‘I’ve used strong shades in a soothing, gentle way’

Diane Allan has peppered her Glasgow semi with a mix of warm spice, soft pastels and bold blues for a vibrant take on Scandi minimalism

- Alison Gibb

Diane and Craig moved into their Glasgow semi in October 2020. ‘We moved here from a flat nearby as, prompted by lockdown, we realised how very important a garden was to us,’ Diane explains. The house was in reasonable condition, with no structural work needed, but Diane – who studied surface pattern design before training as a teacher – knew she wanted more colour. ‘All the doors were grey,’ she recalls, ‘so we just wanted to put our own stamp on it.’

Each room is different, but the thread running through the house is the use of gentle yet earthy colours. ‘I wanted to be brave and avoid feature walls,’ Diane says. ‘My intention was to commit to the colours I chose and enjoy wrap-around walls in every room. But I didn’t stick to that and I chose an accent colour in some of the rooms.’ All the white walls are painted in Great White by Farrow & Ball, which Diane rates as the perfect neutral backdrop.

COME ON IN...

WE ARE Diane Allan and Craig Thomson. I'm a primary school teacher, and Craig runs an outdoor education business called Operation Play Outdoors. I share our home on Instagram @deeshousetohome.

OUR HOME IS a three-bedroom, 1930s semi on the outskirts of Glasgow.