When space is tight, you need to get creative in order to make the most of the available space. Lucinda Kimmins had to be inventive when revamping her tiny urban home – and she managed to create beautiful interiors that truly capture the cottagecore feel.
Read on to find out how she did it…
We are Lucinda Kimmins, 27, a data science project manager, my husband, Charlie, 29, who is a risk analyst, and our pets: Paddington, a Cavapoochon, and our rescue cat, Cocoa.
Where we live
A one-bedroom ground-floor flat in a Victorian conversion in Wandsworth, London, and we moved here in May 2021. I share our renovation story on Instagram (@our_wandsworth_home).
My favourite room
is the living room because it feels so welcoming and restful, and Charlie and I love to sit here with our pets in the evening, watching a film with a hot chocolate.
My style
My style combines relaxed neutrals and a farmhouse aesthetic with an injection of cottagecore styling.
What I learned
Be patient and don’t expect to see results quickly. I rushed the panelling in the hallway as I was keen to put my stamp on our home, but it just looked a mess and needed redoing.
The stamp duty ‘holiday’ during Covid was what drove Lucinda and Charlie Kimmins to take the leap and buy their first home together. ‘We were renting at the time and planned to get onto the property ladder in the next few years, but we knew we should take any opportunity that would help us financially,’ says Lucinda. She was keen to put pictures on walls and change paint colours, ‘but we just didn’t have the opportunity to do that as renters.’
The couple weren’t originally going to view this place because it was over their price range, but Lucinda explains, ‘as soon as we walked in, we both knew this was the one, so we stretched our budget to get it.’
As first-time buyers who had never done DIY before, the flat felt perfect to Lucinda and Charlie, as the only work needed was cosmetic. ‘The place had been recently renovated so a new kitchen was already installed, as were the units in the living room and the wardrobe in the bedroom,’ says Lucinda. ‘Although the plain white walls and dark grey kitchen cabinets left the house feeling characterless, it was the perfect blank canvas for us.’
Planning it out
As they went through the buying process during lockdown, Lucinda had plenty of time to research decor ideas. ‘I would spend every evening creating moodboards, getting inspiration from magazines, Instagram and Pinterest. So, when we finally moved in, I had a good idea of what I wanted.’
The flat felt like a new-build, with boxy rooms, so Lucinda felt like adding some character and charm to bring her home to life. ‘I grew up in rural Kent so wanted to inject a farmhouse feel, using a neutral palette with soft green accents and gentle pattern as a nod to countryside living.’
The first thing Lucinda did was add Shaker-style panelling in the hallway. ‘It creates a lovely backdrop and adds texture to an otherwise boring area,’ she says, though she admits she didn’t do a very good job initially.
‘We’ve added simple solutions in every room whether it was a mantelpiece, a shelf, or baskets, because we only have four rooms, we wanted to make each space count.’
Lucinda Kimmins
‘To be honest, I was so excited to make the flat feel like our home that I rushed it and, although we lived with the results for a while, we’ve now redone it and it looks a lot better,’ she says.
For their second panelling project, the couple chose a shiplap design in the dining area, ‘and we did a much better job,’ says Lucinda. ‘It’s easier to attach because it’s simply vertical planks that slot together, but we also took our time and did a lot more research.’
The couple carried on adding panelling in the bathroom and bedroom, but they also desperately needed day-to-day storage ideas. ‘We’ve added simple solutions in every room,’ says Lucinda, ‘whether it was a mantelpiece, a shelf, or baskets, because we only have four rooms, we wanted to make each space count.’
Time for change
After viewing lots of online tutorials, Charlie tackled replacing the floating bathroom sink with a vanity unit, but the biggest change the couple made was having the kitchen cabinets painted. ‘I wanted to get rid of the dark grey as it sucked the light out of the room, but it felt like too big a job for us to tackle,’ explains Lucinda, so they got a local company to take the units out, and they repainted them in a warm white in just two days.
For the rest of the house, the couple chose a neutral colour base with accents of soft green, as Lucinda explains, ‘I like to bring the outdoors in and green makes me feel connected with the garden and nature, but it’s also a relaxing, calming colour.’
Lucinda also slowly started adding pattern – a new concept for her, as she explains, ‘my taste has really matured since living in this house. I’ve never used pattern in our homes before, concentrating my decor ideas more on the colour scheme, whereas now I’ve started adding florals and stripes. But, I think tastes change over time and I’ve never felt like I had to stick to one style, as I believe your home evolves around you.’
This was the first time the couple had tackled any serious DIY and, ‘we’ve come to the conclusion that I’m good at the painting and Charlie is good at the building,’ says Lucinda. ‘We love seeing the finished results, and it’s helped us create a home where we’ve made every room feel as loved as the next. I do believe if you take care of your home, your home will take care of you.’
Living room
Hallway
Dining area
Kitchen
Bathroom
Bedroom
