Tour this colourful London home filled with vintage treasures

Raised by a creative, antiques-loving family, Amy Eld has always embraced a more sustainable approach to homemaking.

From furnishing her homes with flea-market finds to her latest project – the no-waste transformation of a Regency-style house from white box to a colour-enveloping home – creating a joyful place to live ranks high on her list of priorities.

After a lengthy search for a central London home which resonated,  she settled on a four-storey terraced house in Pimlico built in the 1830s by notable British master builder Thomas Cubitt. Amy and her family took ownership in March 2023. ‘We saw a lot of properties before this house came up, and finding it was a bit like finding one’s future husband – you just know this is the one!’ smiles Amy.

Already fully restored, it meant there was only cosmetic work to do, something Amy has turned into The Pimlico Project, a vision to sustainably transform the interior. ‘The house was freshly renovated and completely liveable, so to rip anything out would have been criminal – this approach would have gone completely against my core values,’ she explains.

As the owner of Rock the Heirloom, sellers of vintage and antique homeware, she decided to make the project a collaboration and enlisted the colour consultancy of Edward Bulmer Natural Paint and the expertise of vintage rug trader Sarah Davenport, owner of That Rebel House. ‘I had a certain confidence with colour but really felt this project deserved more; I wanted it to fully embrace and celebrate colour while complementing the art and furniture I chose.’

Choosing to use a rich palette over ‘safe’ colours and preloved furnishings over off-the-peg products is a less prescriptive way of doing things. It also takes a certain amount of confidence, something Amy believes there is no shame in seeking help to develop.
‘Enlisting help was the best thing I could have done. My heart and soul have gone into this project and the house is now an explosion of joy and colour filled with unique pieces.’ She adds: ‘I find myself smiling as soon as I walk into the sunny hallway lined with artworks.’

While the house had undergone a sympathetic modernisation, it was important to Amy to pay homage to its age and create a lived-in and comfortable home. Natural, well-worn materials have been a go-to, with cane, wood and bamboo beds, chairs, mirrors, and tables gracing the rooms.

‘I love furniture from the Victorian period, particularly bobbin and tiger bamboo examples,’ says Amy, who readily has pieces she loves recovered in order to prolong their life. ‘I had a faux bamboo Regency-style chair reupholstered in a luxury patterned velvet by House of Hackney – to me, it’s now as much a piece of art as it is furniture. The much-loved Victorian sofa I had reupholstered in a deep blue velvet and finished with pink fringing was also a triumph.’ Both are great examples of the sustainable transformation which has taken place here.

‘I had used the Edward Bulmer Natural Paint colour consultancy service before on another project, and their help was invaluable. Their knowledge of colour is incredible, and they take the time to consider all aspects, including mood and the building’s response to light,’ says Amy. Their guidance has resulted in the house having a natural flow from yellows and mid-browns to warm neutrals, some blues, peach orange, soft pinks, and more sunshine yellow, all in complete tonal tune. ‘I was encouraged to use colours I love and shown how to make them work. I have grown in confidence throughout the process, and the end result is beyond my expectations.’

It’s not just paint that demonstrates the virtue of colour here: textiles and art hold the space while metallic pops add an eye-catching touch. Creating a sunny flow throughout the house is a rich yolk-yellow stair runner, a handwoven sustainable weave from Sophie Cooney. Amy explains why she chose such a bold colour: ‘The stair runner is where the eye naturally lands when going from floor to floor, so I wanted it to be bold, bright and inviting.’ This fit has a yellow-brick-road effect and creates intrigue as to what might be found on the next floor.

Keen on travel – with Amy’s father having been born and brought up in Kenya, and a spell living in a Nairobi suburb where she worked with street children – she reflects on this perhaps influencing her love of colour. ‘When I look at my home it certainly has the warmth and vibrancy of a sunnier climate.’