The occupiers couldn't believe their luck when what looked like a poky flat above a shop in central London turned out to be a spacious duplex apartment. 'It had quite an unusual, split-level layout, which meant the main living area was above the bedrooms, with steps leading up to a mezzanine kitchen,' they explain. 'We loved the light coming through the roof windows; it was such a bonus.'
The couple began renting this apartment in 2011, having moved from a flat nearby after their landlord decided to sell. Among the major plus points were the white walls and wood floors. 'We like rooms to be simply decorated so we can bring our own design into our home,' they say. 'We always avoid flats with bad wallpaper!'
Duplex apartment layout
The living area has a high ceiling and is full of light. This photo shows the layout of the living spaces, where the kitchen is up on a mezzanine level and the dining room is immediately below it. 'We love the open feel it has,' say the occupiers.
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Living room from other side
One of the tenants has a background in art, so naturally this forms the backbone of the couple's scheme. 'These lovely big white walls really lend themselves to displaying our artwork,' they say. 'Hanging pictures is really important to us, so we created a gallery wall in the sitting room quite early on.'
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Kitchen-diner on mezzanine
The glass banister keeps the mezzanine level connected to the rest of the living area, as there are no opaque finishes to block it off. High ceilings offer the perfect height for a statement pendant light, which can be enjoyed from up here, as well as in the living room below.
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Kitchen
Existing wooden cupboards go well with the couple's vintage dining furniture. The kitchen has a spacious layout that offers plenty of room for enjoying informal meals à deaux, leaving the dining room free for entertaining bigger groups.
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Dining room
When the occupiers noticed that their large potted fern was thriving on the brightly lit top floor, it prompted them to buy more plants. 'We started to become inspired by interiors that feature greenery and natural textiles,' they say. 'California is one of our favourite places - we love the bright white interior spaces, the greenery and the boho touches.'
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Main bedroom
The bedrooms are on the lowest level of the apartment, with the living room above. In this soothing grey scheme, a collection of framed prints have been grouped together above the bed to form a focal point. 'We wanted them to appear like they were floating,' say the couple.
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Guest bedroom
The guest bedroom is painted in a darker grey than the main bedroom. 'We really like the pink accessories, as they soften the grey hues,' say the tenants.
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Bathroom
Greenery hasn't been confined to the living areas and the plant here really brings this neutral scheme to life. Planted in a quirky face sculpture vase, it makes a great feature.
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The couple feel their home reflects their relaxed style - although they are always open to change. They love browsing markets and vintage shops. 'We sometimes pick up things we don't yet have a place for,' they say. 'We have a coffee table in storage, which was such a good find, but we're waiting for the right time to use it. That's the plus point of renting; we don't know what our next home will be like so there's always an excuse to buy beautiful things.'
This duplex apartment originally appeared in 25 Beautiful Homes, June 2017.