8 Fun Design Ideas To Steal From Eleanor Bowmer's London Home |

last updated 16 October 2020

Designer Eleanor Bowmer is known for her fun, colourful prints and designs – her range of wallpaper, tea towels, mugs and stationery is stocked everywhere from John Lewis and Oliver Bonas to Selfridges and Liberty London.

But what you might not know, is that her home is full of fun prints and ideas too. We managed to catch up with her to find out a bit more about some of the fun interior projects we've been spying on her 'gram.

They bought the house in June 2018 and spent six months on the renovation. Eleanor's husband has his own building company and property renovation so their build was something that they both felt passionate about. Between them the couple have five houses which they’ve renovated and now rent out. This time round, the process was more personal as they were building a family home for their toddler and newborn baby.

The house is a Victorian semi-detached and has three floors and a basement. The coving and fireplaces were restored and the couple stripped every wall back to the brick foundations, and gave the property a complete overhaul from top to bottom. They did a basement conversion too, which is what Eleanor currently uses as her studio.

They doubled the size of the kitchen by adding a glass extension and they installed a dorma on one of the rooms on the third floor to turn it into a sixth bedroom.

Here are eight of her home highlights...

1. SCALLOPED PAINT EFFECT

To get this striking scallop effect, Eleanor used a paper plate which she drew around. For the smaller dots she used the lid of a tester pot. Eleanor used some gouache paint for the blue dots which she mixed herself. The wall colour is colour courage Dansk Rod.

Get the look: Ceiling light is from wayfair.co.uk. Toy basket is from Home Sense. The circus sign is antique.

Eleanor used the same paint effect to add interest to her toddler's bedroom too.

2. ART IN THE KITCHEN

A whole shelf in the kitchen is dedicated to displaying framed artworks, lit by wall lights. Kitchens are often overlooked when it comes to displaying art, and leaning artworks on a shelf is a novel way of arranging them.

Get the look: Kitchen by Harvey jones. Bar sign is from Oklahoma. Artwork is from King and Magaw.

3. PAINT AND PAPER

Who says you have to choose between paint or paper? In her home, Eleanor tones down a wild pattern (Elegant Cranes, a design by Eleanor Bowmer) by only wallpapering the top half of the wall, with the bottom half featuring a lovely and calm blush shade instead.

Get the look: Wallpaper is from Eleanor Bowmer. Paint is Valspar's pink perfection. Dado is painted in Valspar's Inky prose.

4. CANE FURNITURE

On-trend cane (the chairs were from Made.com) adds a tropical touch to this dining nook. We love the wall lights and banquette seating too.

5. PATTERNED TILES

The bathroom featured a pattern clash of starry tiles on the walls (tiles are from clé tile) and a geometric tile design for the floors, and the effect is surprisingly restful. The Crittall-style shower screen, floating sink and brass accents all help to make this space feel even more luxe.

6. LAUNDRY CUPBOARD

No space for a dedicated laundry room? Eleanor Bowmer transformed wasted space at the top of her stairs into a dedicated laundry and linen cupboard, complete with washer and dryer, and shelves for linens. Bespoke laundry unit is by Harvey Jones Kitchens.

7. PAPER AND TILES

In her cloakroom, Eleanor combines a tropical inspired wallpaper pattern (Cole and son, Miami) with gloss black tiles in an unusual formation. Adding to the exotic theme is a rustic bamboo ladder for towels, and a shell-shaped sink – both of which were snapped up on eBay.

8. COCKTAIL STATION

Even if you don't have space for separate home bar area, this little cocktail nook is made into it's own destination with the help of the light-up cocktail sign (from Oliver Bonas), and shelves for pretty glassware.

Get the look: Home bar and oriental trellis from the Vintage Emporium, Stockport. Cocktails sign from Oliver Bonas.. Shelf from Ikea. Swan is from Bents Home and Garden Centre.

Lotte is the Digital Editor for Livingetc, and has been with the website since its launch. She has a background in online journalism and writing for SEO, with previous editor roles at Good Living, Good Housekeeping, Country & Townhouse, and BBC Good Food among others, as well as her own successful interiors blog. When she's not busy writing or tracking analytics, she's doing up houses, two of which have features in interior design magazines. She's just finished doing up her house in Wimbledon, and is eyeing up Bath for her next project.