Pre-loved items bring their own history

Ashley McDow was determined that her new London home would stand out with creativity, vibrant colours and recycled finds

Feature Sharon Smith Photos Colin Poole

‘The wooden plaque on the wall is from a mosque in Saudi Arabia that my dad salvaged years ago when it was being bulldozed. The wall shelves are made from old scaffolding boards’

Good idea

Old scaffolding boards make great rusticlooking shelves

Sitting room

‘The sitting room reflects my passion for colour and recycling. The dining table was salvaged from a pub. It had been left to rot in a property I’d rented, so I sanded and varnished the wood top and it was fine! The metal chairs came from my Texan grandad’s pharmacy. I reupholstered them in old Thai silk designs I’d done for Duchamp. The designs are different on each chair, but tone in with one another. I’m about to repaint the metal legs again.’

Welcome to my home

A bit about me

I’m Ashley McDow and I live with my boyfriend, Michael Duffy, and our dog, Otis the whippet.

Where I live

Our home is a Georgian conversion basement flat in Walthamstow, North East London.

What I wanted to change

A developer had left the flat half renovated. It had been rewired and replumbed, and a basic kitchen and most of a bathroom installed, but it needed decorating to our taste.