Surrey Homes | SH62 | December 2019 | Guide to Christmas supplement inside

I can only imagine how it would feel to rent this flat on Airbnb – where London-based
Kimberley makes it available, when she’s not taking a seaside break herself. The realisation that
you are entering somewhere out of the ordinary hits you the moment you step over the threshold
kitchen. “They are plastic, from B&Q…” Painted the
same colour as the ceilings, they look just the part.
Also in rich evidence in the sitting room is Kimberley’s
stylist touch, with a wonderful blend of ornaments and
cushions, which are a mix of eBay and charity shop finds – she
is a vigilant visitor to such establishments – and TK Maxx
specials, combined with carefully chosen anchor pieces.
The wonderful Murano glass chandelier was a charity
shop scoop, the jungly cushions from TK and the lovely
brass and glass shelves more of an investment, from Swoon
Editions. The sofa was off eBay, along with the table which
became available from the same owner. “I even bought her
floral carpet for my London house,” laughs Kimberley.
The same combination is found in the kitchen, at the
back of the flat, where an old Welsh dresser has been
updated with dark grey paint and new beetle-shaped
metal handles. The dresser was saved from a friend of
Kimberley’s, who was going to put it in a skip, until she
decided she could make it work as her main kitchen unit.
A piece of marble (eBay) has been fitted into the top and
an induction hob set on that. The Belfast sink sits on a
unit that was being taken out of a friend’s bathroom.
What about the light fitting? I ask. “I found it on
the street,” says Kimberley. For someone with an eye as
refined as hers, treasures truly can be found anywhere.
In this kitchen, one special feature was already in place:
the original stone wall, which was revealed when flaking
plaster was chipped away. Kimberley sealed it and left it to
add an earthy touch to this quite otherworldly residence.
The bedroom, on the front side of the flat, has a
special atmosphere all of its own. You enter from the
sitting room, via the second set of double doors, which
Kimberley leaves open allowing extra light to pour
through from the large window in the bedroom, in a
kind of ‘when is a wall, not a wall?’ arrangement.
It also allows a glimpse of the glorious rhubarb pink
paint (also from Papers and Paints) on the walls and ceiling
in here. Stepping inside, it has a wonderfully camp feel
to it, very romantic, like a film set from the 1950s.
The room is taken up almost entirely by a steel bed – gifted
to Kimberley by a friend – made up with dramatic floral bed
linen, from John Lewis, dressed with a floral counterpane
and a purple fake fur throw. There is a fluffy pink sheepskin
rug on the floor, you can just imagine sinking your toes into,
with a white one on a gold salon chair by the window.
The dramatic brass and glass light fitting is made from
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