A RECIPE FOR MAGIC

It takes heaping helpings of color, plenty of creativity, and a dash of DIY to whip up a home for British baker Kim-Joy.

- Kaitlin Menza

DINING ROOM

Kim-Joy asked her builder to sit in the hanging chair after installing to make sure it was sturdy as well as fun. It hangs in front of a jungle mural by her friend Hazel Carruthers of Avalana Design.

A VISUAL SUGAR HIGH.

That's what you get when walking into the home cookbook author Kim-Joy shares with her partner, Nabil Homsi, in the countryside outside Leeds, England. In the entryway, the colors hit first. Then one notices details like a bubble light fixture above and animal prints all around. “It’s the first space I see, so it has to feel like, ‘Wow!’” Kim-Joy says. “It’s a hallway, but it should be fun and energizing.”

ENTRYWAY

Kim-Joy gave up a bedroom on the second floor and moved a bathroom to create this double-height space. painted in aqua, dandelion, and candy pink and accented with a bubble chandelier. The DIY terrazzo-style floor mimics cupcake sprinkles.

Few people get that excited about a hallway, but few people see the world like she does. The baker—who became a fan favorite during the 2018 season of The Great British Baking Show thanks to her whimsical, often animal-shaped bakes—has published five cookbooks centered around joy, including her latest, Bake Joy.

LIVING ROOM

"I know it's a trend at the moment, but I feel curves and wiggles are here to stay," Kim-Joy says of the fuchsia side table she found online. Another bargain was the pink sofa, where the self-described "home goblin" relaxes with cats Mochi and Inki.