The old

In with

The exposed brickwork in the sitting room provides a characterful backdrop to Gayle’s mix of vintage and antique furniture. She loves ‘found art’ and the framed photo is from Lifestyle Emporium in Hitchin, Hertfordshire. The Chesterfield sofa is a vintage Habitat design from the 1980s, picked up on eBay. The sideboard belonged to Gayle’s grandma and she painted around the walnut-wood doors with black paint.

This house has definitely got history and plenty of tales in the walls,’ says Gayle Firmin of her 16th-century home. Formerly a pub, the ancient building became a sweet shop in the 1930s, before finally being converted for domestic use.

When Gayle first viewed the property in 2010, she was struck by its sense of character, as well as its age. ‘It felt very welcoming,’ she recalls. ‘It’s very wonky, the floors are uneven, it has low ceilings and crooked doors, but it’s really interesting.’

Gayle had previously lived in a smaller period property, and so the uneven surfaces and lack of straight lines didn’t faze her. ‘It’s quite a solid and safe house,’ she explains and, although the decor felt dated and a listed status meant there was a limit to how far she could reconfigure the spaces, it was clear the house had potential.

The thoughtful renovation of the house began with stripping out carpets so that the original wide, dark oak floorboards upstairs could be restored, while downstairs floorboards beyond saving were replaced with engineered oak flooring. The huge inglenook fireplace, a focal point of the sitting room, was restored to working order and the atmospheric beams were treated but left in their natural colour.

When it came to repainting the walls, the colours were chosen according to ‘what felt right for the room’, Gayle explains. In the sitting room, with its exposed-brick walls and beams, she opted for a dramatic deep aubergine, which is moody yet cosy. For the kitchen, where she wanted to maximise the light and provide a neutral backdrop for the characterful furniture, she chose a warm white.

With her artistic background and experience in interior design and styling, Gayle was then able to use the newly decorated rooms as a blank canvas for her vintage pieces and antique furniture. ‘I worked as a stylist and then became an interior designer, but my lo