After struggling to find a period home in London that met her specific requirements, Lily Sawyer eventually stopped searching and started renovating the one she had rejected.
Lily, a 46-year-old artist, designer, educator and photographer, initially viewed a 1960s ex-council townhouse as a potential home for her family. She had attempted to add character to the pared-back property but eventually surrendered to the fact that it could not provide the period features she desired.
“When we first viewed this house, we instantly said no – 18 months later we’ve renovated every room!”
She decided to sell up in the winter of 2013 with the goal of finding a spacious family home in the same area. Her list of requirements included easy access to the local school, a studio for her photography business, and original features. Despite viewing many properties, the search proved difficult, with the family often being pipped to the post by buyers with cash or larger budgets.
Eventually, a friend of Lily’s was moving into a new home and intended to rent out her current property, which just so happened to be overflowing with Victorian charm in the desired area. Lily recalls that the house wasn’t quite as large as she wanted, but it ticked every other box.
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“It wasn’t quite as large and spacious as I wanted, but it ticked every other box in terms of location and period features,” Lily recalls. “Somehow, I persuaded her to sell the house to me – even though she had only been looking for a tenant – and, within a matter of weeks, we were in.”
Learning the ropes
Upon moving in, Lily realised her lack of experience. “I knew nothing about interior design and so I felt really lost and overwhelmed,” she says. “I had this beautiful blank canvas in front of me, but I didn’t know where to begin. I didn’t think to scroll Instagram for inspiration and I had no clue about current design trends.”
Initially, she fully adopted the Victorian roots of the home. She hung William Morris wallpaper and painted the hallway dark grey. Later, she papered the lower half of the wall in Linwood’s Bamboo Garden and painted the inside of the front door pink using Frenchic Paint.
She also decided to renovate the kitchen. The previous owners had installed cream melamine cupboards and a black mottled worktop, which Lily hated. She opted for IKEA cabinetry with high-gloss doors and easy-care laminate worktops, hanging decorative floral paper along one wall for a finish she felt was more fun.
While the family gathered to share meals in the kitchen extension, Lily began to explore her personal style more deeply. She discovered Pinterest toward the end of 2014 and began experimenting with ideas she came across.
“I discovered Pinterest toward the end of 2014 and decided to experiment with a few interior ideas I’d come across,” she remembers. “I got completely hooked!”
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As she explored her taste—which she now describes as cosy, eclectic and maximalist—her home evolved. She realised that rigidly centering her interior schemes on a single era wasn’t working. Now, she mixes different eras, patterns, colours and textures.
A growing confidence
Having found her groove, Lily’s big ideas for her home’s new identity were initially slowed by a lack of budget. However, she discovered a talent for upcycling and DIY, which allowed her to achieve her dream schemes without spending a fortune.
“I’m a recycler at heart,” Lily says. “If I can make something without much effort and additional cost, I will.”
Her skill in reviving second-hand and unloved items not only allowed her to achieve her dream schemes over time but also saved her a lot of money. The transformation has been extensive; dark grey and green paint hues grace walls and ceilings throughout, while lively, patterned papers pep up walls and furnishings.
She has also utilised outside space to create an additional room to relax in. Layers of texture help make this makeshift scheme incredibly cosy, even on autumnal days.
“I think I can finally say that I’ve found my style but I’m also becoming braver at running with my ideas,” says Lily.
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She has applied this confidence to her own bedroom, painting it in a dark blue-grey hue and papering behind the bed with Tropical Green Plant paper from Murals Wallpaper. “I wanted our bedroom to feel like a cosy cave with an air of vintage decadence,” Lily says.
In the six years since moving in, the family’s home has seen many updates and tweaks. The property now features an unapologetically loud and proud aesthetic, with not an inch of doors or wood trim remaining untouched.
“I like to play with a mix of different eras, patterns, colours and textures, and I make decisions based on what I love, as opposed to what I think will look nice together,” Lily explains.
When she moved in, Lily could likely never have imagined the impact a little redecorating would have on her life. In 2014, she applied for series three of the Great Interior Design Challenge as a bit of fun and made it to the final 16. Then, in 2017, she created her interiors Instagram account, @layered.home, which has since blossomed into a side business.
For Lily, the journey has been about finding what works for her family rather than chasing trends. “We’re so fortunate to have a beautiful, happy space that truly feels like our home,” Lily says. “It doesn’t matter what other people think of it or how many mistakes we’ve made along the way. It’s all part of our journey and story as a family.”
