the unexpected can work out for the
WARM TEXTURE
‘Berber rugs from Rug Love create zones in the dining and living areas’
URBAN COOL
‘Stainless-steel duct piping makes an inexpensive and durable extraction flue’
IDEA TO STEAL
SEAMLESS STYLE
‘I chose the same black and white Realonda Antique Diagonal tiles from Tiles Direct for both the floor and walls to give a greater sense of space and flow, and make a visually graphic statement’
Make it!
BATHROOM VANITY UNIT
Find a vintage cabinet or table that you love and that will fit nicely into the space.
Paint it in a fun colour or varnish it in a natural wood shade.
Add a marble or stone top to create a different look if you like.
Find a counter-top basin that will sit on it, with space either side.
Measure and make a hole in the top of the piece of furniture to accommodate the plumbing and secure the basin in place on top.
Fit your new vanity unit into position and have the washbasin professionally plumbed in.
best, and living in the apartment has been brilliant for all of us. We are a stone’s throw from the sea, Edie and Minnie are in their element and, having been in the country for so long, JJ and I are enjoying being back in the buzz of Brighton. The journey wasn’t the smoothest, but we saw the potential and took a chance.
Great move
Since settling in I’ve thrown more colour and fun at the renovation, drawing on lots of inspiration that I gained over the lockdown. Our apartment is now a cool, calm and sociable space perfectly suited to our family life in the city.’
Find more clever ideas to style up your home by going to pinterest.com/
styleathomemag
FOCAL POINT
‘This vintage record cabinet creates a funky vanity unit, while the mirror from Dunelm pulls the look together’
MIX IT UP
‘I added pattern in the bathroom with terrazzo tiles from Tiles Direct and, in the shower, blush tiles that aren’t too girly’
IDEA TO STEAL
FRESH FEEL
‘The pink shell accent chair from Aldi, quirky artwork and a statement woven pendant bring personality to this serene white space’
SNUG SCHEME
‘This bedroom has been painted white to create an illusion of space, with pastel cushions and throws for subtle colour’
WheretobuyRachel’sstyle
ROCKETT ST GEORGE Home to a wide range of products, from furniture and lighting to cutlery, that will inject character, fun or a touch of glamour into your interiors.
LOVE FRANKIE An inspiring and eclectic range of made-to-order lampshades and quirky lighting ideas for something a little different.
HILARY & FLO Browse faux flowers and plants, statement prints and wall art, and a varied collection of interior products, all with a funky vintage vibe to raise a smile.
H&M HOME A firm favourite of Rachel’s, this store is great for inexpensive soft furnishings and kitchen essentials that look a lot more expensive than they are.
FACEBOOK MARKETPLACE Check out this online treasure trove for bargain good-quality second-hand pieces of furniture and accessories, often for sale local to your area.
