This post has been a long, long time coming. I can't believe we've been in our new home for over 6 months now, it still doesn't feel like we've got it together. Neither of us had Hampstead on the original list of locations to live, truth be told we'd assumed we couldn't afford it. But, on one rainy day I took a phone call from an estate agent who told us about this place. We saw it that day, fell in love with it's quirky-ness and two weeks later we were in.

The flat is in an old hospital smack in the middle of Hampstead Village. The compromise was space. Our bedroom is teeny and therefore when furnishing it we had to be super clever with what we chose. Like most people in our position, neither of us had anything decent to bring furniture wise so it meant starting from scratch - which was both brilliant and slightly scary financially. 


We spent ages trolling through shops and sites for the right furniture, we knew we didn't want Ikea but also couldn't afford the luxurious "bateau lit" I'd spotted in a boutique in Paris (totally unrealistic, but thats what spending so much time on Pinterest does to you). It wasn't until we looked at Habitat that we really felt a brand "got" us. Their stuff seemed to combine the quality and the requirements we needed from furniture = we can't have it fall apart after a year, we have a small space and we need  places to store things. So, here is what we got... (small spaces, it turns out, are a nightmare to photograph - so do check out my Instagram Stories for a live tour here).

pyjamas, Cath Kidston / coffee pot, Habitat / phone charger, Native Union

We realised that we may as well go with a king size bed as the size difference was only going to make for an awkward space against the back wall (when we'd picked the shelves, see below). We wanted a bed frame that wasn't going to break the bank but also wouldn't go out of trend. So we chose the Tatsuma, here. We chose it in the oak colour as it matches the wardrobe rail I'd already picked out here which really makes no sense to have as it takes up way too much space on the landing, but it was just something I've wanted since seeing Lindsey have the same.

As an aside, one thing I am absolutely thrilled with is our mattress. We did a lot of research and had heard about the various companies that give you an decent mattress and you pay for it over time. I was a bit hesitant (I'm always cynical of new concepts) but we found one on Eve that looked really good, here. In truth we ended up being gifted ours but hand on heart with the difference it has made to our sleep and comfort I would happily pay ten times the amount for it. I look forward to coming home to it after a holiday, no matter how plush the hotel - because our mattress is better. I cannot recommend these guys enough (the mattress arrived in a day too, which should not go unnoticed given the common wait times for home stuff) - check them out here.


We knew we needed units next to the bed as we both have quite a lot of stuff, but taking advice from an editorial Lucy did we went against side tables as you can't store things above or below them. We didn't want to overwhelm the room with tonnes of furniture either. These "ladder shelves" are perfect. They're white so they don't stick out and make the room look cluttered, but they do make the most of the space. Find them here, for £75.


For the final touches we bought a white-edged mirror to both bring some light and create the illusion of space to put above the bed, here and some copper touch sensitive lights (saves faffing around for switches) here. I also decided it was time to invest in some decent linen so upgraded my sheets to Elizabeth Scarlett, here and bought some huge faux fur cushions from The White Company sale here to give the bed some extra "luxe." As a final treat we bought a little tray so I can work in bed without ruining the fan on my laptop (apparently 50% of laptops die because the fan at the base of them is blocked when people use them in bed) here. 

Hope you enjoyed that little insight into our home, the next project is deciding what to do with the double height wall in the living room. Shelves of pictures?! Help!

This post was in association with Habitat and Eve Mattresses. All images, product selections and text my own.
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