Welcome to my home
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“It’s so cosy and inviting, with lots of light, so I always feel happy here – and coming home is always special”
the property
A two-bedroom Victorian tenement flat near Mount Florida, Glasgow.
the Value
Similar properties in the area cost about £150,000.
Buying their first home in Glasgow, Kate and Jordan Spiers knew exactly what they were looking for – and where. ‘We wanted to move out of the city to the south side, which we’d heard good things about,’ says Kate. ‘I love period properties, so we were hoping to find a Victorian tenement with original features – cornicing, wooden floors, high ceilings and big, beautiful windows.
‘Since I knew we would be slowly updating the place, I looked more at the layout of the rooms and what we could do to the space, and we were lucky to find a place that was a shell and didn’t need too much doing to it. I definitely had a vision of what I wanted. This flat has so much character, so we’re very fortunate.
‘I wanted to create a home that we loved to be in. Jordan and I work a lot and travel often, but we’re both homebodies at heart.’ The biggest job that the couple have undertaken was to put in a new kitchen and change its layout to fit in more storage.
When it came to the decorating, Kate was keen to make the most of the bright outlook that the third-floor flat benefits from. ‘I love how much light we get – it’s ideal throughout the miserable winters,’ she says. She chose white as her base colour and used it in every room, to emphasise the high ceilings, cornicing and ceiling roses. After that, she gradually built up the colour with textiles and accessories.
‘I’ve definitely held off being too crazy until recently,’ she says. ‘I didn’t want to make any big changes until I was a bit more comfortable with my style. I’d love to experiment with colour on the walls. I think trying some wallpaper is next on my list, plus a more colourful bathroom and hallway.’
Make it personal
‘I wanted the living room to have character and not look sterile,’ says Kate, ‘so we added trinkets and vintage finds.’
buy the key pieces
For a similar turntable, try the Crosley Cruiser cream and rose gold Bluetooth vinyl record player, £89, Urban Outfitters. Ror ceiling lamp, £160, Oliver Bonas
Keep the space tidy
‘I don’t mind a bit of organised clutter,’ says Kate, ‘so we have a lot of open shelving. It works really well, because we can keep all our favourite jars, vases and pots out on show, but hide all the rest away in the built-in kitchen cupboard, alongside white goods such as the washing machine.’
buy the key pieces
Smeg FAB28Q fridge freezer, £1,215, John Lewis. Hexagon white mosaic tiles, £2.99 a sheet, Tiles Direct
“Our white walls were a bit bare, so I went on a printbuying spree for cheerful art that we’d never get bored of
Upgrade basic buys
Kate and Jordan have given their plain white kitchen units a luxe look with pretty gold knobs and fauxmarble worktops from Ikea, plus an antique-style mixer tap.
buy the key pieces
String all-white pocket shelving, £110, Trouva.com. Lance white round dining table, £175, Habitat. Bristan gold mixer tap, £167, Wayfair
Work in natural colour and texture
The couple’s oak-framed wishbone dining chairs, round sisal rug and displayed wooden chopping boards stop the sleek, all-white kitchen scheme looking too hard and cold.
buy the key pieces
Danish Designs wishbone dining chair, £139, Cult Furniture, is a good match
Add a little polish
Kate has spray-painted one of Ikea’s nickel-finish Fintorp hanging rails and some S-hooks gold, which introduces a glamorous-looking touch to the simple scheme. She uses hers partly to hold kitchen essentials, but also for displaying decorative items.
buy the key pieces
Fintorp rail, £7, Ikea
Use the wall space
Kate turned a wall into an accessory store with a handful of hooks.
buy the key pieces
For a similar sofa bed (below), try the Slipper sofa bed in Blush, £349, Made. com. Camels Sahara print by Jody Macdonald, from £10, Juniqe
Be grand, even in a small room
‘A bedroom should be a palace,’ says Kate. ‘I spent big on bedding and lots of soft furnishings in a mix of textures, and made sure it would be easy to keep the room tidy by adding plenty of storage.’
buy the key pieces
The Roscoe bed in Dusk Pink, £399, Made.com, is similar. Penelope bedside table, £349, West Elm. Iris Spotted Dobby bedding, from £40, Marks & Spencer
Curate displays
Kate concentrates clutter into tidy groupings. ‘We love open shelving and displaying our favourite things,’ says Kate. ‘I’m often tempted to buy new pieces, but switching things around does the job just as well.’
buy the key pieces
Aero gold shelving unit, £449, Swoon Editions. Wire wall grid (right), £40, Urban Outfitters
“We sanded the varnished floorboards to reveal the lighter pine underneath, but didn’t finish them properly, so they’re looking worse. It does work with the style of the flat, but I’d love to get them fixed”