A South London Home Shows How to Have Fun with Decorating

Name: Sophie Lopez, husband, Marco, and 2-year-old daughter, Misty
Location: South London, United Kingdom
Type of home: Victorian Terraced House
Size: 980 square feet
Years lived in: 3 years, owned

Tell us a little (or a lot) about your home and the people who live there: My husband, Marco, and I got married eight years ago, and our daughter, Misty, was born in 2018. This is the first house we’ve ever owned. After renting all over the city for 10 years, we finally bought this three-story Victorian terraced house in South London.

I was pregnant at the time, so for four months, Marco pretty much single-handedly did the house up, ripping down ceilings and putting up new walls between working his job at an antique auction gallery. We obviously had a deadline with the baby coming, and we moved in here three weeks before Misty was born. I sadly suffered pretty bad post-natal depression after her birth, but when I started getting better, I got my creative spark back, and I decided to start decorating the house. That’s when I set up my Instagram account (@towngirlcountrygirl) to document how I style and add decor to the place, and I share little DIY tutorials and how-tos. Our home is just full of personality, personal touches, and lots of color. It’s just got a really good fun times vibe!

I’m a pretty creative person. I now work in television post-production, but I originally trained in dance, musical theater, and music tech. I also had a side hustle styling weddings for a couple of years, so I’ve got quite a mixed creative background.

I’m definitely a maximalist when it comes to interiors, and I’d say I’m pretty outgoing and loud in my personality, which is definitely reflected in my styling. I’ve kept the house painted mostly white as a plain backdrop, but there’s A LOT of pink, lots of neon, and cool lighting, comic/geek memorabilia, skateboards, typography prints, funky cushions, pretty sparkly stuff, and loads of plants. (Did I mention I’m a bit of a maximalist?)

What is your favorite room and why? My favorite room is definitely the kitchen. It’s small but mighty! I’ve stuffed it full of pretty things. It’s where the sun shines in on my disco ball every morning, and it’s where I absolutely blast music, cook, create, and film most of my content. It gets so much sunlight that it’s a really uplifting little space. I’ve upcycled quite a few items in here, like my terrazzo fridge and pink microwave. I’ve created a cool little bar corner and my favorite shelf that I’m constantly restyling. It’s such a nice little room to hang out in!

What’s the last thing you bought (or found!) for your home? The last things I bought were a haul of new candles from independent makers in the UK for my kitchen shelf — after an epic melting disaster. I also bought 45 meters of D-shaped pine doweling from the hardware store to add a fluting effect to my upper kitchen cabinets. That’s the next project I’m going to be working on.

Describe your home’s style in 5 words or less: Pretty, Playful, Colourful, Maximalist, Fun

Any advice for creating a home you love? Just go for it, and fill it with the things that you love. If you like pink, use pink, or if you like skating, put your skateboard up on the wall. It’s your home, and you’re going to be the one living there, so why not make it your happy place? Even if you rent, there’s always things you can do to make the decor more to your taste. (Peelable vinyl is key.) I recently helped my sister-in-law style up the kitchen in her rented flat. She loves it so much she now works in there all the time. Also, if your house gets even the tiniest sliver of sun, buy a disco ball! You won’t regret it! Just be creative and plaster your personality in your home.

This submission’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.

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