My Houzz: Eccentricities Fill a London Flat
http://www.decor-ideas.org 09/06/2014 19:03 Decor Ideas
As with all good homes, a tour of this one-bedroom flat in East London is like walking inside the mind of its owner. Legos, typographic prints, Barbie dolls, taxidermy, train station signs and a giant teacup all sit under the same roof. It’s an eclectic mix, but owner Tom Chalet makes it work.
What’s even more impressive is that he did most of it by himself. “People don’t often think of me as the DIY type,” he says, “but it was pretty easy to do all of this alone. For one thing I had no budget, so I just decorated as I went along, using bits and pieces I’ve gathered over the past four years.”
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Tom Chalet
Location: East London
Size: 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom
That collection has grown steadily and accounts for almost everything you see in the flat, apart from a few designer purchases. Chalet loves to pick up mementos wherever he travels and snag bargains from places such as eBay, Gumtree and junk shops. “To me decoration needs to be personal,” he says. “I have memories attached to all of the ornaments you see here, especially the ones gathered in Berlin. I could even tell you where I found each one and the story behind it.”
The result is an evocative and unique living space, jam-packed with personality. Chalet obviously has a flair for interior design. His mind is always thinking and, despite his having spent only a year in this lovingly formed abode, he’s already planning a design overhaul. “I’m forever seeing things and committing them to my mind palace of ideas,” he says.
The wood paneling in the living room is the first thing that strikes you as you enter the flat; it gives the space a cozy, cabin-like feel. “When I moved in, I noticed the walls were uneven,” Chalet recalls, “so I figured that scaffolding wood panels would flatten them while also adding a nice texture.” Chalet bought the boards for around $480. “And although they were covered in paint and gunk when I got them, it only took a quick once-over with a belt sander on the balcony and they were ready to be attached to the wall using a metal rail.”
He has transformed a plain white box of a flat into a vibrant and carefully assembled treasure trove of memorabilia. The pictures on the main wall, for instance, are a cluster of curios from past adventures and special moments — a painting of his dog, a friend’s artwork and some souvenirs from his days in Berlin. Another good example is the small table on the balcony, which he has kept since childhood. “I suppose I’m a bit of a hoarder,” Chalet admits, “but I love to look around at all these memories.”
A few frivolous splurge items are thrown in, such as the giant Plant Cup, which cost around $330, and wherever you look there are plenty of things to catch the eye. In fact, whenever friends come into Chalet’s flat, they always seem to notice something new, even though it’s all the same and nothing has changed. “They’re like, ‘Did you always have this?’” he says, laughing.
The Barbie dolls are eccentricities that somehow work in the context of this space. Chalet bought them on eBay and had boxes of them stacked up at his workplace for months. The taxidermy fox was also bought on eBay, a vintage find from the science department of a school in Yorkshire that was closing down.
Small spaces can feel cramped, but Chalet’s flat features French double doors to the balcony in both the living room and the bedroom, allowing easy access between the two spaces. The doors flood both rooms with light during the day, making the rooms enjoyable to spend time in.
Why have a plain old white partition wall when you can build a section of it out of Legos? This playful stack adds color and fun to the wall between the living room and the kitchen.
Chalet bought the kitchen table six months before he moved in, and it influenced the rest of the space. Glance over at the leather upholstery on the sofa or the color of the vintage luggage used as a makeshift coffee table, and you’ll see what he means. Dangling overhead is a dark, silicone-shelled pendant light, which coordinates nicely with the rest of the kitchen area while also contrasting with the more organic form of the white Le Klint pendant in the living room. The latter casts a softer, more diffused glow, perfect for creating a little postdinner ambience.
In keeping with the whimsy of the rest of the flat, the kitchen wall has been covered with ecofriendly blackboard paint, creating a place where Chalet can doodle and design to his heart’s content.
The black feature wall in the bedroom uses contrast to draw the eye to the decorative elements, such as the red pendant cords and the zigzag headboard, which Chalet’s mother fashioned from an MDF board covered in fabric. She also made the curtains.
See how to make an upholstered headboard
A lovely, light combination of white wall, natural wood paneling and matching floating shelves faces the bed —the shelves are leftovers from one of Chalet’s workplaces. It’s a versatile and understated piece of furniture that makes the perfect display unit for his eclectic mix of collectibles.
Everything is so well considered in this flat; every touchpoint is an opportunity to delight and surprise. I doubt visitors will need a sign telling them where the door is, unless they’ve outstayed their welcome in this homiest of homes. Nevertheless, it’s a lovely exclamation mark on the whole experience.
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more in this series.
Browse more homes by style:
Small Homes | Colorful Homes | Eclectic Homes | Modern Homes | Contemporary Homes | Midcentury Homes | Ranch Homes | Traditional Homes | Barn Homes | Townhouses | Apartments | Lofts | Vacation Homes
Related Articles Recommended
Related Images Recommend
