This Life Lisa Trainer

A better work-life balance was all it took to make the interior designer fall back in love with her Glasgow home

- Catherine Coyle

 Every time Lisa Trainer used to look out of the window of her apartment in the west end of Glasgow, she would dream about living in the house across the road. There was something about it that she just loved – so when it was put up for sale, six years ago, she jumped at the chance to buy it. When she viewed the interior for the first time, she immediately felt at home – and it didn’t take her long to figure out why. “The house had been renovated by Bill Crichton, the same architect who had built my old home on the south side of the city,” she smiles. “I recognised aspects of his work straight away.”

That house had been a new-build in the suburbs; but here, in the cosmopolitan west end, Lisa had found the best of both worlds. “What I have now has the scale of a traditional house, but with all of the modern elements that appeal me,” she says.

Adding to her good fortune was the fact that her new purchase had already been completely remodelled and all she had to do was decorate it. As an interior designer (she is the director of Red Door Interiors), however, she could see that making just a few minor adaptations, in addition to dressing it with colour and charm, would make this place all her own.

The double-height kitchen, on the basement level, is where the family spend most of their time. The stairs that lead up to the floor above have glass balustrades, and there are openings leading to the rest of the house, giving a sense of the rooms flowing into one another. The kitchen units themselves were well designed and functional, and there was no reason to change them, as Lisa explains: “The kitchen had been installed by the previous owners and I think it’s a great example of a timeless classic that will last.”