HOME SWEET HOME

EMMA AINSCOUGH FEELS one’s home should be their sanctuary – a happy and honest place. She hadn’t long been working as an interior designer at a leading London studio when she discovered a flat she wanted to call her own, a two-bedroom split-level maisonette within a Victorian house in south-west London. She was enchanted by the connected feel of the spaces – a mezzanine was included in the layout so the kitchen sat on the level above the living room which benefited from the lovely double height ceiling.

- bron bates

Lived experience The dining room of Emma's London home displays her design ethos. "Home' means different things to different people and so needs to reflect the lives of those who inhabit it. I aim to produce honest interiors with a playful personality." 

who lives here?

Interior designer, Emma Ainscough. emmaainscough.com | @emma__ainscough

EASY DOES IT Emma lived in the space for a year before she made any changes, then started the process of transforming the apartment into her first dream home. She spent a couple of months, “working on drawings and specifications on weekends and evenings,” then renovated the kitchen, added built-in storage in the bedrooms and new flooring throughout the entire apartment. Renovations typically become drawn out, but it only took a small team three months from start to finish to complete her vision. That year or so before starting renovations was important to Emma because it gave her time to live and breathe in the flat, “to fully understand how I use the space, what works and what could be improved to make the most of the space.”

VISION REALISED