See around Interior Design Masters star Hannah Drakeford's ultra-stylish London flat

'The only way to stay on the property ladder when I moved to London from Leicestershire, was by going for shared ownership, which gives you a chance to buy a percentage of a property and rent the rest.

'When I came to view this flat, although there was no outside space, being on the top floor meant it had lots of natural light and I liked the open-plan layout, so I went for it.’

I was keen to banish the beige as the kitchen had shiny beige cabinets, the carpets were beige, and the bathroom had floor-to-ceiling beige tiles. I wanted to create an eye-catching look that would reflect my personality, so after replacing the carpets with herringbone engineered oak, I painted black-and-white stripes in the living area.

I also gave the kitchen a budget update by painting the cabinets and worktops white, and then I gave the bedroom a striking new look. I’d already painted the walls dark, but I wanted to mirror the shapes on my concrete pots by painting large, geometric outlines on the ceiling and walls. The bathroom also got a bold makeover, though I chose softer colours for contrast.

As I’ve done everything on a budget, sometimes jobs have been harder or taken longer than if I’d thrown money at it. But there’s something special about doing work yourself and I can truly look around my home with pride and say, ‘I did this!’

Living area

‘I’ve always loved a monochrome palette and graphic patterns, so the first big change was adding the black-and-white stripes. I watched some YouTube tutorials before putting paint to the wall as I’m quite a perfectionist and didn’t want wonky edges. It was a brave move, but I instantly loved the look, and it gave me the confidence to take more risks.

‘I’d previously had quite a boho style but since moving into this modern space I’ve been replacing the shabby chic pieces with more modern, design-led furniture, like the Habitat chairs and the ’80s vintage sofa. Most of my furniture is secondhand, chosen carefully to suit my new aesthetic, but I’ve also started upcycling – my favourite is the old grey IKEA shelves that I converted into a striking red cabinet. It’s nice knowing these pieces are unique to me.

Hallway

‘The hallway was the one space I wasn’t sure what to do with because it’s so narrow. Although it seemed counterintuitive, I decided to paint the space black – my theory is that dark walls will disappear and make the space feel bigger.

‘The little alcove was a good place for the vintage sideboard, which I upcycled by adding the mid-century-style legs and painting the inside white. Then I decided to add my signature style and include some bold colour blocking. Painting the geometric shapes was a little flourish at the end of the flat reno but sticking to a black-and-white theme helps tie the space in with the rest of the flat.

Kitchen

‘Updating the beige kitchen cabinets was a priority. My default position is to look for the cheapest option, so I removed all the doors and sanded them down in a friend’s garden. The worktops had to be sanded in situ, so I sealed off the area with a large dust sheet and finished the job using a hand sander.

‘I painted the cabinets white to make the space feel bigger, but chose paint intended for concrete floors which, although extra hardwearing, took three days to dry! In hindsight, it would have been far simpler to replace the worktops.

‘There wasn’t a splashback in the kitchen originally, which wasn’t practical, so I tiled the walls myself choosing simple white hex mosaic tiles. They still have the geometric shape I love but they don’t fight for attention against the bold stripes that span across to the living area.

Bedroom

‘I knew this south-facing room could take a dark colour, and I wanted it to feel cosy, like a little nest. I painted the walls a soft, almost black, shade but was then inspired to do the colour blocking during lockdown in 2020.

‘I usually like to visualise my ideas on digital moodboards, but one day I simply decided to add some bold geometric shapes so I went out and chose some tester pots. The orange circle on the ceiling came first, closely followed by the yellow semicircle and the rectangle behind the bed.

‘I was initially worried that it would look a bit bonkers but as soon as I started painting, I knew the striking contrast of the colours worked.

Bathroom

‘The bathroom was the last room to get my daring paint treatment. I swiftly covered all the beige tiles with specialist white tile paint when I first moved in, but the pink design didn’t come until a recent trip to Marrakesh where I was inspired by some amazing patterned tiles in the riad we were staying at. I modelled the room in SketchUp first to play with the design and calculate the surface areas, so I didn’t order more paint than I needed.

‘I chose Pink 03 by Lick for the circles and then protected the finished effect with a clear sealant. I simply glued wooden batons onto the splashback behind the basin to give the effect of panelling as a finishing touch, painting them the same colour as the walls, and I gave the dark wood surface a hand-painted terrazzo-effect glow up.

Office

‘This open-plan space needs to work really hard, especially since lockdown when I’ve used it as a work-from-home area. I had to space-plan carefully so that the room felt zoned rather than chaotic, and although this corner of the room started out as my dining area, the metal table, which is actually a kitchen catering table off eBay, was the obvious place to set up my computer.

‘The vintage stool, also from eBay, is the perfect height and I like the fact that both pieces have seen a life before I bought them. Sustainability is really important to me, so filling my home with vintage pieces not only makes it feel unique but also saves beautiful furniture from ending up in landfill.’

Photos Gap Interiors / Katie Jane Watson

This feature originally appeared in HomeStyle - why not subscribe today?