From a living room trapeze to thinking pink (a lot), the home of interiors blogger Emily Murray is full of playful ideas to steal. Here’s how…
The Family
Emily is the author of interiors book Pink House Living and lives in Forest Hill, Southeast London, with her husband Euan and sons Oscar, ten, and Zac, seven. @pinkhouseliving
Keep it playful
It’s not often you come across a house with a trapeze in the living room (more on that later) and a storage unit that doubles as a climbing frame in the hall. ‘Play is important to me,’ explains Emily, ‘and I wanted to incorporate it into the house design.’ The multilevel cushioned unit was designed by loudarchitects.com. ‘It gives me a feeling of pure, in-the-moment joy,’ she says
Small tweak… big wow
‘One small change can transform a space,’ enthuses Emily. Take the kitchen cupboards. When she and Euan moved in, ‘they were painted in this glossy teal shade that I hated,’ she says. Her instant update? Gold pull handles from busterandpunch.co.uk. ‘They instantly felt more rock and roll. We then designed the rest of the kitchen around the cupboards and, after adding the uplifting green chevron tiles from bertandmay.com, the room suddenly looked modern’
Need inspo? check out your closet
When you can’t decide on a decorating scheme, ‘consider what’s in your wardrobe’, suggests Emily. ‘I wanted my home to feel like a sanctuary, so feeling comfortable was key. If you’re at ease wearing something, you’ll probably be comfortable living with it. I turned to my wardrobe for ideas and mirrored what I saw in my home style.’ Emily’s wardrobe boasts a plethora of pink, so naturally the hero shade in her home is Pink House Pink (mylands.com). Meanwhile, her hallway is awash with many of the gelato tones she likes to wear, and the maximalist floor tiles, much like her favoured print T-shirts, add wow. The encaustic floor tiles are from ottotiles.co.uk
Find the right balance
Emily’s kitchen mixes bold colour with pattern. ‘I dislike cooking so I didn’t want the room to look like a typical kitchen,’ she explains. This wallpaper in the dining area (Malin by sandbergwallpaper.com) makes a striking contrast to the chevron tiles by the kitchen units (see previous page). ‘I wanted to combine the energy of London with relaxing countryside colours,’ she says. Giving the ground floor more light was important too, so she and Euan removed some of the rooms to create a bigger hallway and added internal windows. Of course, no room in the house would be complete without some fun – for a similar hanging chair, try coxandcox.co.uk
Don’t rush to renovate
Emily firmly believes that a room – once you have the walls and flooring decided – should evolve gradually. ‘You need to live in a space to understand how it works,’ she says. For example, lighting can change the look of an area throughout the day, so will play a vital role in choosing where to position the home office or the sofa. Another case in point is former gymnast Emily’s trapeze in the living room, from firetoys.co.uk. ‘We have been living here for three years and have only just decided to have it installed here. Now that the kids are older, this is where we spend the most time as a family, so it made sense. Have patience,’ she adds, ‘and those eureka moments will come to you’
Pump up the pink
‘Pink isn’t just for girls,’ says Emily. The joyous shade filters through each space of her home, but none so much as the newly converted shower room. The real showstopper is the backdrop, covered in a waterproof plaster paint from chrysalissurface.co.uk, which bathes the room in a warm rosy glow. ‘It’s such a versatile colour,’ says Emily. ‘It goes with just about anything.’ The brass fittings are from perrinandrowe.co.uk
If in doubt, accessorise
If you are limited by indecision – or renting – transform your space with accessories. ‘Statement soft furnishings or wall decorations are a great way of adding personality to a room,’ says Emily. In her bedroom an upholstered studded bed and lightning-bolt wall lights (from bagandbones.co.uk) create a focal point while decorative cushions add depth to the scheme. The bed is from hypnosbeds.com and upholstered in pink linen. For a similar fabric, try romo.com
Floor lamp, £129, barkerandstonehouse.co.uk, Woven basket, £16, laredoute.co.uk, Rug (160cm x 230cm), £199, laredoute.co.uk, Tile, £4, bertandmay.com, Sofa, £1,949, swooneditions.com, Bar tool set, £25.99, wayfair.co.uk
Print, £150, printclublondon.com, Cushion, £95, silkenfavours.com, Cushion, £109, amara.com, Brass stool, £195, iamfy.co, Lamp, £59, made.com, Champagne flutes, £45 for four, heals.com, Love seat, £625, oliverbonas.com, Side table set, £229, swooneditions.com