Loved back to life

Dave Kay and Tokes Sharif fell hard for their rented flat, despite its flaws, and ended up buying it and gradually revealing its unique character

- GERALDINE NESBITT, LISA FAZZANI, VANESSA RICHMOND

Living room

The flat’s lofty ceilings meant they could take a risk on colour, so painted the walls, floor, ceiling and woodwork in rich blue for an immersive, cocooning effect.

BUY THE KEY PIECES

Stiffkey Blue estate emulsion, £46.50 for 2.5ltr, Farrow & Ball, is a match. Claudia Gold sofa, £799, Made, is similar. Try Meki coffee table, £399, Cult Furniture

This tenement apartment in Edinburgh had been a shared student rental house for years when Tokes Sharif first looked around it. The property was in a pretty grim condition, with peeling paint on the walls, cigarette-burned carpets and an outdated kitchen. ‘Still, I loved it, though!’ says Tokes. ‘It had a lot of character. And it’s unusual in this area to find a ground floor apartment with a private front entrance, and a little front garden.’

As they were renting the flat, Tokes and his partner, Dave Kay, simply got permission to repaint the walls and ceilings in a neutral palette throughout to start with. ‘Even though the property was a mess, it still had all its original features and it had a nice feel to it,’ says Tokes. ‘And once we started decorating, we fell in love with the place,’ adds Dave. ‘When the owner then decided to sell, there was no doubt in our minds that we should buy. Owning it has given us the freedom to really fit it out to suit our own style.’

The couple moved and enlarged the kitchen, and replaced the bathroom, adding underfloor heating. The rest was cosmetic: ‘When it comes to style, Tokes is the creative mastermind. With his artistic background he is able to visualize a design,’ says Dave. ‘I’ll come up with an idea, usually the colour scheme first,’ says Tokes. ‘We like to use bold colours as a backdrop.’