Let there be brights | Daily Mail Online

Fusing her love of colour with a passion for upcycling, knitwear designer Alice Byrom has turned this Victorian semi into a vibrant family home 

The living room’s vivid green tones pop against the muted walls, painted in Rusling, £52 for 2.5 litres, littlegreene.com. Table lamp, £171, pooky.com

  

After living in West London for five years, Alice Byrom and her husband Jamie set their sights on this semidetached Victorian property in Acton and instantly fell in love. With their growing family ‒ Rudy, five, Deià, three, and Winston, one ‒ the house offered everything they were seeking in terms of space.

‘We stumbled upon the area and couldn’t resist. We got so much more for our money here ‒ a big garden, beautiful parks and a thriving high street.’

The real draw of the house, though, was that it required very little structural work. Alice says, ‘The tall ceilings and practical layout meant that there wasn’t much for us to do in terms of renovation, so I could focus my attention and budget on the decoration side.’

To create a focal point in the dining room, Alice painted the door bay in Verdigris, £51 for 2.5 litres, edwardbulmerpaint.co.uk. The handcrafted timber dining table is from tommarshfurniture.co.uk. The floor lamp is one of her many vintage buys which she finds on Instagram, Ebay and Facebook Marketplace. White bowl, £145, bettinaceramica.com

To create a focal point in the dining room, Alice painted the door bay in Verdigris, £51 for 2.5 litres, edwardbulmerpaint.co.uk. The handcrafted timber dining table is from tommarshfurniture.co.uk. The floor lamp is one of her many vintage buys which she finds on Instagram, Ebay and Facebook Marketplace. White bowl, £145, bettinaceramica.com

The couple gave the house a bolder aesthetic than they’d had with their previous home. ‘Our style has evolved over the years,’ says Alice. ‘Our taste is quite clean, but with the new house we wanted to inject a lot more colour and texture.’

She introduced bursts of colour throughout, from neon cushion trims to painted wooden door frames in bold hues. ‘These touches, though small, make a huge difference,’ she says.

Where does Alice find her inspiration? ‘In the everyday – it can be an interesting shop, a magazine article, an exhibition in a gallery.

‘I also love discovering independent sellers who create bespoke pieces that will last for years – it’s a sustainable and cost-effective way to decorate.’

For a modern reboot, Alice had the antique chair in the dining room reupholstered in Magnolia fabric by gpjbaker.com. For a similar floor lamp, try grahamandgreen.co.uk. The 70s plant basket is a market find

For a modern reboot, Alice had the antique chair in the dining room reupholstered in Magnolia fabric by gpjbaker.com. For a similar floor lamp, try grahamandgreen.co.uk. The 70s plant basket is a market find

The rustic dining table is a perfect example (details in caption on previous page): ‘It’s stylish, hardwearing and timeless. We will pass it down the generations,’ she says.

The house is also brimming with what Alice refers to as ‘instant updates’. The couple’s four-poster bed is an old Habitat find that she upcycled by painting it in eye-catching Emerald Green (farrow-ball.com). The antique armchair (pictured above) in the dining room was similarly revamped by Alice, with a boldly floral fabric. ‘Reinventing is far more exciting than buying new – it gives a beautiful piece a new lease of life.’

The colours of Alice’s bedroom door – Pink Ground, £52 for 2.5 litres, farrow-ball.com – and green four-poster bed are a joyous combination. The throw is from amara.com. Pink cushion, £20, dunelm.com

The colours of Alice’s bedroom door – Pink Ground, £52 for 2.5 litres, farrow-ball.com – and green four-poster bed are a joyous combination. The throw is from amara.com. Pink cushion, £20, dunelm.com

Much like her newly colourful home, Alice’s sustainable knitwear brand Blake LDN is turning up the brights this season too and will, she says, be awash with blues and mints.

‘There’s also a growing demand for the vest right now, which shows that knitwear can be worn in summer. I love unexpected trends like that.’

To give her study a calming feel, Alice brought the outside in with leafy Hedera wallpaper, £51.20 per 10m roll, sandersondesign group.com. The soft blue of the door – Bedford Square, £55.50 for 2.5 litres, mylands.com – and gold cushion by amara.com add playful touches of colour

To give her study a calming feel, Alice brought the outside in with leafy Hedera wallpaper, £51.20 per 10m roll, sandersondesign group.com. The soft blue of the door – Bedford Square, £55.50 for 2.5 litres, mylands.com – and gold cushion by amara.com add playful touches of colour

‘After a long day, the bath is my favourite place to be, but as it’s Jamie’s, too, it’s a case of who can get there first!’ says Alice of her tub, which is from a reclamation yard. For a similar stool try oka.com

‘After a long day, the bath is my favourite place to be, but as it’s Jamie’s, too, it’s a case of who can get there first!’ says Alice of her tub, which is from a reclamation yard. For a similar stool try oka.com

 

 

DIY cheat: a high-end bath 

Luxe up the outside of your tub with Nicole Gray’s easy paint hack

Luxe up the outside of your tub with Nicole Gray’s easy paint hack

Luxe up the outside of your tub with Nicole Gray’s easy paint hack

You will need

  • bath cleaner
  • sandpaper or sanding tool
  • plastic sheet
  • blade scraper
  • painter’s tape
  • face mask and gloves
  • for an acrylic bath, use a tub and tile refinishing kit (check out the selection at paints4trade.com)
  • for a metal bath you’ll need both an oil-based paint and primer
  • foam roller/paintbrush
  1. Start by thoroughly cleaning the outside of your bath and leave to dry.
  2. Protect all fixtures and brassware with plastic sheet and then sand the outside of your bath to create a smooth painting surface.
  3. If necessary, remove any sealant from the bath’s edges with a blade scraper: go lightly, applying pressure on grimy areas only.
  4. To get a sharp finish, use painter’s tape around the edges and fixtures.
  5. Ensure your bathroom is well ventilated and, wearing a face mask and gloves, prep your paint kit according to its instructions.
  6. Roll the paint vertically and horizontally over the sides of the bath, repeating several times to get an even finish. Allow the first coat to dry before applying the second.
  7. Wait 48 hours for the bath to dry completely before removing tape and using.

 

 

It’s a jungle in there

Turn your space into a leafy glade with lush botanical wallpaper

 

Cole & son palm Jungle, £122 per 10m roll, johnlewis.com

Arthouse tropical palm leaves, £9 per 10m roll, next.co.uk

Cole & son palm Jungle, £122 per 10m roll, johnlewis.com; Arthouse tropical palm leaves, £9 per 10m roll, next.co.uk