Paul & Katie’s Modern Eclectic London Flat

Name: Paul and Katie Alexander and their daughter, Mabel
Location: De Beauvoir — Shoreditch, London
Size: 850 square feet
Years lived in: 3 years; Owned

Katie and Paul searched for a flat in London that was close to both their work in the city and the nightlife of Shoreditch, and they ended up finding the perfect compromise: a lovely flat in the leafy De Beauvoir neighborhood a stone’s throw from the exciting city life. Since then, Katie and Paul have remodeled many of the typical 1960s features found in the postwar flat in which they are raising their daughter, Mabel.

Paul and Katie stripped the house of the old, dated finishes and filled it with their personalities through the use of bold new colors and wallpaper. They said goodbye to brown carpet and installed a high-end vinyl tile made to look like real wood. The non-working fireplace was originally a faux marble which looked overly ornate for the space; since Paul and Katie love the color black, they painted the entire fireplace a gorgeous matte black.

While Katie proclaims herself to not be very handy, her signature is all over the finishes and furnishings of the flat and the unique colors, textures, and patterns that make the home one-of-a-kind.

Our Style: I think my style is fairly eclectic; I like old-fashioned styles, with prints and colors, and I also tend towards a country style. Although, I do also like some hint of a modern, minimalist look.

Favorite Element: The blue and black wallpaper from Farrow & Ball.

Biggest Challenge: Furnishing such a small living room was a challenge—we definitely wanted a table to eat at and also wanted a couch and another chair since we like our space to relax in and watch TV or movies in the evenings.

What Friends Say: The decor really matches our personality and the home feels like us.

Proudest DIY: To be honest, we really didn’t do anything ourselves—neither Paul nor I are very handy!

Biggest Indulgence: It wasn’t a huge indulgence, but we love our dark synthetic wood flooring. It is indestructible, which is important with a toddler.

Best Advice: Don’t get caught up in keeping things neutral for resale, otherwise it won’t feel like your own space.

• Living room: Farrow & Ball Versailles Wallpaper
• Dining room: Farrow & Ball Cornforth White
• Kitchen: Farrow & Ball Pitch Blue
• Master bedroom: Farrow & Ball Lamp Room Gray
• Home office: Skull wallpaper by Barbara Hulanicki from Graham & Brown
• Hallway bath: Farrow & Ball Pitch Blue

• Sofa: Vittorio in Pearl Gray from MADE
• Lamp: Large Bow from MADE
• Flooring: Camaro Wood PUR in Figured Pine from Polyflor

• Table: Eero Saarinen Tulip from Knoll
• Chairs: Eames DSR chairs in white from Vitra
• Cabinet: IKEA PS in red
• Lamp: Bronx Giant from MADE
• Clock: Putney by Newgate from Heal’s
• Highchair: Stokke Tripp Trapp

• Cabinets: Burford White from Howdens Joinery Co.
• Backsplash: Metro White tiles from Topps Tiles
• Ceramics: Corinne Rosen (Katie’s mom)

• Rocker: Eames Rocking Chair from Vitra
• Throw: Sheepskin from Habitat
• Yellow knitted pouf: Knot from Habitat
• Curtains: made by Katie’s mom

• Daybed: IKEA Hemnes

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