Has a RETRO SOUL’

Lindsay has used vintage furniture, original artwork and bursts of colour to bring a unique touch to her home

he previous house we lived in was a 1960s Span house, designed by architect Eric Lyons,’ says Lindsay. ‘He had a particular vision of communal living and set his houses on small estates, with plenty of trees, in attractive areas.

We were thrilled to live in one as they don’t come up often, and it worked well when our daughter Luella was little. We renovated it from top to bottom, but it was quite small, only 782 square metres in total. As soon as I became pregnant with Lorea, we could see it would be a tight fit, so we looked for something bigger, where we could spread out and zone the spaces.

TMaking plans

The house that caught our eye was something we hadn’t really considered before: an off-plan new build on a small estate. It offered us a lot more space and versatility, with another bathroom, a separate playroom, a garage, a bigger garden and three good-sized bedrooms. So we jumped at it. We moved here in May 2018, before Lorea was born in the October. We were able to choose the kitchen, the bathrooms and the flooring, and selected a plain white kitchen, grey distressed flooring and white bathroom suites with wood-effect vanity units. We already had a lot of retro pieces of furniture and knew we could add to them gradually with more modern pieces.

Sorting the basics

We thought a lot about the layout of the property and how it would work for us, and the open-plan feel of the downstairs was perfect. The kitchen is in the middle of the house, and we liked the idea of having two seating areas, one either side of it. There is a huge comfy contemporary grey linen sofa and television in one area where we all cosy up together. I chose a large black and white rug, and added

some fun and colour with cushions and throws. The other sitting area, which has a grown-up feel and where we like to have drinks with guests, has a retro look. Our G Plan suite by Hemingway Design, which we brought with us from the old house, sits alongside other special pieces, such as a Jessica Rabbit statue and the Coca Cola sign that we found in America and which we managed to bring back with us – and have never regretted it.

Attention to detail

The vintage brown ceramic lamp bases didn’t have shades when I bought them, but I found a company online called Retrashade, which makes up authenticstyle shades, so now they look whole again. We decided to put the dining table and benches in the middle of the open-plan area close to the kitchen and looking out onto the garden.

Choosing a palette

We knew we were going to be bring in more retro furniture and colourful