Back to the futurein a Victorian tenement

Learning how to utilise free family hand-me-downs alongside contemporary bargains is the secret to Katherine Cory’s unique first home

Feature Beverley Brown

Photos Douglas Gibb

Welcome to my home

A bit about me

I’m Katherine Cory and I live with my husband Will and our five-month-old Jack Russell puppy, Ivy.

Where I live

Our home is a top floor Victorian tenement flat in Glasgow, dating back to 1907.

What I wanted to change

The decoration and flooring mainly, as both were a real eyesore. The orange skirting and doors and acid-green wallpaper in the hall were not a good look.

How I made it my own

I tried to take a creative approach to furniture hand-medowns from family and make them work with modern pieces.

My favourite part

The big bay window in the living room is the best bit. I work at the table next to it during the day and at night we eat there and watch the world go by. It’s our window out onto the world.

Living room

‘This is my favourite room; my thought process here was to re-purpose as many of my grandma’s things as possible – my favourite item being the blue/green button-back velvet sofa, which holds strong memories for me. After the ceiling fell down in a bad storm (yes – really!), we had the floor professionally sanded and decorated, and Will and I painted the doors. The room is really big and its star feature is the bay window, which gets the sun from early morning through to sunset.’