Page 43 - February 2024

AT HOME WITH

we painted half the wall yellow throughout all a gorgeous wallpaper inside the wardrobe,
the floors at a panelling height, which connects and colour matched the internal doors to the
everything beautifully.” orange hues in the print. I added the matching
cushions (all from John Lewis) to our bed, and
One of the rooms that really stood out to the then made a headboard using a fabulous velvet
SCHOTY judges was Beth’s bedroom, with its stripe material, with matching lampshades and
striking seven-foot rainbow mural. Katie and even an insert for our fireplace, which was a
Beth worked together to create this joyful fantastic Facebook Marketplace find that I
space, in hues of yellow and orange, with a renovated, and Jamie installed.”
bright pink desk and a homemade bench seat
to make the most of the sea view. One of the many reasons why Katie and
Jamie’s home won Scotland’s Christmas
Katie and Jamie’s bedroom has recently Home of the Year was the homemade
undergone works too, with the couple approach to decor, which extends to the
planning to optimise the space and create a eye-catching gallery wall in the family room.
tranquil place to unwind. “I designed a small “It’s one of my favourite things about our
walk-in wardrobe with bespoke doors to fit a home, and it’s been curated over time, with
deep alcove, which MDA Joinery built for me. lots of homemade parts, and all with special
I went bold with our colour scheme; we used memories or meanings,” explains Katie.

The substantial works eventually began in July themselves to create the Bay Tree House that
2020, and transformed the basement from the SCHOTY judges fell in love with. “Our style
what once was the street’s air-raid shelter, is a colourful, joyful one, which tells a story
into a new kitchen and family room, plus a about us, while also being mindful of the 1930s
shower room, while the original kitchen was features of the house,” says Katie.
converted into a home office, with a partition
wall to create a third bedroom at the rear of Katie and Jamie relied on making moodboards
the house. when decorating the property, taking inspiration
from fabrics including cushions and lampshades.
However, things didn’t run smoothly, as Katie “The basement conversion moodboard was
explains. “The renovation was very slow, based around an orange, teal and yellow
and our builder walked out, 10 days before lampshade – we wanted a welcoming, fun space
Christmas, with a lot of our money, never to that was personal to us, and this fabric made
be seen again! The staircase was half fitted, us all happy. The basement space has lots of
the old kitchen had been ripped out, windows pops of colour, from teal wall cupboards and
and doors weren’t properly fitted, walls were a bright yellow sofa to an orange shelf – plus
half plastered, and the electrics and plumbing accessories, of course.”
weren’t complete. By Christmas, friends had
laid our floors and called on contacts to help “We wanted an elegant living room, so we
make it habitable. We’ve worked hard over the used deeper tones of a similar palette, taken
last three years to finish all the jobs left of what from some Orla Kiely cushions. We chose a SCHOTY 2023 winners, Bay Tree House
was meant to be a 10-12 week-long renovation.” dark colour for the walls, which makes this a Credit: Kirsty Anderson and IWC Media/BBC Scotland
warm, cosy space to snuggle up in. The stairs
After those major works were complete, the and landing across the three floors desperately
Morris family wanted to inject their home needed a cohesive look to tie everything You can catch up on all episodes of Scotland’s Home of the Year on BBC iPlayer, and keep up with
with colour and personality and set about it together. We couldn’t stretch to panelling, so Katie and Jamie’s property plans on Instagram, @in_a_world_of_colour.

42 | espc.com espc.com | 43