Smart thinking
Leoma Harper started with a big, bland house and filled it with character, sophisticated style and clever colour choices
Sophisticated colours brought a large, bland house to life
Living room
‘I wanted this room to feel more formal and grown-up so we added the panelling and picture rail. It took a lot of tester pots to find the perfect shade of pink for the walls, as many were too feminine for our tastes, but this subtle grey-toned one worked best with our sofas.’ BUY THE KEY PIECES Walls painted in Chateau acrylic eggshell, £66 for 2.5L, Zoffany. Try Matilda sofas, £1,200 each, Arlo & Jacob
Hallway
‘I painted the balustrade dark to make a statement as I didn’t want anything too bright. It works well with the gallery wall of monochrome prints in black frames. Subtle hints of colour have been added, too, with the rug and brass lighting.’ BUY THE KEY PIECES Balustrade in Black Blue estate eggshell, £62 for 2.5L, Farrow & Ball. Chandelier, £698, Anthropologie
Conservatory dining room
‘As this room has very high ceilings, we always get a tall Christmas tree. I love to decorate the house with foliage from the garden, too. In previous years I’ve used decorations in copper, gold and green, but I’m going a bit more colourful this year.’ BUY THE KEY PIECES Christmas tree, from £60.95, Pines and Needles. French cabinet, £800, Sunbury Antiques Market
Living room
‘I’m a big fan of using plants to add life and colour to a space, so there are plenty dotted around the house.’ BUY THE KEY PIECES
Igara mango wood terrarium, £79.95, Nkuku. Try plant pots, £34.95 for two, All Things Brighton Beautiful at Notonthehighstreet.com
Kitchen
‘As the existing units and island were in good condition, we just gave them a fresh coat of paint. I also replaced the black oven and fridge with white and silver models, added a new splashback and put up some shelves.’ BUY THE KEY PIECES Kitchen units in Slate II oil eggshell, £55 for 2.5L, Paint & Paper Library. Try Retro Metro South Kensington tiles, £74.98sq m, Fired Earth. Rangemaster Elise 100 cooker in White, £2,780, John Lewis & Partners, would work well here
“We might extend in future to square off the kitchen with the orangery. We’d rotate the island for a more open-plan feel”
Orangery
‘The windows were white and looked very traditional, but I wanted to mimic the Crittall look so painted them black. We put the branch up two Christmases ago and I dress it up for special occasions.’ BUY THE KEY PIECES Woodcroft oak dining table in Colonial Grey, £2,695, One.world. Hans Wegner replica wishbone chairs, £220 each, Swivel
Family room
‘Both reception rooms are south-facing, so get the afternoon light, but as this is our family chill-out room for watching TV in the evenings, I wanted a dark colour to make it really cosy and snug.’ BUY THE KEY PIECES Walls painted in Stiffkey Blue estate emulsion, £46.50 for 2.5L, Farrow & Ball. Edlyn corner sofa in Rouge, £3,798, Anthropologie, is a match. Marble coffee table, £549, Dwell, would work here. Large Poppy Field rug in Navy, £155, French Connection Home
“I often move things around – the bedroom chandelier began in the hall ”
Main bedroom
‘I love pink – it’s such a warm, inviting colour and works so well with either light or dark colours. My husband took a bit of persuasion, but he loves the wall colour now!’ BUY THE KEY PIECES
Walls in
Pink Ground estate emulsion, £46.50 for 2.5L, Farrow & Ball. Antoinette bed, from £1,145, Loaf, has this look. Finley velvet armchair in Midnight Blue, £890, Rowen & Wren. Sonia curtains, from £78 each, Anthropologie
Alexa’s bedroom
‘We made the desk from a length of Ikea worktop and two basic storage units. The small wall shelves are Ikea spice racks I painted with leftover tester pots.’ BUY THE KEY PIECES
Children’s bunk bed house, from £298.55, Oliveo Shop at Etsy, is comparable; in Nancy’s Blushes estate eggshell, £62 for 2.5L, Farrow & Ball. Walls painted in French Gray estate emulsion, £45 for 2.5L, Little Greene. Casadeco Balloon wallpaper, £29.84 a roll, House Decor Interiors
En-suite bathroom
BUY THE KEY PIECES ‘Everything was beige in here, so I went for a green-blue on the walls and painted the existing roll-top bath to match the colour of the vanity unit countertop.’ Bath in Black Blue estate eggshell, £62 for 2.5L; walls in Oval Room Blue estate emulsion, £46.50 for 2.5L, both Farrow & Ball. Ellington brass lantern, £27, Laura Ashley