My Houzz: An Elegant and Light Victorian Flat in Dorset
Peek inside Charlotte Cosby's flat to see how classic paints and wallpapers marry with eclectic personal style
Charlotte Cosby fell in love with this top-floor period apartment in Dorset, her first home, for its wonderfully light rooms and interesting architectural details. But until she got the keys, she hadn’t quite realised how much work it needed. Armed with a tight budget, but ready to put in the elbow grease herself, Cosby embarked on an ambitious redecorating mission until she’d created exactly the eclectic, colourful home she’d dreamed of.
“When I got the keys and started moving my stuff in, I was mildly horrified at what I’d missed!” Cosby says. “There were lumps of sealant around the bath, and the whole place was grubby. Oh, and the kitchen splashback turned out to be constructed from gaffer tape. There was also a massive hole in the wall in the bedroom. How on earth had I missed that? My dad was quite angry with me at that point!”
And so started a nine-month process of stripping the wallpaper from every room, removing old tiles ("they’d been stuck on top of wallpaper, so at least that bit was easy"), cleaning and repainting.
“I replaced all the rotten windows, too. It took ages, sanding skirting boards… Days and days of sanding! I ripped the kitchen and bathroom out, and took off sections of the wall and re-skimmed it.”
Cosby did everything herself with the help of handy friends and family.
And so started a nine-month process of stripping the wallpaper from every room, removing old tiles ("they’d been stuck on top of wallpaper, so at least that bit was easy"), cleaning and repainting.
“I replaced all the rotten windows, too. It took ages, sanding skirting boards… Days and days of sanding! I ripped the kitchen and bathroom out, and took off sections of the wall and re-skimmed it.”
Cosby did everything herself with the help of handy friends and family.
The newly decorated walls now form a beautiful backdrop to an array of curated finds and curios. This tapestry fireguard from a flea market in Shepton Mallet, for example, flips around to double up as a small table. Cosby painted the edges of it in pale purple to cover some damaged areas. The Japanese print was a souvenir from a holiday in Tokyo, with assorted framed family photos and gifts from loved ones.
Fireguard frame painted in Brassica, Farrow & Ball. Mirror, Ikea.
Read the experts’ secrets of successful second-hand furniture hunting
Fireguard frame painted in Brassica, Farrow & Ball. Mirror, Ikea.
Read the experts’ secrets of successful second-hand furniture hunting
This sofa blanket was a hand-me-down from Cosby’s aunt (a souvenir from a holiday in Portugal that Cosby had always had her eye on) and the mint green leather chairs in the bay window (shown in the first image) were her grandma’s. “I didn’t especially love these chairs, but they remind me of her and my Grandad, so I had to have them,” Cosby says. “Now they’re part of the room; I couldn’t part with them.”
Sofa, Sofa.com.
Sofa, Sofa.com.
A lot of Cosby’s furniture and accessories are salvaged finds.
“I think my style’s a real mix,” she says, “whatever takes my fancy. I like to just bring together all the things I like – traditional and modern. You can tie everything together through colour. There are bits from the 1970s, early 1900s, yesterday! It’s a proper mix – cheap and more expensive, too. A lot of it’s actually from the tip. All my dining room chairs were £1 each from a skip; I just painted them.”
Silvergate wallpaper in a bespoke colourway; woodwork painted in Dix Blue, both Farrow & Ball. Orange vase, Alfies Antique Market.
“I think my style’s a real mix,” she says, “whatever takes my fancy. I like to just bring together all the things I like – traditional and modern. You can tie everything together through colour. There are bits from the 1970s, early 1900s, yesterday! It’s a proper mix – cheap and more expensive, too. A lot of it’s actually from the tip. All my dining room chairs were £1 each from a skip; I just painted them.”
Silvergate wallpaper in a bespoke colourway; woodwork painted in Dix Blue, both Farrow & Ball. Orange vase, Alfies Antique Market.
Looking at each of Cosby’s rooms, it’s clear her work at Farrow & Ball makes its way into her own aesthetic.
“You can see it in all the colour I think,” she says. “I’ve picked up and learnt so much, including not to be scared of bright, bold shades. You start to notice how colour can influence your mood. I needed some rooms to be quite relaxing and allow me to chill out. I also wanted to create a flow between rooms and the colours help that.”
The wallpaper in the hallway is the first project Cosby ever completed for Farrow & Ball.
Lotus BP 2051 wallpaper; walls painted in Teresa’s Green; woodwork painted in Pointing, all Farrow & Ball.
“You can see it in all the colour I think,” she says. “I’ve picked up and learnt so much, including not to be scared of bright, bold shades. You start to notice how colour can influence your mood. I needed some rooms to be quite relaxing and allow me to chill out. I also wanted to create a flow between rooms and the colours help that.”
The wallpaper in the hallway is the first project Cosby ever completed for Farrow & Ball.
Lotus BP 2051 wallpaper; walls painted in Teresa’s Green; woodwork painted in Pointing, all Farrow & Ball.
Turn the corner into the kitchen and it’s all about deep blue. “This room started out as Hague Blue, but when Stiffkey Blue came out, I just had to repaint it. No one even noticed, but it seems so much deeper to me. I’m obsessive about colour! ”
Wall painted in Stiffkey Blue; dining chairs painted in Skimming Stone, both Farrow & Ball. Table, Ikea. Lampshade, John Lewis. Plate, Anthropologie.
Wall painted in Stiffkey Blue; dining chairs painted in Skimming Stone, both Farrow & Ball. Table, Ikea. Lampshade, John Lewis. Plate, Anthropologie.
“The dining room is my favourite part of the flat,” says Cosby. “Not so many houses have a dedicated space to eat now. I was one of the first of our friendship group to buy a place, so it was lovely to have people around for dinner.”
Rug, Anthropologie. Pendant light, Habitat.
Rug, Anthropologie. Pendant light, Habitat.
Other than all the redecorating, very little work was needed structurally on the flat. It was a case of making the most of what was there and taking the time and care over the beautiful features.
“Taking up the lino was great. And there are so many cornicing details in this flat that weren’t made to shine before,” says Cosby, who started her renovations by painting the coving and mouldings white.
Cosby’s dad helped her fit the kitchen – “it’s Ikea, so it was just a giant Lego project that was fun to do with my dad” – and one of her friends fitted the flooring.
Walls painted in Pointing and Skimming Stone, Farrow & Ball. Kitchen units, Ikea.
“Taking up the lino was great. And there are so many cornicing details in this flat that weren’t made to shine before,” says Cosby, who started her renovations by painting the coving and mouldings white.
Cosby’s dad helped her fit the kitchen – “it’s Ikea, so it was just a giant Lego project that was fun to do with my dad” – and one of her friends fitted the flooring.
Walls painted in Pointing and Skimming Stone, Farrow & Ball. Kitchen units, Ikea.
Most of Cosby’s quirky art collection is from Etsy, and she does a lot of silkscreen printing herself. “Curiosities seem to find me rather than the other way around,” she says of the items on display here. “When we prop shoots for work, things catch my eye, and I love flea market finds that remind me of a shoot or an event I went to. Most items on show in my house are a memento of something.”
Other items are more random. “I found the lobster pictured here in a fish shop, then made it into a fascinator for a wedding.”
This room also demonstrates Cosby’s approach to putting up art – simply stack it on a chair. “I started to make much bigger holes than I meant to with the electric drill, so this is my solution,” she says.
See expert advice on how to buy original art
Other items are more random. “I found the lobster pictured here in a fish shop, then made it into a fascinator for a wedding.”
This room also demonstrates Cosby’s approach to putting up art – simply stack it on a chair. “I started to make much bigger holes than I meant to with the electric drill, so this is my solution,” she says.
See expert advice on how to buy original art
The hallway reveals more of Cosby’s creative talent: she painted this design onto the floor herself. “I wanted tiles here, but the door wouldn’t have opened. And I’m muddy with shoes. So I just thought I’d paint my own floor tiles instead. I went through a phase where I painted everything. I even painted my curtains!”
One of Cosby’s favourite things about her home is the unusual architectural details. “I like the fact that in the hallway, you have to take a couple of steps down, turn a corner and step up to the bathroom,” she says.
Light, John Lewis.
Light, John Lewis.
Charlotte’s office is in Wimborne, Dorset, so living by Southbourne beach is convenient for work, but it’s also Cosby’s home town, close to family and friends, and an up-and-coming area with more affordable housing. “There’s a lot of development here now – it has much more vibrancy and energy than it used to.”
This striking flamingo tiled panel divided opinion with Cosby’s friends and family. “My mum hated it!” she laughs. “I saw some printed tiles at a trade show in New York. I love old-school ornithological illustrations from the 1920s and this John James Audubon drawing is part of the Natural History Museum collection at Surface View.”
Flamingo tiles, Surface View. Walls painted in Pavilion Blue; bath and wall panel painted in Dix Blue, both Farrow & Ball. Shower, Mira Showers. Floor tiles, Rebecca Hayes Interiors.
Flamingo tiles, Surface View. Walls painted in Pavilion Blue; bath and wall panel painted in Dix Blue, both Farrow & Ball. Shower, Mira Showers. Floor tiles, Rebecca Hayes Interiors.
In the master bedroom, evidence of a past photo shoot is visible in this wallpaper “headboard”, a clever idea for decorating on a budget.
Wall painted in Wimborne White; Silvergate BP 852 wallpaper, both Farrow & Ball. Light, Habitat. Bed linen, The Linen Works.
Wall painted in Wimborne White; Silvergate BP 852 wallpaper, both Farrow & Ball. Light, Habitat. Bed linen, The Linen Works.
More of Cosby’s found objects, such as this cupboard and her antique maps – a bargain from an east London shop – are on show in the bedroom.
“I carted this 1950s vinyl banana leaf wallpaper back from New York,” says Cosby of the 8ft x 9ft print in her bedroom.
The grey chair originally cost £5 from a junk yard, and was in poor condition. Cosby took a reupholstery course and fixed it up herself.
Walls painted in Ammonite, Farrow & Ball.
The grey chair originally cost £5 from a junk yard, and was in poor condition. Cosby took a reupholstery course and fixed it up herself.
Walls painted in Ammonite, Farrow & Ball.
“I’ve been inspired by work in all my painting projects,” says Cosby of this wardrobe, originally bought for £3 from the local tip.
Blind, John Lewis. Boxes, Habitat. Wardrobe painted in Ammonite and Purbeck Stone, Farrow & Ball.
Blind, John Lewis. Boxes, Habitat. Wardrobe painted in Ammonite and Purbeck Stone, Farrow & Ball.
In her spare room, Cosby wanted to try something different, with no paint or wallpaper. “When I did this it was unusual – it isn’t so much now,” she says of the wooden cladding. “I wanted wood that looked an aged silver rather than too new, so I approached a timber yard, which cut it down for me. It’s attached to the wall with No More Nails.”
Walls, Christchurch Timber. Bed linen, The Conran Shop.
See more of Charlotte Cosby’s home in How to Decorate, a new book from the creative team at Farrow & Ball.
What’s your favourite idea to steal from this house? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
Walls, Christchurch Timber. Bed linen, The Conran Shop.
See more of Charlotte Cosby’s home in How to Decorate, a new book from the creative team at Farrow & Ball.
What’s your favourite idea to steal from this house? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
Who lives here Charlotte Cosby, head of creative at Farrow & Ball, and her boyfriend
Location Southbourne, Dorset
Property A top-floor flat in a detached Victorian house, built in 1900
Size 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom
Finding this characterful, light and spacious apartment was no small task and Charlotte Cosby spent 18 months searching for it.
“I had huge expectations and no budget,” says Cosby. “I wanted the world. I’m obsessed with light, so that was what I was gauging with every property I looked at. Most of the houses I could afford were dark, wedged between things or with a big tree in front of them, for example. But this one was so light, so open, and so interesting. It has very high ceilings and the proportions are beautiful.”
It was love at first viewing. But because of that, Cosby admits she failed to notice all of the building’s flaws…
Walls painted in Dix Blue; woodwork painted in Pointing, both Farrow & Ball. Curtains, Ikea. Rug, Habitat.