We lost two bedrooms but gained much more
Kirstie Kimmins and Chris Jones have turned a warren of poky rooms into a stunning one-bedroom flat with open-plan living at its heart
Kirstie loves dressing the flat for Christmas and has opted for classic red and white decorations to suit the traditional feel of the living room, which has walls painted in Valspar’s Callisto and wood panelling painted in Bowler Hat by Dulux. The sofa bed from M&S is handy for visiting guests and is dressed with cushions from Barker & Stonehouse and a red throw from Ikea
Despite owning several healthy eating cafés, Kirstie Kimmins and partner Chris Jones still like to indulge themselves at Christmas. ‘You’ve got to be a bit more relaxed at Christmas,’ says Kirstie. ‘So although we always have a free-range turkey and love making clean egg nog, we do indulge in chocolate and trifle too.’
The couple’s spacious one-bedroom flat in Tynemouth is the perfect place to enjoy the festivities as it has a huntinglodge-style living room at the front, as well as a more informal and relaxed open-plan kitchen diner with sitting area at the rear.
However when the pair first viewed the flat, Kirstie hated it. ‘The configuration just didn’t work with lots of little box rooms and it was very dated,’ she says. ‘Chris had the vision though, and said he’d be able to make it look nice.’