Making your home beautiful is satisfying and could even help you to make some extra money on the side. Find out how Jilly Noble's home became a destination for photographers and filmmakers, plus tips so you can follow in her footsteps…
Feature by Alison Gibb. Photography by Douglas Gibb
A bit about me
I’m Jilly Noble, 32, a product photographer. I share my work on Instagram @jillyjillystudio. I live here with my husband David, a garden landscaper, and our chihuahua Daisy.
Where I live
I live in a three-bedroom, semi-detached house in Dundee, built in 1997. We’ve lived here since 2016.
What I wanted to change
The house was very plain, so we wanted to add colour and make it our own. The main projects were the kitchen, including replacing the single back door to the garden with French doors, and bathroom – but every room needed a makeover.
How I made it my own
I’ve added vivid patterned wallpapers to most of the rooms, and filled every space with my own quirky decor touches. We also revamped the kitchen and fully redesigned the bathroom.
My favourite part
The bathroom is my favourite transformation. It feels like it belongs in a boutique hotel and the colours flow with the rest of the house.
Jilly's story
When we bought this house, it was very neutral and we wanted to quickly make it our own, so we bought some items in a bit of a hurry. Over time we’ve been able to go back and tackle each room a bit more thoroughly.
We’ve saved up for investment pieces and sourced some beautiful vintage furniture that we hunted down at car boot sales and on eBay. I also love using hand-me-downs from family and friends, which I often upcycle to add a bit more character and make them my own.
David and I are a good team – I come up with the ideas, and he’s very practical and loves problem-solving and carrying them out. We bought a vintage caravan a few years ago so we could travel more easily with our dog. It gave us the chance to experiment with different ideas and solutions, and we’ve been able to bring everything we learned from that experience to decorating our home.
I visualise decor schemes in my head, then I sketch my ideas on paper or on my iPad to show David. It’s helpful for us both as I sometimes need to work quite hard to persuade him to agree to my bolder choices! Seeing them on paper or screen helps him understand what I’m picturing.
Keeping true to our style and skills has really paid off, as we have a home that’s very “us.” Our home is so photogenic, I often do shoots for my clients here now!
Dining area
This area feels so fresh now that we’ve installed our lovely French doors leading out to the garden. Throwing the doors open on a warm summer’s day is so idyllic. The pink, floor-length linen curtain is the perfect finishing touch.
I painted the mismatched chairs in a variety of pale ice cream colours that I had left over from tester pots.
Our favourite china is on display in two vintage dressers, both of which offer extra cupboard space as well. The corner cabinet was a very generous payment for a shift I did as a favour in a friend’s café!
Kitchen
We revamped our kitchen on a tight budget by painting the original cabinetry and replacing the handles and the tiles. We deliberately chose tiles the same size as the previous ones to minimise the work required, which saved both time and money.
I chose the colours with a kitsch vibe in mind, hoping to hint at summer days, picnics and ice cream sundaes.
Paying attention to the details, such as pink plug sockets and pink metal shelf brackets, has completed the look perfectly. A pantry behind the painted blackboard door is super practical and offers a lot of hidden storage, so there’s room for lovely decorative touches, such as our vintage plate collection.
Living room
We saved up for the oversized pink velvet corner sofa and it was the starting point for the colours in this room. We’ve covered it in clashing cushions from our favourite designer, Nikki McWilliams, and deliberately mismatched it with the floral accent wall.
Records, a cocktail shaker, matching glasses, and a collection of beautifully illustrated fairytale books, inherited from my uncle, keep us entertained for hours in here.
We bought the curtains when we first moved in, and I love the colour. They are a bit short, but I hope they add to the slightly retro feel we’ve tried to create.
Office
This is the smallest room in the house. It’s where I edit my photographs, create moodboards for clients’ branding, and do my admin. I’ve combined a dark accent wall with a nostalgic print wallpaper.
Files and reference books for work are stored in a painted shelving unit, and I upcycled a pine shelf that my parents previously used to store CDs by painting it with a mint green tester pot.
I now use it to display my collection of vintage hardback books and colourful pieces of kitchenalia. An antique chest of drawers provides further useful storage in here.
Hallway
We laid ceramic tiles downstairs to create a practical entrance, and chose a cream and green striped carpet up the stairs. The walls are painted in a neutral shade as I planned to create a gallery wall, so I didn’t want to use a distracting patterned wallpaper.
I started the gallery wall intentionally during lockdown, after I enjoyed developing an accidental gallery wall in my living room for a few years. I had a colour theme this time, with monochrome mixed with dusty pink and green. I planned the layout on my iPad, as I wanted it to be perfect. I didn’t want to leave it to chance!
Main bedroom
We created a softer colour scheme in here, with faded pinks, yellows and gold, and mixed vintage furniture with high street bargains. I painted the yellow arc shape behind the bed so it looks a bit like a sunrise. I inherited the dressing table from my great-grandmother and painted it pink. I also painted the floor, but it’s not worn well, so I’ve covered it with rugs.
The IKEA metal bed was originally black, but I sprayed it gold to be more in keeping with my scheme. I’ve also hung a gold disco ball. It catches the sunshine in the morning which is so pretty.
Bathroom
This was a major revamp but we kept to budget by leaving all the sanitaryware in place. We added painted tongue-and-groove panelling and replaced all the tiles around the bath and the floor tiles. We painted the walls and ceiling in a soft pink emulsion and swapped out the blind for a cute scallop pattern.
The floor tiles are fun, but quite intense, so we kept the wall tiles calmer. I originally intended to use white subway tiles, but then I spotted a bathroom on Pinterest featuring white vertical tiles with the occasional coloured tile and thought it was so clever, so we tried that in here. I planned the pattern on my iPad to work out the tile placement, and I’m so pleased with the result!
How to turn your home into a location house
Get your home noticed by photographers and filmmakers with these tips…
- Give your home a strong personality so it’s distinctive throughout. It’s impossible to create a home that will work for every type of shoot, so it’s better to find your niche, as this will attract the right projects. Different looks in different rooms might also be useful to a photographer, but make it work for you – you’ll be living there!
- Take clear photographs of all sides of the main rooms, in daylight, plus the front and the back of the house and any gardens that you have access to. Phone snaps are fine and a total of 30 should be sufficient.
- Get in touch with a few location agencies. Most have online portals where you can fill in the relevant forms and upload your photographs, or they may ask to visit your property to take some shots or videos themselves. Always be sure to double-check their credentials before inviting them into your home.
- Make sure your home is easy to keep clean and tidy, as requests are often made at very short notice. Most photographers will work with their own stylist, so you won’t need to style your home for the shoot, but it can be helpful to have a stash of home accessories that work in the space for them to use.
- Write clear and detailed directions to your property, including public transport links and parking instructions, so your home is easy to find for the whole team, who may travel separately.
What I learned
Living in a colourful home is more fun! It’s so joyful, especially during a long winter when it’s cold and grey outside, as colour and floral patterns are warming and cheerful.
Planning in detail helps you make decisions. It can be hard to visualise every aspect in your head, so drawing things out makes it much easier and you can feel more confident about your choices.
Take your time over purchases. Things I bought in a hurry were never as good as items I really thought about. However much or little you’re spending, finding unique pieces at a good price is so satisfying!
