Ever Evolving

Karen and Kevin's period apartment has seen plenty of change over the years - but its current iteration strikes the perfect balance between characterful and cool

- By Ellen Finch. Photographs by Julia Currie

Karen and Kevin replaced the wooden worktops with quartz and gave the kitchen a spruce up.

Kitchen units spray painted in Pitch Black, Caperol. Dining table, Neptune, is also painted in Pitch Black. Dining chairs, Cox & Cox.

Pendant lights, Ardingly Antiques Market, with fittings and cord from Lamps & Lights

During the 26 years, they've lived here, Karen and Kevin have seen significant changes to their two-bedroom maisonette. After buying the ground floor of the beautiful Victorian building in 1996, the couple set about creating a home for the two of them until their son, Monty, came along. In need of more space – they'd sacrificed a second bedroom to create a larger kitchen – they bought the basement, then a communal area for the five apartments in the building, from their neighbours. Restoring this part of the building to its former glory – the couple found the original, blocked-off entrance to the basement in their own apartment was the start of an ongoing journey to add charm and personality to their family home, from panelling their bedroom to restoring character to the living room with coving.

Speaking to Karen, it's clear that her merchandising background and foray into styling have played a huge part in how the home looks today. She's carefully crafted a beautiful and cohesive scheme across two floors, contrasting strong colour palettes with natural textures that soften each room. I'm sure this home will see many more transformations before Karen and Kevin are finished with it - but before then, I asked Karen to talk me through how she created such a stunning space.

Q Your home has been through numerous projects and transformations, so what motivates these many changes?