Level Best

A daring palette and eclectic treasures have pushed the boundaries of Saffron Hodgson’s basement flat

- Alison Gibb

Newly married in 2017, Saffron Hodgson and her husband Nick, visited Rajasthan for their honeymoon. ‘I love to travel and have been to a lot of places but we were totally blown away by the beauty of the scenery and the colourful saris and the fabrics there. We did an amazing tour of the palaces and I came home determined to inject the spirit of this trip into our home,’ Saffron explains.

When they bought their Edinburgh flat, the ‘bones’ of it were all in place, which meant that Saffron could focus on the decor. Being a basement, the period features are not as grand as you might find on the upper levels of a Victorian terrace. ‘We sacrificed the more generous proportions available in a property on a higher floor for a garden,’ says Saffron, but the simplicity suited her. She knew she wanted to create a colourful backdrop for her beloved finds and collections. ‘When I travel, I find I absorb colours and ideas, and bring home a sense of the place,’ she adds.