Becca Collier-Cook's home is full of colour and bold prints. Read on to find out how she made it her own, plus tips for finding the best art prints for your house!
A bit about me
I’m Becca Collier-Cook, 30, a freelance digital marketer, and I live here with my husband Lewis, 36, who works in education, and our dog Daisy. You can see more of my home @beccaaaacollier.
Where I live
A four-bedroom bungalow in Whitstable, Kent, built in the 1920s. We moved here in July 2021.
What I wanted to change
The decor inside the house looked tired and dated. Most of the walls had been painted white, apart from some surprise glitter paint effects in a couple of the rooms, so it needed colour to bring the place alive and make it feel homely. The exterior also needed lots of attention to make it watertight.
How I made it my own
Working on a tight budget, we decorated every room in a palette of electric blue, pink, orange and yellow. We updated the bathrooms, decorated the bedroom and filled every wall with art and mementos from our travels. It feels much more vibrant and joyful now.
My favourite part
I love our painted bathrooms. The little blue box bathroom was awful before – I would make sure the door was shut if guests came round! Now, with the electric blue walls, it gives off art gallery vibes and I love how good it looks drenched with bright colour.
We were on the hunt for a new home with more space so we could start a family. This house had a lot of character and loads of potential. The rooms were big and bright, although almost every wall had been painted white, which didn’t feel homely to us.
The biggest job we faced was renovating the exterior. We replaced the black door with a vibrant orange one, installed sleek grey windows, and replaced the rotting cladding. We did all this within six months of moving in, and a significant portion of our decorating budget went into these repairs.
To save money, we filled every room with personality using paint and accessories. My style is colourful and quirky, and I’m fortunate that Lewis and I have similar taste. My love of colour drove most of the design choices. I gravitate towards cobalt blue, zesty yellow, orange and hot pink. I love anything that packs a punch!
We had a few hiccups along the way, like the time I spilt paint all over the floor! We unearthed a few problems too – we found mould on our bathroom walls, and discovered that pipes had been levelled using sand, so the floor was starting to come up.
Despite these challenges, I’m a homebody so this house is my haven. I love living in a colourful home and can’t wait to do more painting. I honestly wish I had more hours in the day to do more decorating!
Living room
The living room was a blank white box to start with. My plan was to treat it like a gallery space, using the white walls as a backdrop for all our artwork and accessories. Our corner sofa, from MADE, is plain grey, but I jazzed it up with inexpensive Dunelm checkerboard cushions and a throw from La Redoute.
I’ve shopped around for eclectic accessories like our shark chair, ice cream cone plant pot and the Frida Kahlo cushions to add personality. We also chose a washable rug to fill the floor space with pattern and colour.
The last thing I added was the gallery wall, which I filled with prints from Fy!. We add to this wall all the time.
Kitchen
One of the main rooms we decided to leave untouched was our kitchen. The layout works well for us and we love the red tiles, so couldn’t justify the cost of changing it. We’ll update it eventually, but for now this is the perfect backdrop for our bits and bobs, like our IKEA trolley and colourful tablecloth. The previous owners didn’t use the breakfast bar, but we love it.
I found the yellow metal bar stools on Facebook Marketplace for £20. We hung framed Japanese records and colourful artwork on the wall where the dining table is to set the mood for the room. We’re not massive cooks, but we love to host Christmas dinner in here.
Cloakroom
This space was so awful before we decorated that I didn’t want guests to see it! As it’s such a small room, I wanted to go for the wow-factor with a strong colour, so chose electric blue for the walls.
I added a little shelf for some fun bits and pieces, plus a mirror and playful window artwork to make it feel larger. Now I really love it, and it’s one of my favourite transformations.
Office
I work from home, so this is where I run my small business and get creative. I’ve got an inspiration board on the wall where I’ve hung photos and pictures from all of the places I’ve visited, as well as little mementos like funfair or gig tickets.
I make sure to have plants in here, so the room has balance. The plan is to add more colour to this space in the very near future.
Bedroom
The bedroom initially had glittery pink paint on the walls and was covered in butterfly stickers – it was very dated. So, I swapped out the butterflies for this funky alligator wallpaper! It really makes a statement.
For the rest of the room, I chose accessories that pick out the colours in the wallpaper. I like to style our bed with colourful cushions and bedding which I change frequently to suit my mood.
On either side, we placed pink and yellow Mustard Made lockers, and I put down a Supermundane x MADE rug on the floor, which ties the room together. I love waking up here, it makes me smile.
En-suite
This was the first room I tackled shortly after moving in. Before, there was glittery lilac paint on the walls, which was dreadful, and there was mould and damp on the ceiling. The lino flooring was coming up due to poorly laid underfloor heating. It was a disaster zone!
I got painting straight away, choosing YesColours’ Electric Orange. We had tradespeople in to lay new LVT flooring, which took a long time to finish because we had to take the toilet up to fit it. It wasn’t the most exciting thing to organise, but the result was 100% worth it.
Styling the space was the best part. I found a buoy in a junk shop, Marimekko bathrobes from IKEA, and hung art on the walls by local artists. I also added plants to breathe life into the room.
Guest bathroom
Last Christmas, I decided to paint the walls in this bathroom from white to Passionate Pink from YesColours. Then I used a dark grey grout pen on the tiles to give them a new look. For a jungle vibe, I added plants in here and hung artwork that brings me joy.
The finishing touch is the pink cowboy boot bath mat which I bought on a day trip to Edinburgh for £20.
This room really is an attack on the senses! Guests always have a reaction to it – my friends love it, but my father-in-law hates it!
How to buy artwork from indie designers
Buying from local artists is a great way to support your community and acquire unique pieces for your home – here’s how to find some gems
Look out for local art fairs, markets and gallery exhibitions. These events are fun opportunities to meet artists in-person, ask questions and see their work up close.
Follow your favourite local artists on platforms like Instagram, Etsy and local art collectives’ websites. Many artists showcase and sell their work online, making it easy to browse and purchase.
Join local art groups, clubs, or online communities. Networking with other art enthusiasts can lead to recommendations and inside tips on where to find new and emerging local artists.
If you have a specific piece of art in mind for a particular room, consider commissioning a piece directly from a local artist. This not only supports their work but also ensures you get a unique artwork tailored to your home, and it’ll be a piece you will keep forever.
Many local businesses, including coffee shops and bookstores, often display and sell artwork from local artists. These venues can be excellent places to find one-of-a-kind pieces while supporting small businesses.
Buying indie art doesn’t have to be expensive! Many artists sell reproduction prints for much less than the cost of the original. Or, buy a smaller piece and hang it as part of a gallery wall, building your collection over time.
What I learned
I love looking in independent shops to steal ideas for my own home. I also check out Airbnb’s and hotels for design ideas. I find real-life inspiration far more helpful than looking online at things because you get a proper sense of the space then.
If I get stuck with making a decor decision, I ask my friends for their thoughts for a second opinion or a boost in confidence. Luckily, they love my colourful decor ideas, so they always give me encouragement to go for it!
With hindsight, I didn’t need to worry so much about making bold colour choices. I did doubt myself, but I should have had faith in my decisions! I was worried that I was going to make a big mistake. Now, I’ve learnt to be braver. My advice is, don’t try and conform to what you think a home should be – go wild! If you want crocodile wallpaper, then go for it. Life is short, you should enjoy the space you live in.
