Andy & I the day we moved in.
Welcome to London! I wish so badly I could invite you in for a real life tour & give you a hug, but sadly that is not the case currently. So I’ll do my best to virtually welcome you into our “home” in this beautiful city. I’d offer you a cup of coffee (or tea) if you were visiting- so make yourself a “cuppa” and settle in.
A few specs on our flat: 500 sq ft, 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, 1 closet, some enormous windows, a tiny kitchen, hardwood floors, lots of heavy & dark furniture provided. When we chose our flat, I was sold on the location and it was an incredible deal (relatively speaking- for London prices of course), but I knew the task of making it “home” would be no simple project. The space has great bones but lacks a ton of character or coziness. When we moved in, the first immediate task was to get rid of all the excess (previous tenants left random furniture, kitchen items, a heavy old big screen tv, and some extra linens). Through a site called Freegle and Facebook Marketplace, we were able to clear out what wasn’t functional for us. My inspiration comes from a wide range of design and style. To name a few: The Nester, deVOL Kitchens, Melissa Penfold, Brooke Phillips, and Adam Ford,
Let’s go room by room (it won’t take long - remember 500 sq ft) and I’ll share some thoughts on each space.
Living Room
What I love- The giant windows are really the crown jewel of this flat. They pour natural light into our living space. Our neighbors below planted some trees and plants 13 years ago and we are so glad they did. We don’t have a garden or outdoor space, but these windows create an “outdoor” feel for us. High ceilings and built-in dimmable lights add lots of charm. The couch is huge & converts to a King size bed (for guests one day we pray!). Hardwood floors give it a classic feel. I scored 2 comfy armchairs on Facebook Marketplace that add coziness and more seating. Instead of opting for a traditional coffee table, we chose to use a skinny side table (that we found in a closet) tucked behind the couch so we could leave the open floor space for yoga, Andy’s pacing while on phone calls, and just a more spacious feel.
What I don’t love- The wood furniture (tv stand, kitchen table, bookshelf) is very dark and heavy with harsh lines. The curtains add a lot of drama but I have to admit I wish they weren’t brown, just not my ideal color palette but I tried to make it work by adding other warm/neutral accents in the space. There was an old brown shag rug in the space when we moved in, and I decided a fun & colorful rug was one of the most vital changes needed to make this room cozy. After searching long & hard online, I settled on this one from Wayfair. The 2 floor lamps are not my favorite, but I’m looking past that because they do give off a great warm ambient light in the evenings. Big white walls - typically this is a lovely thing but it is a bit intimidating especially since most of our art and photos are small (tiny, really).
Kitchen
What I love- It’s not wasting any space. Truly compact, it is all at arms reach from any place you stand. The oven and stove top are electric and heat up super quickly. The joy of a microwave & the convenience it offers (we didn’t have one for the past 8 months in Oxford). All of our cookware, dishes, & glasses were provided, which is a huge win budget wise (and they’re white and normal, not tacky).
What I don’t love- There’s really only room for 1 person to do anything at a time. No window, but I do have a view out to our living room windows while I’m cooking. We don’t have a pantry, so we use the rolling cart & one shelf of a cabinet for groceries. No dishwasher, but hey, there’s no room to leave a mess so we’ve improved our clean up habits for sure. The refrigerator is compact, it’s larger than most in England (still not the same size as American ones, but we’ll take it). Washing machine (laundry) is in the kitchen, this is typical over here, but I still find it strange.
Bathroom
What I love- Bright lights. Towel warmer is the most luxurious bonus (they’re pretty standard here but it still feels like such a treat). Under the sink storage (we’re used to having a pedestal sink back at home in the States).
What I don’t love- As with lots of bathrooms in England (or anywhere), they can retain moisture. Only one person can brush their teeth at a time, which is fine but Andy & I always tend to go to brush our teeth at the same time.
Bedroom
What I love- You enter the bedroom through it’s own separate little wing which makes it feel private and set apart from the “living” space. High ceilings. Big window with plants outside. SUPER King size bed (this sounds so dramatic but here in England, it really just means the same as an American standard King size bed). Storage under the bed (the base opens up and we stuck our luggage and other rarely used items under there).
What I don’t love- The bed takes up 95% of the room (I guess this is the price we pay for having a Super King). The curtains wouldn’t be my first choice in a store, but they do the job & they are neutral-ish. Furniture is dark (like the rest of the flat).
Entry Hallway & Storage Area
What I love- A few furniture pieces offering good storage. Wall hooks for raincoats. Door buzzer - we can buzz people in when they ring our specific flat’s doorbell - it feels so cool to me (can you tell we’ve never lived in a big city?). We used the only 3 feet of empty wall in the storage/closet area to set up an additional “work station” since we’re both working from home. By adding a ladder desk and chair, we really made this storage space work for us by adding this functional mini-office. The under the stair closet (just like Harry Potter) has so much space. All of our clothes and shoes have a put-away place!
What I don’t love- The stand alone wardrobe that came with the flat is HUGE, meaning we can’t move it anywhere else because of ceiling height differences, so it’s there to stay.
A few guiding principles have emerged repeatedly as I continue to create a “home” out of our flat…
“work with what ya got”
I’ve complained about dark furniture in every space of our flat, but I’m making it work by adding a plant or something light and colorful to the piece and also reminding myself that it doesn’t come with me one day when we leave (aka we don’t have to move it!). Also, the flat came with 6 of the ugliest pillows (they call them cushions here) I’ve ever seen - truly. Instead of spending lots of money on all new stuff, I simply purchased some quality covers for them. We brought very few “home” items from the States, but you better believe I’m using the treasured ones we did- photos, a few small pieces of art, and my favorite blanket.
“only buy what you’re willing to carry”
This is a merely practical rule since we don’t have cars here. My feet or a bike are the only modes of transportation to get me (and anything I buy) from point A to B. If we need a larger item, it’s probably worth ordering and getting it delivered.
“shop used whenever possible”
People move in and out of flats and apartments so frequently in a big city meaning there are always so many good and barely used household items in charity shops (what they call thrift stores). It feels like such a win to find decor or home wares at a discounted price and to know it isn’t being wasted. The search and hunt is also pretty fun for me!
“take your time”
Your space will come together over time. You can’t (or maybe shouldn’t) do it all in one day. Take time to learn and pay attention to how you use the space and the most important needs or focus areas will surface.
Enjoy a tour of this eclectic and beautiful 1920's cottage home in the 4th and Gill neighborhood of Knoxville, TN.