How I designed a coastal apartment

From mood board to room reveal.

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Back in early spring of this year, a follower of mine on Instagram contacted me to see whether I would be at all interested in designing her new apartment in Plymouth, England. I’ve designed many many spaces in my time, mainly for me, but also for friends and family. I’ve never actually done it professionally though, or been paid by someone for my time and expertise. So, I wasn’t sure at first. There was a brief moment of rabbit in the headlights panic. The self-doubt monkey on my back bounced back into action as I pondered whether I should just politely decline.

But, Lindsay was just so friendly and didn’t seem like the overly-demanding client I had heard other interior designer friends moan about. So, I decided to bite the bullet and say yes. After all, I had promised myself that 2023 would be the year of saying YES and that’s exactly what it has turned out to be!

Lindsay had followed the progress of our holiday home renovation back in 2021 and loved the design aesthetic of the interior. I’ll be telling you all about that renovation in future posts.

She was keen on the furnishings I’d chosen as well as the colour palette and overall vibe of the place. But, she was most interested in how I had utilised the small space to create zones for different uses, without it feeling busy, or cramped. I incorporated a kitchen, breakfast bar, dining area, cosy living room zone and even a study spot all within a space that was only 6 metres by 4.5 metres.

The original plans for our deckhouse and some of the finished space.

I decided to start the Plymouth project by setting out the parameters of what I could and couldn’t do, just so everyone was very clear on outcomes. Managing client expectations is one of the most important things to get right as far as I’m concerned. I’d learned that from my PR days and also during my Vidal Sassoon era. The consultation is everything! Leave the brief too open-ended and you’re setting yourself up for a fall. Always be clear on what the client wants by asking a million questions. Then make it perfectly clear what the end result will be like.

I offered an initial zoom consultation where we would discuss the overall look and feel of the space, lifestyle, timescales and expectations. It was a chance for us to acquaint ourselves with each other so that it was an easy relationship, where all things could be discussed. The main thing was to find out what was most important to her and her family.

I then created a mood board for her to be able to visualise the design. If she liked it, then I would move on to sourcing products and finishes and create a shopping list, which she could then use to get the look. I did all of this on a day rate, which she had already accepted. I felt it was important to do it that way, rather than a flat fee, as the design and sourcing can take a very long time. There’s nothing worse than feeling begrudged to do something because you didn’t charge enough. Know your worth. I might not have done it professionally before, but I knew exactly what to do and I’m good at it. This is no time for self-deprecation.

The final mood board.

I did also offer the option of sourcing vintage items at antique fairs for her. We had discussed the idea of using pre-loved pieces as so often they are better quality than what you can buy today and it’s better for the environment. But, also The look was going to be coastal, without being obvious, or cliche. There wouldn’t be any anchors or miniature lighthouses in this design! I wanted to incorporate antique rowing oars, natural vintage sea fans, coral and gnarled, rustic wooden furniture to add depth and warmth.

Interesting antique and vintage pieces add so much to a home. They give it a history, a grounding. I’ve been asked so many times how friends could get the same look that we have in our home. I always answer that you can’t. It’s an eclectic mix of the things we have collected from our travels over the years, oddities we’ve discovered at antique fairs and pieces passed down to us through the generations. Everything means something to us. However, it is possible to go some distance to get the look by trolling through brocante fairs and charity shops.

Finally, I provided one final option of a visit to the apartment from me personally, decorating the space and styling it, ready for her to move in. This again, I did on a day rate plus expenses. Lindsay said yes to all the options. That’s the kinda girl she is. Love her for that. She was just honest with herself and knew that she wouldn’t be able to get the look she wanted if she did it alone. That takes guts to admit that.

So, the deal was struck and work began. Little did we know that the building would take many, many more months to complete. It was planned that I would do the final visit to the apartment in July. It ended up being the end of October.

Plymouth is a very long way from I where I live. I also had an enormous amount going on at the time (what’s knew? I hear you cry!). So, it wasn’t going to be possible to travel down to view the space before starting the design process. The other issue was that the apartment is in a new building and it was nowhere near finished, making access quite difficult. Visualising things was even harder.

I got hold of the floor plans of Lindsay’s new apartment and I also asked her to go there and video absolutely everything and take lots of photos. This put me in the best position possible, without visiting myself, to be able to create a design that would work in real life. She doesn’t know this, but what I actually did was measure out the area I would be designing and then using a temporary spray marker, I drew it out on our lawn! That sounds utterly bizarre doesn’t it, but it worked perfectly. I was then able to place imaginary furniture within the space and see whether the gaps between everything worked in real life. It’s an idea I have used many times. I call it the “Walk it, Solve it” method.

The main part of the floor plan and the apartment as it was when I started on the project.

If you are designing a room then you can do the same thing, but with masking tape. Get the exact measurements for all the major furniture and then using the masking tape, draw out the outlines of each piece. You’ll soon discover whether the table is going to be too large, or the sofa too long.

It’s so incredibly important to work out the journeys that you will make within the space. Not the Insta-worthy ideal journeys, the real ones. The ones where we take short cuts because we’re lazy. On paper it might look perfectly acceptable to have the dining table close to the kitchen peninsula. But, in reality it means that you can’t sit on the bar stools as the dining chairs are too close once pulled out and sat on. The coffee table might look great in the middle of the space, but in real life it’s too far away for you to rest your wine glass - heaven forbid! The lamp looks fabulous in the far left corner, but there isn’t a socket in sight. All these things need to be thought about and tested. So, I did. I think I must have looked rather peculiar walking around imaginary sofas and tables on my lawn, but it was so worth doing.

The apartment on the day we arrived on site.

The space needed to work incredibly hard. Lindsay and her family were downsizing considerably, albeit to a stunning harbour-side apartment with astonishing views! I had to incorporate a breakfast zone by the kitchen peninsula and a dining area that would seat four, but more for a dinner party, or at Christmas. There also needed to be a cosy living/tv area to seat at least four comfortably, a bar zone and lots and lots of storage.

It was so important that each space had its own identity, but that everything flowed naturally. I used a paired back colour palette purposefully so that the language of the entire space was the same. I chose Spanish Olive by Zoffany as the accent wall in an otherwise off-white room. It’s a delicate soft grey-green that made the room feel warm and earthy. I used off whites and darker greens in the soft furnishings and linked it all with black statement pieces and pale, rustic wood and vintage finds. A lot of the finishes were from the natural world - marble, oak, linen and seagrass.

Every piece of furniture had to be considered for beauty and functionality. It all had to double up, so the coffee table was also a storage cupboard. The bar area was also storage for the dining zone, the shelf was also a place to hang wine glasses upside down. The dining table I chose would need to be extendable. Even the table on the balcony could be changed from an outdoor dining space to a coffee table in minutes if the need should arise. It could also fold flat. The outdoor dining chairs could also be folded away, so if they had a party then the balcony could be cleared to provide more outdoor space.

Me working away at the apartment and Lindsay and her family at the reveal.

The mood board

I use mood boards all the time, even if I’m creating a design just for our home. It’s the best way to put the ideas in your head onto paper, or virtual paper. A lot of people use the free technology available via the app Canva. I personally find it a little clunky and not overly user-friendly. I use Morpholio, which is a paid app, although not expensive. It’s utterly intuitive and incredibly easy to use. There are “how to” guides within it, but I honestly didn’t need them. It was that simple. Just have a play.

I am able to take a photo direct from a furniture store website, remove the background within seconds and add it to my board with no problems at all. I can flip a piece of furniture to face the other direction. I can place items in front of one another just by changing the order of my product list. Once I’ve completed my board I will also have cut out sheets for each item, which can include links to all the products and a full description. It’s so handy for clients to then use those to see the items online.

The decorating and styling day

Yes we had one day! I say we, as Mr C, my hubby came with me and thank god he did! Without him sorting the electrics and putting up the shelf and other things, I couldn’t have done it all in that time. He’s a keeper for sure. Twenty-five years together last week!

The finished apartment.

Travelling down to Plymouth took a long time. It’s rather a lovely picturesque journey though. We arrived late on Sunday afternoon and went straight to the apartment. We actually started building furniture, right there and then. Meeting Lindsay and her family was so lovely. It was like I had known her for years! We did as much as we could and then I went with them to the house they were staying in to choose some pieces to style up the apartment with. The idea was that I would show them how to put some of their best pieces together to create a cohesive look. You’ll notice that I often place objects in threes. It’s just like the odd number rule when planting outside. Odd numbers always look better, except when you want symmetry and even then there is nearly always a gap between them.

It was also really important to me to make sure that it was a real home, rather than a show home. So, we chose things that meant something to them too. I would start things off and show them the way and then when they moved in they could add to it confidently.

I chose a beautiful black painted wooden wall cabinet from Design Vintage to show off their prized pieces. It was supposed to be hung from the wall to the right of the sofa. However, the electricians had placed a light switch there, unbeknownst to me, so that scuppered that plan. Unfortunately, I had no control over the electrical plan of the apartment block. So, quick thinking on the afternoon that we arrived saw us ordering black feet from Amazon to arrive the next day. They worked a treat and actually, I think it looks better than it would have done on the wall.

After that it was a good night’s sleep ready for an early start the next day. The next morning Mr C got on with sorting the pendant lights and building the rest of the furniture, while I painted the olive feature wall. I love a feature wall. It’s such an easy way to add colour, but be able to change it quickly whenever you like.

Some of the items we chose close up.

What I haven’t told you is that while we were doing all of this I also had to be mindful that I needed content! So, I had to set up the camera and lights, filming in slow motion, time lapse and real time. I was constantly making sure that Mr C wasn’t in shot too. He’s a very private man! Creating a finished, decorated and styled space between 8.30 and 4pm is quite a task, particularly if you have to be your own art director, producer, runner and camera man at the same time!

I had this idea that I wanted to do a proper makeover show reveal. When we were ready I called Lindsay to tell her to come over as soon as they could. When they arrived I asked them to close their eyes. I then shuffled each of them into the apartment and placed them in the best spot for the reveal. Oh it was priceless! I’m so glad I caught it on camera. I think they were blown away. You can have an idea in your head of what it might be like, but seeing it transformed in less than 24 hours is something else. What a great experience for us all! We celebrated with the obligatory champagne, as one does.

The product list

Paint: Spanish Olive by Zoffany.

Sofa: Model 05 in Bone clever velvet by Swyft.

Vintage oars and antique sea fans : IACF - the oars were chosen because they were particularly rustic. They still had their leather handles. I added the white tips to them by masking up first and then using a spray white chalk finish paint.

Dining table: Daals. This looks like the legs are wooden, but they are actually painted metal. We knew this. Honestly, you would never ever know and it makes it extremely durable. The extending mechanism is brilliant!

Geometric green and white cushions: Design Vintage

Green linen cushions: in Hedgerow by Loaf.

Squishbag occasional chairs in Hedgerow: Loaf.

Vintage side table: Design Vintage

Pendant light shades and lamp shade: Design Vintage

Storage coffee table: Roseland Furniture.

Bar stools: Design Vintage

Black display cabinet: Design Vintage. This was meant for a wall, but at the last minute we changed it to be floor standing and added legs to it. These were from Amazon.

Sideboard: Loaf.

Jute rug: Dunelm.

Glass lamp: Nkuku.

Outdoor vintage table and chairs: Nkuku.

Plants, floor lamp, shelf and dining chairs client’s own.