‘SUNSHINE VIBES SET THE TONE’

After a stop-start year, Kate Spiers transformed her flat from an empty shell into an airy home inspired by the building itself

Easy-going Californian style brings a relaxed feel to Kate’s city apartment

Iwasn’t looking to move at all at first,’ says Kate. ‘We’d been in our old flat for six years and I loved the process of slowly doing it up together. But I wanted a new project as I had some downtime with work, and I noticed this property flicking through Rightmove one day.

The flat, a three-bedroom shell, was just down the road from us. I saw it and thought, “I can do something with this”. I went to view it and put an offer in, which got accepted straight away.

Change of plan

Our initial idea was to renovate the flat and then put it on the market or rent it out. I was on a work trip in New York when the sale concluded, so my husband went to pick up the keys. He’d never seen it before, as there’s a clause in Scottish law where you’re not allowed back into the property once you’ve put in an offer. He called me in America saying he couldn’t get the key to work – it turned out that he was trying to get into the flat next door! When he finally got in, he absolutely loved it and came up with the idea of renovating it for us. I wasn’t sure, but once we started thinking about colour schemes and decor possibilities I jumped on board. The extra bedroom definitely helped seal the deal.

First steps

The sale went through in April 2019 and we made an initial start to the project, ripping out carpets and plastering the walls over the summer. I went away to film in the autumn, so it wasn’t until late 2019 that we got started properly on the renovation. When the pandemic hit, there was still so much to do, but the builders had to put down their tools and we all sat it out for a few months. I probably

wouldn’t recommend doing up a flat in the middle of a global pandemic! The project stretched out for so long that I definitely got renovation fatigue at various points. With all the upheaval, I had to make lots of fast decisions, which was stressful. When we were doing up our old flat, there were times when we were living out of one room while work was going on around us. We said never again, but this renovation turned out to be just as challenging in its own way! However, we managed to finish all the major works in the summer of 2020.

Kitchen challenges

My idea for the kitchen was to install Ikea units with custom-made fronts, for a bespoke look on a budget. Unfortunately, the company I’d found which specialised

‘I LOVE A FIXER-UPPER BECAUSE I CAN LOOK AT A FLAT AND SEE WHAT IT COULD BECOME. AS LONG AS THERE’S CENTRAL HEATING, I’M HAPPY’

‘A pretty rug zones this sunny spot for a cup of coffee in the morning’ IDEA TO STEAL ‘Add your own handles to a basic kitchen range to add extra character’

SECOND CHANCE ‘We opted for Ikea units with a view to changing them later. However, after the stress of the last year, we’ve decided that they’re here to stay!’

BITS AND PIECES ‘The living room is made up of so many elements – ornate cornicing, brass and marble accents and a mustard sofa – but they all work together’ RELAXED VIBE ‘I describe my style, with light wood, wicker and greenery, as southern Californian with a 1970s feel’