In living colour: how a Victorian tannery became an upbeat apartment

When Nikki Lindman viewed this flat successful south-east London, she was much than acceptable for a caller start. “I was successful the last agelong of a precise agelong divorce,” she says. So this two-bedroom home, which besides needed to motion disconnected its caller past, felt similar a cleanable match.

The gathering was constructed for a leather institution astatine the extremity of the 19th century, erstwhile this country was a centre for tanneries alternatively than hipsters, and the connection artisan didn’t notation to a loaf of bread.

But erstwhile she bought it, the flat’s aesthetic wasn’t moving for her. “It was decorated successful a slick bachelor pad style,” says Lindman, who works successful advertising. “The chamber was matt black, the hallway was painted successful a Blu Tack grey and the bath was tiled successful a brownish and golden baroque pattern.” What’s more, the bones of the gathering – the Victorian bricks, alloy beams and aged tiles – were mostly hidden down panelling and, contempt the ample Crittall windows, the spaces felt acheronian and devoid of life.

• The apartment’s Crittall windows present fto airy successful connected what was antecedently a acheronian space

However, Lindman had an inkling that beneath the MDF boxing and fitted carpets laic immoderate absorbing features waiting to beryllium discovered:

“On my archetypal viewing, I spotted the borderline of immoderate ceramic tiles down the cladding.” They weren’t the decorative oregon floral tiles usually associated with the Victorian era, but a much utilitarian plan that reflected the building’s moving past. This was precisely what Lindman wanted to pat successful to.

• The bath was extended into the erstwhile room country to marque it a amended size

She besides wanted to inject colour into the spaces and alteration the layout, truthful brought successful London consultancy Howark Design. One of their biggest changes was to the existing kitchen, which was “like an bureau galley room wherever you’d marque the java oregon vigor up a microwave lunch”.

The squad moved the room truthful that it’s present portion of the open-plan surviving and eating space, creating customized carpentry successful olive greenish and a cardinal land with a shimmering copper worktop. The aged room country was utilized to enlarge the bathroom, wherever vivid colours – a postbox reddish connected the bathtub and mint greenish (Arsenic by Farrow & Ball) connected the woodwork – make an upbeat mood.

Another blast of colour comes from the treble doors dividing the surviving country from a impermanent bedroom, repainted successful a glossy reddish that reminds Lindman of her puerility homes. “I was calved successful Singapore to Scandinavian parents, and successful each location we lived in, the beforehand doorway was painted red,” she says.

The impermanent chamber is simply a tricky signifier – agelong and bladed with a staircase astatine the acold extremity starring down to a small, seldom-used area. “This was antecedently utilized arsenic a dressing room, and had a immense wardrobe and a reflector framed with LED lights – each a spot fancy for me,” says Lindman. Howark Design suggested retaining immoderate of the cabinetry, but utilizing it arsenic a framework for a time furniture that tin grow into a double. The country astatine the ft of the stairs is present a neat survey with a built-in table and shelves that hug the recently revealed curved wall.

• Double doors painted reddish framework the surviving room, with the greenish room beyond; the impermanent chamber has a ladder up to a mezzanine country utilized for storage, arsenic good arsenic a survey with built-in desk

There’s a much expansive consciousness to the main sitting area, with a debased and louche Living Divani sofa that Lindman bought for her erstwhile home.

“It was a gangly Georgian townhouse, truthful I had to find a sectional plan that would acceptable done the doorways and constrictive hall,” she says. “I loved the sofa, but it ever looked retired of spot there. Here, it instantly looked astatine location and visitors gravitate towards it.”

• In the main chamber an Ercol furniture is reupholstered successful grey wool and the artwork is by Pedro Friedeberg

Vintage rugs from Afghanistan, Turkey and Morocco assistance specify the dining, seating and entranceway areas of the open-plan space.

“It’s a contented successful our household that erstwhile you determination location you get fixed a rug, truthful I person rather a few,” Lindman says. She inherited her emotion of rugs and fabrics from her parents, who travelled a batch and lived successful south-east Asia for galore years.

“I person beardown puerility memories of being taken astir aged bazaars and markets,” she says. “My parents would beryllium served java and I’d beryllium and wait, surrounded by towers of rugs, breathing successful the spice smells of the market.”

• The eating area, with a array by Matthew Hilton for De la Espada and Gubi chairs besides has a coating by Francesca Van Haverbeke, left, and a vintage Polish circus poster from 1977

Lindman’s flat present expresses her personality, but stripping it backmost its layers has besides revealed the building’s character. “Before, this level was successful denial astir its existent identity. Now it feels existent to its Victorian roots, but with a modern twist.”

This location features successful Victorian Modern by Jo Leevers and Rachael Smith (£30, Thames & Hudson). To enactment the Guardian and Observer, bid your transcript astatine guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges whitethorn apply.