INSPIRING
Two apartments in a period property bought a decade apart have been cleverly combined to create a comfortable and colourful home brimming with unexpected ideas
HALLWAY
The mural, inspired by nearby trees, was painted by Michael Angove. Homeware, such as the pot and original Wishbone Chair, came from eBay and vintage shops. Walls in Tailor Tack; ceiling in Wimborne White; both Farrow & Ball. Echo chandelier, David Weeks for Tala
HOME PROFILE
Charlotte Cosby, creative director at paint company Farrow & Ball, Lawrence Showell, who works for the National Trust, and their two children Bea and Raffi
A detached four-bedroom early-Edwardian house in Southbourne, Dorset, a five-minute walk from the beach
LIVING ROOM
This page and opposite The couple played with paint in this room, choosing soft grey green and off white for the walls and ceiling. Everything here, except the rug, is secondhand. Sofa, vintage Conran. Rug, Ikea. Walls and ceiling in School House White and Card Room Green estate emulsion, Farrow & Ball
Having lived in the top floor flat of an Edwardian property in Southbourne in Dorset for a decade, Charlotte Cosby and her husband Lawrence jumped at the chance to buy the ground floor flat when it came up for sale in 2020. They were excited to have the opportunity to turn the two apartments back into one house and create a fantastic family home for them and their children.
Now transformed, the property glows with beautiful colours, which is perhaps not surprising given Charlotte’s job as creative director at paint company Farrow & Ball. It starts in the hallway, which features a fabulous mural inspired by the nearby pine tree-lined coastline. ‘I love the feeling of early mornings and evenings in the summer when the light is “just so” and I really wanted to bring that mood into our hallway and give it a sense of wonder,’ says Charlotte. ‘We took hundreds of pictures of our favourite trees and gave them to artist Michael Angove, who turned them into this mural for us. He’s hidden little things within it, including the children and our house – I even showed him a picture my sister had drawn for me (it’s so bad it’s good) of a sea pig and there’s an exact replica sitting in one of the trees!’ The mural is not finished yet, but Michael has now taken it all the way up the stairs and it will eventually extend onto the landing. ‘I love how personal he’s made it,’ adds Charlotte. ‘It makes me smile when I come downstairs in the morning.’
Leading directly off the hall is the sitting room, which was designed so the family have a comfy nook to curl up in and take advantage of the evening light as the sun sets. ‘We wanted it to feel relaxed and informal, somewhere we can bring
