In the detail

Small but beautifully formed, it’s the little touches that turned Kim Stephen’s cottage into a home with big ideas.

- Jenny Tucker

it takes a certain amount of chutzpah to experiment this boldly with colour and texture in the home. Being an interior designer, Kim Stephen has the benefit of years of experience when it comes to trying out varying hues, but she also has a natural affinity with bold decisions. This partly comes from growing up in South Africa, where a rainbow palette is part of the fabric of life. ‘I also had a mother who owned a textiles showroom representing all the significant international labels,’ says Kim. ‘Being around that amount of texture and colour from a young age means it becomes part of you. Often the design decisions I make now are simply intuitive.’

When Kim and her family first moved to London in 2017, they weren’t necessarily looking to buy a house. But then they stumbled upon this home and were smitten. ‘It had just been renovated by a developer,’ reveals Kim, ‘and to be honest, I was bowled over by it. I am pretty confident about the interior styles I like, and when I walked in here I realised there wasn’t a bathroom tile, a paint shade or a kitchen tap that I would have done differently. I loved it all, and so, obviously, we pounced on it.’