IDEAS HOME: APARTMENT therapy

DESPITE FACING CARPETS FULL OF MOULD AND ANCIENT DECOR, ELLY MACDONALD HAS ACHIEVED STUNNING RESULTS WITH HER SUBTLE INTERIOR REDESIGN

- RUTH CORBETT

Living room

'I wanted to honour the apartment's heritage, while ensuring it feels modern, bright and fresh, by incorporating contemporary lighting fixtures and furnishings,' says Elly.

BUY THE KEY PIECES Angelina sofa, from £2,276, Love Your Home. Similar dining table, Zoncotti Dorico Oval, £2,772, Uber Interiors. Tuscan olive tree XL, from £215, Sutton Manor Nursery

HOME NOTES

WHO LIVES HERE?

Elly MacDonald, founder of interior design studio Elly MacDonald Design (ellymacdonalddesign.com), and co-founder of artisanal homewares boutique Anserai (anserai.com), lives here.

THE PROPERTY

A two-bedroom apartment in a converted Victorian villa in Surbiton, Surrey.

Having lived for five years in Singapore, in a rental apartment, Elly MacDonald returned to the UK to find a place she could call home.

WHAT DID YOU LOVE ABOUT THIS PROPERTY?

'I loved its high ceilings and large sash windows, and could see the scope to reinstate period features to create a modern take on the Victorian aesthetic. I enjoyed the chance to rip out and transform the interior layout. Significant interior architectural changes were made to open up the space, create a principal bedroom suite, and enlarge the kitchen. The flat was in a dire state, but I could see its incredible bones. At the start of the renovation, I had no ceilings, no floors and few walls, and it was so rewarding piecing it back together and bringing out its full potential.'

WHAT WERE YOUR KEY NEEDS?