In living COLOUR

Zoe Boyle and Benedict Spence joined two dwellings then packed them with brilliant hues

- SOPHIE VENING

Actress Zoe Boyle and her cinematographer husband Benedict Spence had very different ideas when it came to choosing the design of their dilapidated home in Dalston, London, which had been unofficially divided into two-a basement flat and a maisonette split over three floors above. While Ben favoured an open-plan vibe, Zoe preferred a sympathetic period restoration. ‘There was a real pushand-pull between us,’ says Zoe. ‘Ben likes modern design and wanted to rip out the walls and create one huge space, like the warehouse apartment we’d been renting. Whereas I didn’t want to change the bones of the Victorian house.’