You may remember this warm and funky garden flat submitted by Missy last year; it felt so cozy that I wanted to come and see it in person! Since then, Missy and her partner Antony have been busy upgrading the flat, putting in wooden flooring, new wallpaper, and painting walls.

Missy is very environmentally conscious and has used mostly organic cotton for cushions and other textiles around the house. Greenery and hanging plants make the place feel vibrant. She also managed to add a lot of one-of-a-kind items in her home by making her own creations, like the painting on top of the fireplace and the macrame hanging on the wall.

“We have probably overstepped the mark with regard to the amount of effort we have put into a rental property, . . .” Missy tells me. Even though some may say that spending money on your landlord’s property may not be the best investment, Missy and Antony feel it’s been worthwhile: They’ve created a beautiful home for their family to enjoy every day.

My Style/Inspiration: I love mid-century modern, sleek, clean lines mixed with a more bohemian vibe. Modern boho? I honestly get a majority of my inspiration from Apartment Therapy. I love seeing how real people live and decorate. Especially in smaller spaces.

Favorite Element: During the winter months I love hanging out in our lounge; it’s cosy with lots of light and lamps for cold winter nights. When summer eventually comes around our garden becomes an extra room, we cook, eat and hang out in the evenings around the chimenea and wine bottle torches.

Biggest Challenge: The back garden and the lack of a dining room. The garden is north facing and covered by trees, so growing grass is our yearly challenge. We love to entertain guests but the space (especially during the winter) is not really big enough for more than two guests. Antony loves to cook but has an incredible ability to use every pot, pan and utensil; this makes the kitchen a little messy for our guests.

What Friends Say: I think most of them like the way we have styled the property and comment on how cosy it feels; we get a lot of compliments on the kitchen wallpaper and wood floor in the hallway.

Biggest Embarrassment: The entryway is small and a bit shabby, always makes arrivals/departures a little awkward.

Proudest DIY: The landlord recently agreed to lay a new carpet in the hallway; we persuaded him to let us investigate wood floors. We had a minimal budget of £500, and after realising that this would be a stretch for even the cheapest of laminates, we investigated other options. Missy found a second-hand solid oak floor on Gumtree for £350, so we drove round that evening and filled the car to the roof with planks, also purchasing an additional £150 of new boards from them. With some careful planning there was enough to do the hallway and the lounge. We are so happy with our first effort at laying a floor.

Biggest Indulgence: Missy resisted having a large TV for a long time and didn’t want it to be the focus of the room or eat into family time. When Antony moved in he got a little fed up with having to get up off the sofa whenever there was small text in a movie as we could never read any of it from a distance… We now have a new curved 4K TV; it’s like being at the cinema!

Best Advice: Paint your rental property and ask the landlord to pay for the paint. We put in the labour so we can spend more on nice paint. Grab yourself a load of test cans and put them on different walls, then review them at different times of day. We have probably over stepped the mark with regard to the amount of effort we have put into a rental property, replacing all of the light fittings, reflooring the hallway and lounge, and painting and wallpapering every wall.

Dream Sources: Jenkins & Co, The Conran Shop, Liberty of London, Trouva, Ferm Living

LIVING ROOM
Paint: Walls — Farrow & Ball’s Strong White Fireplace Wall – Farrow and Ball’s Pavillion Grey
Sofas — Furnished with the flat
Sofa covers — Bemz
Velvet Chair — from eBay and reupholstered by us.
Sideboard — Ebay
Chester drawers — furnished with the flat and repainted by me.
Plant stands — Built by us from a tutorial
Art over fireplace — Painted by Missy
Deer antlers — Ebay
Lamp on sideboard — M&S base and Ikea lamp shade
Plant pots — TK Maxx
Hanging plant pot — Geo Fluer
Small horse salt and pepper shakers — Jonathan Adler
Desk — Ebay
Lamp on desk — Ikea
Desk chair — dining chair that came with the flat that I recovered and put a sheepskin rug over. Fabrc from shepherd’s bush rug from TK Maxx.
Lamps behind sofa — MADE
Lamp shades — Homebase
Pendant light — MADE
Pillows on sofa — TK Maxx and Ferm living
Large plants in pots — Ebay
Macrame Wall Hanging — made by me.
Coat hooks — TK Maxx painted by Antony
Stool — TK Maxx

DINING ROOM
Wallpaper — B&Q
Table — Teak G Plan from eBay
Pendant Light — MADE bought of eBay
Round Mirror — TK Maxx

KITCHEN
Paint — Farrow & Ball’s Pavillion Grey
Appliances — Toaster and Kettle are Delonghi
Lamp — Mid-century modern teak from eBay
Photo magnets on fridge — Sticky9

BEDROOM
Small mirrored shelves — TK Maxx
Lamp — TK Maxx
Wardrobes — Ikea
Bed— furnished with the flat
Art above bed — Charity shop Pinner
Print above small wardrobe — Penny Jane Design
Small Linen wardrobe — Ebay
Dresser — Ebay
Art above dresser — Missy
Macrame plant hanger — Missy

PRUDENCE’S BEDROOM
Loft bed — Stora Ikea
Wardrobe — Ikea
Blind — Made by me and my mom.
Desk — Ikea
Shelves — Made by Antony
Chairs — TK Maxx

BATHROOM
Paint — Farrow & Ball’s Mizzle

HALLWAY
Art — Mappa Mundi by Ewan David Easson

⇒ House Tour & House Call Submission Form

See More:
⇒ Recent House Tours
⇒ House Tours on Pinterest