Long-term renters, Farwa Moledina and husband, Asgher Champsi, discovered their decorating skills when they bought their first home together
Feature and styling Lisa Moses Photos Katie Jane Watson
PRETTY & PERSONALISED NEW-BUILD
My story
Having always lived in rented flats, it was exciting to finally buy our own house. It was also quite daunting as it was obvious the new-build we chose would need lots of work to feel like home. The help-to-buy scheme got us on the property ladder but there wasn’t much budget left over, which meant doing most of the work ourselves. The décor was classic ‘new-build’, with a white kitchen, white bathroom and white walls, but we loved the layout, and it was close to our mosque, so it ticked a lot of boxes.
The first piece of furniture we bought was the pink bed which kick-started our journey adding colour. After fitting wardrobes in the master bedroom and painting the kitchen cabinets, we realised we could tackle pretty much anything, so we moved onto bigger projects, such as installing a false chimney breast with a recess for the TV and building bespoke wall-hung cupboards to hide unsightly wires.
Being an artist, I respond to colour but I didn’t want to go too maximalist as I prefer a calm vibe at home, so we stuck to a relaxed scheme downstairs but went for a bolder look upstairs using patterned wallpapers. The finishing touches are eclectic, and were inspired by my love of Chinese and Japanese art and Islamic design and architecture, which I’ve showcased in the gallery walls and artwork dotted throughout our home.
Welcome to my home
A BIT ABOUT ME
I’m Farwa Moledina, 30, an artist. I live with my husband, Asgher Champsi, a doctor, and our daughter, Sofia Alia, who is two.
WHERE I LIVE
Our home is a four-bed new-build property in Birmingham, and we moved here in March 2019. I share my renovation story on Instagram, @thehousewiththepinkbed.
WHAT I WANTED TO CHANGE
We had always previously lived in rentals so hadn’t done any DIY before. I wanted to bring our personality and colour to the new-build.
HOW I MADE IT MY OWN
Over time, we’ve added a false chimney breast, plus coving and panelling to the living room. We've also painted the kitchen cabinets, tiled the splashback, and added pattern to t
