At home with Lyn
Photography by Murray Case
Styling by Jayne Reid
Story by Kate Williams
Ticking over
An old mattress factory gets a makeover
Leaky ceilings, hanging wires and holes in the roof did nothing to deter Lyn from renovating this unusual building. "It had never been lived in before and it was pretty much derelict!" she laughs.
From beast to beauty
"I lived next door to this property, in a leather merchant's factory, which I renovated in an industrial style," says Lyn. "I used to peer over thinking I didn't want an old building like this destroyed or turned into apartments, so when the opportunity came up, I bought it!" And she knew instantly the kind of look she wanted for it. "Everything white and bright, as my previous home had dark floorboards and heavy furniture. I moved in as a single woman so I indulged in some girly, feminine touches."
The downstairs area, which was one big, pitch-black garage originally, was converted into a bright and airy living space, with a light-filled central courtyard. The old fixtures and fittings were pulled out, leaving just the original staircase and brick walls, then new, heated concrete floors were laid. Upstairs, navy Baltic pine floorboards and brown walls were transformed with white paint, and three existing rooms were opened up into one huge bedroom, with a freestanding bathtub. "I decided to make the bath a major feature," she remarks. "I love to be surrounded by beautiful things and I love my bath too, so why would I want it locked away in a small room?"
White fantastic
Lyn chose a white-on-white colour scheme to keep the mood light. "I wanted different tones of white so it didn't have an 'all-too-perfect' appearance," she explains. "I didn't want it looking like a box, with every wall the same shade."
The walls and flooring reflect the light, which floods in from windows all round the room. She softened the mood with faded fabrics, "most of the furniture is covered in old florals, soft stripes or pale greens," she says. "This house had to be light, nothing heavy or dark. All the items complement each other."
Passion for vintage
As she's busy running her vintage furniture store, Empire Vintage, Lyn sources many pieces through her interior decorating business, Gardener and Marks - and she was well ahead of her time in appreciating the beauty of vintage finds. "I've had my store for almost 15 years," she says proudly. "It's very small and showcases my favourite collection of hand-picked vintage pieces that I would put in my own home."
She finds these intriguing items at markets and through a network of contacts. "Most of my interior decorating jobs are based on vintage pieces, so while I'm on the road, I keep an eye out for things that are in their original, rustic condition."
This simple formula ensures that everything in the store and in her home is original. "I prefer pieces to be one-offs where possible," she comments, "although I do have some beautiful cushions that were handmade using old French linens, so anything new still has a vintage component."
Lyn's store is constantly evolving, from vintage, rustic and industrial to florals, fabrics and pretty pieces. "I always have a theme," she explains, "it changes every six years or so and usually depends on the homes I'm decorating at the time. The shop evolves with me, as I'm always inspired by what I'm doing next. I'm working on a more masculine-style interior at the moment and the shop will begin to reflect that."
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