By using simple paint effects and beautiful accessories, Sisi Stigall has turned her rented home into a space full of vibrant colour and luxe touches.
Here, she tells us all about making over her living room...
My makeover experience
Growing up in Madagascar, I was surrounded by colour at home and in the local markets, which were full of vibrant, clashing patterns.
When I moved to the UK, and started suffering from seasonal affective disorder (SAD), my instinct was to surround myself with beautiful, bright colours.
Originally, I was renting a flat where decorating wasn’t allowed, but soon after I found this place.
Thankfully, the landlord agreed to let me add colour and play with pattern, on the understanding that when I leave I’ll return the flat to its original state.
Welcome to my home...
A bit about me I’m Sisi Stigall, an interior designer and content creator. I live with my husband, Nick, a music producer, and my daughter, Ruby, who is six. Our home is a two-bedroom flat in Hurstpierpoint, Surrey. I moved here in October 2020, and I keep a record of my renovation journey on Instagram @homewithsisi.
My problem living room The room was a bland white box so for someone who is so creative, I absolutely hated it. I just didn’t respond to it at all, though it did give me a blank canvas to work with.
Colour to me isn’t just about a room looking pretty; it’s also about how it makes me feel. I started by colour-blocking one wall with my happy colours: pink and orange, and my look progressed from there.
Eventually, I covered that with the bold striped wallpaper and then I painted the scalloped wall, and gradually started adding murals, colourful furniture and lots of gold accessories.
I taught myself how to decorate, not just to save money but because I find it therapeutic. I like to change the look every few months, not because I get bored, but because I feel so creative.
A bit more about my home...
How I made it work I need colour in my life to make me happy, so that was always going to be a pretty big part of the transformation. I change the look regularly, and I love to paint freehand murals on the walls. I’ve invested in some classic, colourful furniture with simple lines that can take any changes that I make.
My favourite part The scallops on the TV wall. Although they were really fiddly to do, I love how cute they look. They are the one thing I’ve never wanted to change.
I use my home as my canvas, and although it can be a bit disruptive, I don’t let a project stay unfinished for long. My latest feature was the rainbow-style mural, as I wanted to create something that represents hope. Although this space will never stay the same for long, it will always be my happy place.
My style advice
Disguise your tech
TVs can be the bane of an interiors lover’s life. How can you make those black rectangles fit in with your beautiful space? One option to consider is the Samsung Frame TV that allows artwork to be showcased.
However, Sisi has an easier, cheaper solution that’s just as effective. She simply finds a beautiful, abstract image from YouTube that ties in with her art prints behind and plays that on the screen.
Upcycle your furniture
Sisi bought these shelves from IKEA as a storage and styling device. When she bought them, they were black, which didn’t suit the colour balance in her home, so she gave them a cheap and easy update by spraying them gold.
‘I love the sophisticated edge gold adds to my room,’ Sisi explains. She finished off the piece by sticking some white marble-effect vinyl on the bottom and top shelf for an extra luxe look and displaying favourite trinkets and accessories.
Create a mural
Sisi paints her murals freehand, but if you are less confident, scale down the measurements of your wall onto a piece of paper, and draw out your design first.
You can colour in your sketches to get a feel for the finished result, then draw your design onto your wall with pencil, before painting the final pattern. ‘I love to learn new decorating skills,’ says Sisi. ‘I’m always surprised at how easy these things are once I give them a go.’
Photos Caroline Mardon.
