My old flat between Brixton and Oval in London was a big milestone for me. I had owned a house in my early twenties but moving to London in 2003 meant I had to go back to renting. For fifteen years! I was really lucky to get a shared-ownership new-build in 2014 and finally be able to call almost half my home, my own.

I’d done as much with the interiors as possible in the rental homes I lived in but now I could properly make my mark. Obviously nothing much needed doing since it was brand new so I focussed on furnishing and accessories.

This Habitat nordic inspired lampshade was the starting point for the scheme. My mum kindly gave me a pair of 70s lamp bases which I’d always loved and these shades were the perfect fit. I picked out the grey, turquoise and orange/coral and began to search for furniture and soft furnishings to match. I’ve created a Pinterest board with the pictures I was pinning at that time here.

Ikea was my friend when it came to storage. Their Besta range is affordable and fit with the clean lines of the flat, almost matching the kitchen cabinets. The rug came from Habitat and both sofas from Made.com.

When Matthew moved in he brought a few pieces which fitted nicely, like the coffee table, his vintage record player and the fantastic clock which he’d found on eBay.

It was a great flat, really big for a one bed, but we outgrew it after a while (see too much furniture in the bedroom) so it was time to say thank you and goodbye. Almost everything you see here has made it to the new place so you might see things popping up in future posts.

As well as cookery books I had some of my vintage crockery and glassware on display in the kitchen.

The notice board is a canvas I picked up for free about ten years ago and painted as a ‘Rothko’ for an old bedroom scheme.

It was NEVER this tidy!

The marquee letters and fake grass were leftover from our wedding in July 2016.