In interior design, colour and maximalism tend to go hand in hand. But for colour-loving content creator Lindsey Henderson and singer-songwriter George Pelham – whose technicolour space is a heady mix of pastels and primaries – the idea of a stuff-heavy, maximalist home is something that fills them with dread.
“My parents made me pack up my room when we moved once,” says Henderson. “I think it traumatised me – I’ve had a minimal aesthetic ever since.”
The couple’s two-bedroom house – which they share with their dog Sunday – in the seaside town of Margate in Kent, is a lesson in using colour in a simple way for maximum impact. “We knew we wanted to bring our love of colour to the space,” says Henderson. “But we also needed to make it work for us.”
“We couldn’t afford anything bigger, so we had to be clever with what we bought,” adds Pelham. “We had a galley kitchen at the back of the house and a dining room in the centre, and we planned how to adapt those to fit our needs. I wanted a room for recording, and Lindsey wanted an office space for editing her photography and content creation work.”
With the help of Henderson’s brother, the couple switched things up by converting the tiny kitchen into Pelham’s studio and the dining room into an open-plan kitchen and dining space. The existing staircase was also in this area, so they remodelled it and added cupboards underneath.
“We had to be especially clever with storage in the kitchen,” says Pelham. “We put the washing and coffee machines under the stairs for a cleaner overall look.” They hid the fridge in a floor-to-ceiling cupboard. “People always ask us where it is!” adds Henderson.
Thinking about adding value to their home, the duo opted for simple, handleless white cabinetry, then added personality with a pink tap and pink grouting on the tiled counter and splashback, all set off with bright-hued kitchen essentials.
“If we were to do it again, I think we might have put in a more colourful kitchen,” says Pelham, “but we didn’t know how long we wanted to stay here.”
They made more of a mark in Pelham’s recording studio, with pink carpet running up two of the walls and the floor. “Everything had to be pink,” he laughs. “We also had to make it soundproof so as to not disturb the neighbours. We built a new wall filled with sound insulation, and the carpeted walls also absorb sound.” They added extra air with a green and white striped wall, while practical buys such as the soundproof curtains came from eBay.
Henderson makes eBay wishlists to plan her next interiors move instead of impulse buying, but it’s not just bringing things into the house that the couple like eBay for; it’s also how they keep their clean aesthetic. “I love selling on eBay,” Henderson says. “I can turn the things I don’t love into things I do.”
With unwanted items gone to good homes, there’s space to play. “A lot of how we use colour is with paint – letting that be the feature, not the background,” says Henderson. Her love for Scandinavian design – and their joint dislike of clutter – has resulted in them experimenting with colour blocking and zoning.
This is evident in the living room. With muted pink walls, dark pink ceiling and clashing blue woodwork, there’s minimal furniture in the space, but it still feels warm and cocoon-like, somewhere the couple can retreat away from the working rooms in the house.
The recently renovated bathroom is infused with saturated moments. “I feel like in the bathroom you can go a little bit more wild,” says Henderson. “We’ve got a lot of colours in there – pink, red, green, lilac, beige. There’s quite a lot going on, but it still feels minimal.” The couple knocked out the ceiling here to help the once basic space feel bigger, but chose to keep the wooden beams to add architectural interest.
Playing with light and space is something that comes naturally to Henderson. Playful paint techniques fill her office and the couple’s bedroom. Painted floorboards and yellow walls provide the perfect backdrop for her Disney princess-like dresses, and half-height blue walls in the bedroom are reflected in full-height mirrored wardrobes.
“We needed lots of wardrobe space and the mirror makes the whole area look bigger,” says Henderson. “Then we added in more colour using coloured frames and furniture.” Case in point: functional pops of colour from the bridge-red bedside tables.
The two are starting to set their sights on something bigger, leaving their current home for someone new to put their stamp on. Whether the pink carpeted walls will stay is yet to be seen but, thankfully for Henderson, at least the packing will be fuss-free.
Lindsey’s eBay shopping tips
Save your searches
Think about your favourite brands and save their names as searches, then you’ll get an email alert when an item you might be interested in goes live. It’s a great way to keep your favourites front of mind.
Create wishlists
Use the watched items button to collect the things you like in one place – a wishlist in effect. When you have a moment, you can cast your eye over it at your leisure (as long as they haven’t sold).
Be patient
It’s not always simple to find the perfect piece of furniture or the object you have in mind. Be prepared to have some patience, and you’ll find what you’re looking for in the end.
Sell to buy
eBay is a great resource for turning the things you don’t love any more into things that you do! By using it to sell, you can save for the items you really want to buy.
Get Lindsey and George’s look
Go high colour, low clutter with primary and pastel pieces from eBay. If these are gone, just search for similar items.
Refurbed bed
Swoon’s Kipling king-size bed, in Princess Peach pink, has lie-in – and bargain – written all over it. £525.99 from Clearcycle_UK.
Good as new bedside table
Part functional, part fabulous, this industrial-style, pillarbox red bedside beauty from La Maison Chic Furniture is a factory second – and a steal at £23.99
Handmade bouquet
High-impact, low-maintenance – a dried, dyed bouquet gives serious vibrancy for months, or even years. £15.95 from Flower Confetti.
Shop Home on eBay for more pieces that add a bright pop of colour
