Full of inventive décor hacks and clever styling techniques, Sophia Ferrari-Wills’ pastel paradise is better than she ever could have imagined.
Take a look inside her beautiful home...
Sophia's story
We knew we would change pretty much everything in this house the first time we viewed it. It had dark wood, magnolia walls, tons of orange oak in the kitchen, terracotta tiles, and an old-fashioned bathroom which wasn’t our taste at all.
We decided to start from scratch and we were excited to start with a blank slate and put our own personality into the place. The dark wood and magnolia walls were first on the list to tackle, and on day two after moving in I was already painting the living room walls and dark wood pink, much to my husband, Chris’, amusement.
- Buy Tulip Side Table from Urban Outfitters (£89)
- Buy Aurora Green Glass Mirror from Oliver Bonas (£175)
Initially, we experimented with bold colours and panelling, but we soon realised that the latter didn’t suit the house and the palette we had chosen left it feeling cold. Instead, we decided to use our favourite colours, testing them as we went to make sure they felt like they suited the house.
- Buy Catherine Mirror from The Cotswold Company (£199)
We also added lots of pattern and intrigue throughout with various details and styling techniques – from our pink staircase to a lilac kitchen and floral wallpapers. When they first saw what we’d done, our family and friends thought we were mad to begin with but soon came to love it. A few have called it a creative museum as there are so many details to take in. Even the postman and delivery couriers are curious and bend their head around the door to see more!
Living room
‘Like the rest of the house, the living room was very plain with magnolia walls and devoid of warmth when we moved in. The wallpaper, Strawberry Thief from Wallpaper Direct, kicked off the transformation. I love the colourway, with the perfect touch of pink to complement the walls.
‘The Snug Sofa couch is perfect for watching a film with the family on a Sunday afternoon. We use this space all day, every day and it’s the heart of our home. It’s where we dance, snuggle, play and chill out together. There’s so many memories tucked up in this one room.’
Kitchen
‘The kitchen comprised of oak cabinetry and mauve tiles – it looked tired and very bare. We swiftly redecorated it in mint-green and pink in January 2021 and we never looked back! It was much more in keeping with our style.
‘However, I had always wanted a lilac kitchen and so after having painted every kitchen appliance pink (including the fridge, oven, cookerhood and microwave!), I took the step to paint the room lilac.
‘I kept the green on the ceiling and skirting to match the wallpaper and it’s the best it has ever looked! It’s created a really bold statement and we absolutely adore it.’
Office
‘The office was the first room we tried with a darker paint, and we quickly realised it didn’t suit the house. The switch from Farrow & Ball’s Oval Room Blue to Graham and Brown’s Penelope Pink was a satisfying one.
‘I wanted ice cream colours for an all-round summertime feel in this room. The yellow shutters especially create a warm, sunshine-like glow.’
Hallway
’When we moved in, the hallway was neutral with tons of dark wood and tiles, making the area feel small and dingy. I painted the banister pink and the staircase wall mint-green to really brighten the space up.
‘The cherry rug is from Ruggable – it’s washable, meaning dirty shoes don’t matter, and it dries really quickly too, which is a bonus. I bought the wavy Jonathan Adler mirror in the Amara sale and the lamp is from Habitat. I ended up buying two as I love it so much.’
Master bedroom
‘I love this eye-catching floral wallpaper by Rifle Paper Co. while the scallop trim adds some definition and fun to the space.
‘I painted the ceiling in India Yellow and the walls Calamine, both by Farrow & Ball. The sunny ceiling makes the room glow and provides that comforting warmth even on the coldest, gloomiest day, while the soft pink tone gives that coolness we crave when we’re in the peak of summer.
‘The artwork was part of content creation work with Artfully Walls who are independent but often sell through Anthropologie, too. I adore prints hung on wallpapered walls! Layering is my favourite thing to do.’
Cloakroom
‘I wanted a statement loo for guests to enjoy, so I created a mermaid-inspired space with shell wallpaper from Eleanor Bowmer and bright lime panelling using Edith’s Eye paint by Little Greene.
‘The eye-popping gold scales splashback from Fired Earth completes the mermaid vibe perfectly – guests love the theme! Like every other room, I like to style the space with flowers.’
Hermione’s bedroom
‘In Hermione’s room, I added a mountain mural for imaginative play and painted the top of the wall blue to resemble the sky.
‘The overall theme is adventure, with hot air balloons hanging from the ceiling in order of size to appear as though they’re floating into the mural. The cloud rug encourages reading and playtime while the cloud-shaped shelves are great for displaying pretty trinkets and are stylish décor themselves.’
Clementine’s bedroom
‘I wanted Clementine to have an imaginative and exciting space, so I painted a rainbow freehand using tester pots of Farrow & Ball paint. I shared it on my Instagram @thiscolourfulnest in March 2020 and, shortly after, a rainbow happened to become the national symbol of appreciation for NHS workers during the pandemic, so my photo was reposted on the Farrow & Ball Instagram account which boosted my following.
‘But, over time Clemmie’s tastes changed, and she wanted a more whimsical room. The most recent makeover is this fairytale-themed look with floral wallpaper, a rainbow side table, and a mermaid-inspired headboard. Clemmie absolutely loves it.’
Spare bedroom
‘When we moved in, this room was white with dark beams and dark floorboards.
‘Now, it couldn’t be any more different! I painted the walls in a peachy-pink, hand-painted a chequerboard feature floor and added hot pink shutters and spotlights. I couldn’t be happier with the overall look and won’t be changing it any time soon! Though, I may add some hand-printed floral detailing to the walls…’
Photos: David Giles Styling: Sophia Ferrari-Wills
Feeling inspired? Don't forget to check out the rest of our real home makeovers!
