This Edinburgh Apartment Is the Perfect Mix of Traditional Meets Modern

Sarah Wood has rented this two-bedroom apartment in Edinburgh with her partner for three months: I was born in Minnesota to a dad born in Costa Rica and a mom born in Michigan. My partner, Gustavo, was born in Caracas, Venezuela, and he lived in Arkansas, Aruba, and Madrid before we met in Barcelona, Spain, and then moved together to Edinburgh, Scotland! Our home is a fusion of our lives, which have been global and adventurous. Even though we have very different cultural upbringings, we often remark on how similar our values are. The Midwestern and Latin American love of family and being together at home is strong in both of us! Our home reflects that; it was very important that we have an extra bedroom so our family and friends can visit.

Gustavo loves traditional interiors and I’m much more eclectic and maximalist, but our styles fuse in our apartment. I try to buy all of my clothes and furniture secondhand, so it has been a fun constraint in decorating and has encouraged me to decorate slowly and thoughtfully. Edinburgh is a wonderland for traditional English interiors and antiques, so I’ve built the rooms slowly with many, many stops at the charity shops and antique stores.

Describe your home’s style in five words or fewer: Traditional meets modern, everything secondhand.

What is your favorite room and why? The living room! The windows with the built-in floor-to-ceiling mirror are absolutely gorgeous. The room doesn’t even need furniture (trust me, I know this because there was a week after we moved where our furniture hadn’t been moved over yet from Spain where I sat on the floor in this room and it was still stunning). The sunlight is absolutely divine.

It was very important to me that we had a big dining room table so that I could host dinner parties. The room is exactly what I dreamed I’d have when I was a little girl. My dad grew up in Mexico City with his parents hosting cocktail parties with interesting people from all around the world. I always dreamed of living like that too. I think this room is the closest I’ve ever gotten. I’ve hosted one dinner party so far and have two more planned!

What’s the last thing you bought (or found!) for your home? This divine Monet print that’s in the bedroom. It was 20 pounds at the charity shop!

Any advice for creating a home you love? Invest in making it a space you want to spend time in. I’ve made the mistake before of not making my space beautiful and, as a result, I never wanted to be home. That doesn’t mean you have to spend a lot of money; the investment can come in time, finding the right pieces on Facebook Marketplace and at secondhand stores. Having a vision you’re working towards is essential. More than just the aesthetics, but really knowing how you want to feel in the space will make it come together greater than you could ever imagine.

Thanks, Sarah!

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