We did a shoot recently of a gorgeous Edinburgh terrace, owned by interior designer Carley Kyle.

Carley studied interior architecture initially and then had a career break when her daughter was born and trained as a photographer as well. She has ably combined both careers with motherhood and during lockdown she started a line of fun concrete home ware called House Leopard.

Clearly she is someone who likes to be busy.

I love her cool, quirky products, all unique, but totally affordable as well. Follow her on Instagram @house_leopard.

Back to her home though, Carley works for Edinurgh Interior Design Studio Jeffreys Interiors and her home hints at the lavish projects she works on with them.

She does buy the odd stand out piece, the elegant Eicholz armchair, below, is from Jeffries Interiors, for instance.

Although she does not buy everything brand new or from designer brands, rather, she likes to mix old and new with vintage upcycled treasures for an eclectic, effect.

This living room bench, for instance, her mum found at an auction, she has an eagle eye for a bargain, Carley claims, and they spray painted it and reupholstered it in a designer fabric, a gorgeous, patterned velvet by Northumberland based designer, Susi Bellamy. The metal wall lights are by Porta Romana and the orange velvet shades by a friend, whose shop, Firefly, can be found on Facebook. They sit either side of a painting by Carley. Did I mention that she is a very talented artist as well?

The starting point for the kitchen were the stunning, pale wash toned Ted Baker wall tiles. The walls are painted in “Purbeck Stone’, the cornice and ceiling is 'Strong White' and the woodwork and cabinetry are ‘Railings’ all by Farrow & Ball. She chose the indigo tiles from Topps Tiles, laid in a herringbone pattern, to match. The flooring throughout the downstairs is a practical engineered wood.

The bathroom was carved out by combining the original small bathroom with a cupboard and proves that you really can have it all: the slipper bath, shower tray and enclosure are from Victoria Plumb, the side table for a glass of wine is from Jeffreys Interiors, the pendant light is from Industville.

The vanity unit and basin are from Tikamoon, the antique brass tap and the shower controls are from Lusso Stone. The wall lights either side of the mirror are from Industville. The beautiful floor tiles are from Marshalls Tiles, walls are painted in ‘Setting Plaster’ and the woodwork is all ‘Downpipe’, also by Farrow & Ball.

Similar paint colours throughout have also created a sense of continuity. Painting all the woodwork ‘Railings’ was a bold choice, but Carley is so pleased she did. It adds a graphic definition to every room. 

Somehelpful pointers to take away from Carley's home:

Enliven an internal bathroom with faux plants -

Use baskets for pretty and practical storage solutions -

Macrame wall hangings make a soft focal point in a bedroom -

Ladder style shelving is so handy in an office or studio -

Timourous Beasties fabrics always add a touch of glamour to an interior -

The Roman blind is made up in a Timorous Beasties fabric, the metal ‘leaf’ wall light was from Graham & Green.

Faded oriental rugs hint at faraway places and times gone by...

This Vintage Persian Style Rug is £69 from Limelace.

I hope you are inspired by Carley to take your home a little bit further with some of these ideas - let me know!