Living room

‘ The living room is where we relax, but it also doubles up as my workspace. I’m obsessed with symmetry, so I put up matching shelving units with plenty of storage space and I put a desk space within the alcoves. I painted the high ceilings and the top edge of the walls beige, while a dark colour underneath gives a cosy feel. To add personality, I put up lots of artwork and prints, and covered the chimney breast with patterned wallpaper that I cut into 10-inch squares then pasted to the wall for a patchwork effect. I transformed the IKEA Kallax TV unit using black, white and wood-effect vinyl, cut into different patterns, one for each door.’

‘I love having a smaller home that’s so much easier to keep clean and tidy’

In the living room, Helen wanted to create a relaxed feel with a darker wall colour, Grey Shingle, from Valspar. The heavy IKEA curtains and comfy sofa from DFS add to the cosy feel of the room