Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Emily Murray of The Pink House; her husband, Euan; and their two children, Oscar, 7, and Zac, 4
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
Size: Four bedrooms, two bathrooms
When Murray and her husband moved to Edinburgh from London six years ago, they were looking for a family home that they could put their stamp on. When they saw this Victorian terrace home, they knew they had found a place that offered them a beautiful blank canvas.
The couple started their renovations on the ground floor by opening up the wall between the living room and kitchen. This created a light, family-friendly space that spans the full length of the house.
A slim band of metallic gold paint highlights the inside of the archway and adds an extra shot of warmth to the room. The same paint has also been used on the door frame to the right. “If you look closely, the paint is actually covered in tiny handprints!” Murray says.
Wall paint: Manor House Gray, Farrow & Ball; trim paint: White Tie, Farrow & Ball; Masters chairs in Rust Orange by Philippe Starck: Kartell
She hired local decorator Paul Sutherland to paint the cabinets; he subsequently did most of the painting and wallpapering in the house. Murray also called on the skills of local cabinetmaker Keith of Keith Pollock Joinery for various custom carpentry jobs during the two-year home renovation.
Refrigerator: Smeg; wallpaper (covering cupboard): Woods by Cole & Son; Revival Mini radio: Roberts Radio; brass cabinet handles: Buster + Punch; rug: Anthropologie; Maskros pendant light: Ikea
The room has an elegant feel, thanks to the traditional-style toile wallpaper from Timorous Beasties. Closer inspection reveals that the “pastoral” scenes depicted in it are actually modern-day scenes of London life. “The wallpaper was my way of bringing a bit of London to Edinburgh,” Murray explains.
The couple also reinstated the original Victorian fireplace in the corner of the room.
London Toile wallpaper: Timorous Beasties; mirror and chandelier: both vintage; gold chest: Angel & Boho; rug: Heal’s; Ghost chairs: Philippe Starck; Roman shades in Asolo fabric: Designers Guild
Chest: vintage; wall paint: Pink Ground, Farrow & Ball
“The den had to have so many different functions and I wanted to see how far I could push it,” Murray says. “I’d seen a photo that Jessica Buckley had designed, and I knew that was exactly the look I was after. So I hired her to come up with a scheme for this room. The teal color was her idea; she sourced the blue paint and grasscloth wall covering and the whole scheme just worked.”
Armchairs: Sofas & Stuff; Juicy Jute grasscloth in Tantalizing Teal: Phillip Jeffries; “Ain’t Nobody” pillow: Furbish Studio; zigzag, polka dot and yellow ikat silk pillows: Jessica Buckley Interiors; “Sparkly Water” artwork: Monika Forsberg; pink neon sign: custom, Specialized Signs
Murray, who paid Buckley for a set number of hours’ work, says she learned a lot from the designer. “She was also very generous in passing on contacts and trade discounts. I probably ended up saving money as a result of hiring her as I had to buy a lot of things for the room. Collaboration is totally the key.”
Pink cushion: Designers Guild
“I like interiors that lift you and make fun, but I also like to mix that with a sense of gravitas. It can’t be all new — you need some older pieces in the mix too.”
Curtain fabric: Carnival, Christopher Farr Cloth; lamp: The Old Cinema; desk: custom, Christopher Butler
Wall paint: Calamine, Farrow & Ball; Butterflies wallpaper: Timorous Beasties; bedside lamps: Pooky; pink velvet chair: Tann Rokka; pink zigzag silk pillows: Jessica Buckley Interiors; Brescia velvet curtains in Moss: Designers Guild; mother-of-pearl inlay chest: Graham and Green
She and her husband started by ripping everything out, then dug into the wall to fit in a decent-sized tub. The vanity was custom made to fit the space.
Derwent fish wallpaper: Osborne & Little; subway tile: Topps Tiles; fish mirror, purchased in Malawi; brass wall light: Balineum; brass faucets and shower head: Barber Wilsons; mother-of-pearl cabinet pulls: Anthropologie; vanity paint: Down Pipe, Farrow & Ball
The couple also installed a small shower screen to prevent splashes and covered the two walls that weren’t tiled in a striking fish-pattern paper. “It hasn’t peeled at all and it’s been up for two years,” Murray says.
“Trying to find a wall light that was safety-rated for use in a bathroom but also beautiful was really difficult,” she says. “I found this one eventually in Balineum. It wasn’t cheap, but it is really beautiful.”
The interiors at country-house hotel Babington House were a big inspiration for this bathroom. The recesses for the shampoo bottles came directly from an idea Murray saw there.
Multicolored striped curtains and an animal rug add a sense of fun and work well against the soothing mint-green backdrop of the walls.
Bookcase paint: Stiffkey Blue, Farrow & Ball
Bellacor
