Inside The Home Of: Katy McPhedran

When it comes to having a good ol’ nosy in other people’s lives, we’re all pretty guilty of it. There’s just something so intriguing about being in the know, without technically knowing: whether it’s finding out some goss’, catching sight of your friends WhatsApp chats or peeking into someone’s home. And well, here at Ideal Flatmate, we love nothing more than seeing how people really live behind closed doors. So each month, we’re inviting ourselves over to people’s houses, for a proper natter about all things house and home (and definitely having a little rummage in their food cupboards).

First in our series we’ve got lifestyle blogger Katy opening up her home to us, to give us the low-down on where she buys all those plants, what’s by her bedside and THAT interior faux pas she deeply regrets.

How would you describe your interior style?

I’d say quite minimalist (I’m actually a bit of a hoarder, but that’s what’s behind the drawers of my sideboards!), with grey, white and black tones, and greenery for a bit of colour. I like it to seem quite clean and sleek, but not too modern, with a warm but fresh feeling.

What makes a house a home?

When we moved in, I couldn’t wait to put all my ‘tat’ (as the other half calls it), out. Books on shelves, plants on the dresser and frames propped up against the wall – they’re the things to us that tell a story, making it a warm and lived in home.

What’s your favourite room in the house?

Definitely my living room. We don’t watch that much TV to be fair, but there’s just something so calm about our living room. We’re lucky enough to have a garden so it’s nice to sit down in the evening with a glass of wine and the door open, and watch a TV documentary (I’m obsessed with Prison documentaries!). Either that, or perched on the barstools at the kitchen. It’s such a sociable space whether we’re cooking or catching up with friends.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

Mostly Pinterest, or other interior bloggers. I used to find images I liked and instantly want to recreate it in my home, but now I’ve learnt to work with what I’ve got – which sometimes means buying things in the moment and figuring it out when I take it home. I definitely rearrange my things a lot!

What do you love most about where you live?

I love that we’re so close to everything, with Kings Cross and Camden only a 15 minute walk. Which also means for having such variety of food options basically on our doorstep – our local pub, The Lord Stanley, do the best pizzas (so we’re there more times than not!). We’re also in a nice neighbourhood, so there seems to be quite a warm community – and a lot of cats too!

What’s by your bedside?

A whole stack of books that I thought sounded nice, but am yet to read, my trusty This Works pillow spray, a fake plant and a bottle of water. Glamorous right?

Where do you love to shop for plants?

Anywhere and everywhere! If ever we’re in Ikea, I’ll always pick up some pots (just because), but I love taking a walk to Camden Garden Centre or Botanique Workshop on Exmouth Market for some lovely fresh plants. And also, Patch are amazing for deliveries!

What’s been your biggest interior faux pas?

Oh gosh, when I was about 14, I went through a phase of liking cow print. We painted two of my bedroom walls white with black splodges, and the other two a bold and bright pink. Cow print bedsheets, pink cushions. You name it, I had it!I couldn’t think of anything worse now, but I guess I was 14, so anything goes…

How does your dream home look?

Huge windows with plenty of light, a mixture of dark and white floorboards, high ceilings and scandi style interiors. I love the dark wooden sideboards, with chunky frames, and a few plants dotted about. It would be in either a Victorian Terraced house or a cute cottage, i’ll take either!

We leave Katy’s home, with a planned trip to the garden centre in our diaries, and feeling completely like we’d be welcome over anytime. To see more of Katy’s home and explorations in Camden, you can follow her on Instagram.