A young designer's fresh, playful scheme for her first home
The kitchen was the priority,' interior designer Emma Ainscough explains, 'it was old, untouched and falling apart whenever I opened a cupboard door. It got to the point that I had to convince my friends that I really am an interior designer.' The kitchen in question is in her two bedroom Victorian flat in Fulham, which occupies the first and second floors of a conversion and, typically for the area, features a double height living space with the kitchen on a mezzanine above the living room. Emma had been living in the flat for two years before she did anything to it. At the time of buying the flat, she had just joined House & Garden Top 100 designer Studio Ashby as a junior designer – Emma was in fact Sophie Ashby’s second ever employee – 'so I didn’t want to rush it; I let my experience grow.'
Emma joined Studio Ashby as soon as she had completed a course at KLC, jumping straight in to running projects herself and soaking up as much information as she could about how to both be an interior designer and how to run a small business. As it does with many young designers, Emma's own flat presented her with a first opportunity to 'really put my own stamp on something.'
She hadn’t yet set up her own studio – as she has now – but the thought that she might do so one day was there. 'I wanted a project,' Emma says. 'Working in interiors pushed me to redo my flat and redoing my flat pushed me to go solo. The decoration is very personal and a true expression of my style. I hadn’t considered what other people would think, as I do with work, but the positive reactions spurred me to go solo.'
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The hallway is papered in Common Room's reprint of Charles Voysey's famous 'Lioness & Palms', a wallpaper she came across on a project and knew she had to use herself. 'I added a dado rail and papered just the top half of the room. I thought it would be overpowering to do the whole wall. It’s my favourite area because it’s such a statement, but because you’re passing through it isn't overwhelming.' In the bathroom a small amount of the darker colour-way is cleverly contrasted with the lighter, creating an interesting vignette between the rooms. 'I was struggling to find something that I loved as much that would create the same impact without clashing,' she explains.
Though the budget for her own house was a lot tighter than those she is used to when working for clients, in a couple of places she let the reins go a little. Ottoline's 'Tulips of Belgravia' was used for the large living room blind. 'I did that room knowing I wanted a statement pattern on the window, but nothing came to me at first. Rather than rush I left it, and just as I finished the project I saw this fabric and I knew that was what was missing from the room. You can see it from the hallway landing and I love the mix of the two patterns together.'
Another favourite pattern Emma knew she had to weave in somewhere was Bennison's crewelwork 'Jungle Colors on Oyster'. Though it blew the budget somewhat, Emma used an economical amount to upholster the headboard in her bedroom, which sits against walls in 'Wedgwood Green' by Eico Paints. 'I love green - it’s made the room feel very calm. It's cool in the summer but cosy in winter.'
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The mixing and layering of colour is gently masterful; in the kitchen, for example, the top cabinets are in a neutral colour ('Slate I' by Paint & Paper Library) with 'Chappell Green' by Farrow & Ball on the bottom cabinets. 'It's colourful but it's balanced. You can go too far with colour. I love it so much that I had to restrain myself in areas like the kitchen.'
After finding that the kitchens she liked were out of her budget, and the ones in her budget weren’t suitable, Emma set about designing one herself with a local carpenter. This was the one challenge of Emma's project; used to working with a high-end roster of craftsmen, her own builder for the renovation was, in Emma’s words, 'a little taken aback when I started saying, "that has to be 4cm to the left not 4.5cm." The end result was great but getting there was quite stressful as he took a while to get his head around my ideas and attention to detail.'
Emma is now working on a large house in East Sussex, as well as another in London and various consultancy projects. 'I get enquiries through Instagram now which has been great, but I didn’t anticipate it. I started my account in lockdown as more of a mood-board, but it’s getting traction and it’s how people find me.' Emma describes her style as, 'contemporary in a practical way. The colours and patterns I like to use are often old designs. It’s so important for a project to last. I’m not that swayed by trends.'
Alicia Waite1/16The bathroom has been papered in 'Lioness and Palms' in the midnight colourway, with a 'Turtle Green' by Eico paints beneath the dado rail.
Alicia Waite2/16The same wallpaper and paint covers the hallway, in the lighter 'midday' colourway.
Alicia Waite3/16
Alicia Waite4/16The prints are from Polly Fern.
Alicia Waite5/16The blind was a large investment added right at the end of the project, as it covers a big window. Having seen the fabric in a House & Garden shoot, Emma used Ottoline's 'Tulips of Belgravia' in the burgundy colourway.
Alicia Waite6/16'Slate II' by Paint & Paper Library on the walls of the double height living room emphasises the space, while joinery in Farrow & Ball's 'Chappell Green' adds a splash of colour. The sofa is Camerich's 'Lazytime', while the vintage Arabescato marble table came from Anna Unwin.
Alicia Waite7/16The dining chairs are 'Chiara' chairs in pomegranate from Ceraudo, which Emma snapped up at a sample sale.
Alicia Waite8/16Emma inherited the dining table from her granny.
Alicia Waite9/16Upstairs, the kitchen is on a mezzanine overlooking the living space. Emma designed it herself and had a local carpenter make it to her specifications.
Alicia Waite10/16A window in the kitchen is surrounded by open shelves with cookbooks and decorative pieces.
Alicia Waite11/16As with the living room, the bottom cabinets are 'Chappell Green' from Farrow & Ball, while the top cabinets are 'Slate I' by Paint & Paper Library, a shade lighter than the living room walls.
Alicia Waite12/16The darker 'Slate II' is also on the walls in the kitchen. The oil painting was sourced on Etsy.
Alicia Waite13/16The bedside table is an antique that Emma found on Instagram. The lamp is from Pooky.
Alicia Waite14/16The headboard is covered in Bennison’s 'Jungle Colors on Oyster' fabric, piped in linen by Hackney Draper.
Alicia Waite15/16'Wedgewood Green' by Eico Paints provides a calming atmosphere on the walls.
Alicia Waite16/16Emma Ainscough.
