‘You of money don’t need to get lots a high-end look’
Having spent every penny on essential renovations to their period townhouse, Thaisa and Peter Box had to think creatively to finish the interior on a tight budget
When it came to decorating this four-bed townhouse in Brighton, Thaisa Box wanted her home to have an original, eclectic look, but it had to be done on a strict budget. ‘The bulk of our money went on the renovation of the property, as the structure of the building required a lot of TLC,’ she says.
‘The layout was reconfigured as we relocated the kitchen, and we converted the loft, added two new bathrooms and redesigned the garden, too. So, when it came to the decorating and furnishing, we had to be creative and resourceful with what little cash was left over.’ When Thaisa’s friend Lisa Deller, an interior designer, heard about the project, she offered to help.
‘My main focus had been on managing the build, which had been full on,’ says Thaisa. ‘When Lisa came on board, it became clear that she could save us money and get the look we wanted. She suggested that we went for a mixture of vintage and modern furniture, to give the house a stylish and interesting look, without breaking the bank.’
Thaisa and Peter started the bargain hunt, spending every weekend at car-boot sales, antiques fairs, flea markets and auctions. ‘We were looking for key pieces of retro furniture that could be restored,’ says Thaisa. ‘We wanted good-quality, well-built items that were reasonably priced but could be made to look lovely again, and that had unusual features.’
The end result is a unique home filled with quirky but beautiful finds. ‘Design-wise, I’ve been pushed out of my comfort zone with this house and gone in directions I didn’t expect,’ says Thaisa. ‘But I love the little details in the furniture we’ve found, which have been brought to life with lots of love and hard work.’
Restrict your colour palette
The couple used just two paint colours throughout the house. ‘All the walls are off-white and the woodwork is in a warm grey for a unified look,’ says Thaisa. BUY THE KEY PIECES Walls painted in Victoria White matt emulsion, £16.95 for 2.5ltr, Crown. Woodwork painted in Dusted Moss eggshell, £16.95 for 750ml, Dulux. For a similar coffee table, try the Range, £149, Made.com
“The old sideboard in this room is a favourite piece. Restoring it brought out its detail and character
Use classy neutrals
The safest colours for an upmarket look are warm neutrals like the mushroom shade Thaisa chose for the kitchen units. ‘I wanted a neutral that wouldn’t look cold or clinical, and added an oak worktop for a more relaxed look,’ she says. BUY THE KEY PIECES Units, from £253 for a 600mm base unit, Parker Bathrooms & Kitchens. For a similar range cooker, try the Smeg SUK81MFX8 dual-fuel, £999, John Lewis. Wall tiles, £8.99 per sq m, Euro Tiles
Pick preloved bargains
The dining table, picked up at a carboot sale, has been stripped, stained and oiled, then the legs were painted a dark grey. Thaisa teamed it with old school chairs and Ikea seat pads. BUY THE KEY PIECES For a similar table, try the reclaimed
Studio dining table, from £515, Home Barn
Think big in small spaces
Who says small kitchens can’t have an island? Pushed back to the wall, Thaisa’s functions as a food-prep workstation. ‘The kitchen is the first space guests walk into, and I wanted it to set the tone for the rest of the house,’ she says. ‘It’s been decorated to represent the overall look and feel of our home.’ BUY THE KEY PIECES For similar light fittings, try the large Cavendish pendant lights in chalk, £140, each Garden Trading
Layer lots of detail
‘We’ve used similar textiles throughout the house to create a certain look,’ says Thaisa. ‘Many of the cushions and rugs are from Morocco.’ BUY THE KEY PIECES For similar cushions, try the Kilim cover, £30.50, Pillowme range, Etsy. The Moroccan R1181 rug, £750, Rug storeonline.com, is similar. Round Oak Scandi mirror, £150, John Lewis
Don’t be afraid of black
Nothing makes an impact like a pop of black. ‘This is the only place we changed our colour scheme,’ says Thaisa. ‘We chose classic black for the woodwork and floor – we fell in love with the tiles, then worked the room around them.’ BUY THE KEY PIECES Hexagonal Carbon infusion floor tiles, £102 per sq m; for similar herringbone wall tiles, try the Lustrum Electra Ivory-panna wall tiles, £79 per sq m; both Topps Tiles. Round mirror with hanging strap, £65, John Lewis
Don’t miss the Details...
Clockwise from top left: Pom pom fairy lights, wrapped around a branch, decorate the
guest room; a new but unloved oak desk got a fresh look with a black chalk paint makeover; in the main bedroom, propped artwork is regularly swapped to keep the look fresh; the interesting legs on this midcentury chest caught Thaisa’s eye – it’s been repainted and had its original brass handles swapped for black metal.