{"id":1068451,"date":"2026-07-04T18:03:58","date_gmt":"2026-07-04T18:03:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1068451\/"},"modified":"2026-07-04T18:03:58","modified_gmt":"2026-07-04T18:03:58","slug":"what-i-rent-im-an-interior-designer-heres-how-ive-decorated-my-700-kent-one-bed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1068451\/","title":{"rendered":"What I Rent: I’m an interior designer \u2014 here’s how I’ve decorated my \u00a3700 Kent one-bed"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\"Interior
\n\t\tThis weekend, we\u2019re visiting Evelyn in Marden (Picture: Justin Griffiths-Williams)<\/p>\n

Welcome back to\u00a0What I Rent<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Metro\u2019s\u00a0tenant diary\u00a0series exploring what\u00a0renting<\/a>\u00a0is like in the UK and further afield.<\/p>\n

When she was a little girl, Evelyn Lindley loved interior design. <\/p>\n

Bright colours always called out to her, and she\u2019d often stare at the ceiling of her mother\u2019s home, realising that whoever had laid the wallpaper had mistakenly stuck it on upside down.<\/p>\n

After a slew of customer service jobs, in 2020, Evelyn decided to take the reins and study interior design, just as she\u2019d always wanted to. <\/p>\n

Now, she\u2019s used her lifelong passion \u2013 and qualification \u2013 to doll up her one-bedroom flat in a Kent village, for which she pays \u00a3700 per month.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tAsk Metro<\/p>\n

Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about \u2013 powered by Metro and trusted publications.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what Evelyn had to say about her renting journey\u2026<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tReady to start your homebuying journey?\t\t\t<\/p>\n

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\u2013 Access to 1000s of mortgage deals from across the market<\/p>\n

Unlike many mortgage brokers, L&C won\u2019t charge you a fee for their advice.<\/p>\n

Find out how much you could borrow online<\/a><\/p>\n

Mortgage service provided by London & Country Mortgages (L&C), which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (registered number: 143002). The FCA does not regulate most Buy to Let mortgages. Your home or property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.<\/p>\n

Tell us about yourself!<\/p>\n

I\u2019m an interior designer. I qualified during lockdown, after years of wanting to do it. Hobbies-wise, I\u2019m obsessed with coffee, I like photography, and my partner\u2019s a sneakerhead, so we\u2019re into our trainers. <\/p>\n

I also love decorating, and I write a bit of poetry now and then.<\/p>\n

Whereabouts is your property? What do you think of the area?<\/p>\n

I live in a little village called Malden, which is a really nice place. It\u2019s lovely and quiet, and I feel really lucky to have got my little flat here.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve got a big park just out the back, which is literally a couple of steps away. That\u2019s always nice to go for a walk, and there\u2019s a coffee shop.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s another up the road in Staplehurst, plus a nice little homeware shop and some pubs.<\/p>\n

The smallest, quirkiest village shop has closed down, which is a shame. It\u2019s literally just one street and then it\u2019s surrounded by countryside.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Interior
\n\t\tEvelyn has loved interior design since she was little (Picture: Justin Griffiths-Williams)
\nWhen did you move in?<\/p>\n

September 2023.<\/p>\n

What kind of property do you rent?<\/p>\n

A one-bedroom flat. It\u2019s a coach house, so I\u2019ve got my own entrance with stairs, and then the whole flat is on the upper level. It\u2019s a tiny space, with one bathroom, one little kitchen, and a living room.<\/p>\n

The street is a cul-de-sac.<\/p>\n

How did you get into interior design?<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve always loved interiors<\/a>, and in the house I grew up in, somebody did the wallpaper upside down. It used to bug me all the time, because I could see the flowers going the wrong way, so that sparked an obsession with detail.<\/p>\n

Then, when I was a teenager, I got to decorate my room for the first time, and when I was 18, my mum went away for a few weeks, so I redid the lounge for her. I was being asked if I would do other people\u2019s houses, but I never had the confidence to do it. I always felt like I needed to be qualified.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Interior
\n\t\tShe retrained during the pandemic (Picture: Justin Griffiths-Williams)<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve always struggled with not believing I can do things, so it took me all the way up to the 2020 lockdown. I was going through a really hard time, and my mum came round one day, and said to me: \u2018I\u2019m absolutely sick and tired of hearing you say how much you regret not doing interior design.<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019ve paid for your course, and you\u2019re going to do it.\u2019<\/p>\n

It gave me a lot more confidence, but I\u2019m still working on the financial side. Charging people money is the bit I\u2019ve been stuck on for a few years now, so it\u2019s taken me so long to put down a price that I feel comfortable with.<\/p>\n

What did you do for work before interior design?<\/p>\n

Mostly retail, but I did office work, accounts, and taxi driving.<\/p>\n

When I left school<\/a>, I did a course to be an embalmer at an undertaker\u2019s. I\u2019ve had a lot of issues health-wise, and I found it all too hard. In 2017, I was diagnosed with autism<\/a>, which really made sense of a lot of my struggles.<\/p>\n

A creative job is what I\u2019ve needed all this time.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Interior
\n\t\tPlants are also a big feature of Evelyn\u2019s home (Picture: Justin Griffiths-Williams)
\nHow much is your rent?<\/p>\n

\u00a3700.<\/p>\n

Do you feel like you have a good deal?<\/p>\n

For the location, I think so. I\u2019m very grateful to live here, and that alone is just worth whatever I\u2019m paying for it.<\/p>\n

What do you like to do inside your flat?<\/p>\n

Mainly design work, when I\u2019m not doing it for someone else. If it\u2019s not that, then I\u2019m working on colour theory. <\/p>\n

Everything is about patterns and textures; that\u2019s where my obsession is. I look after a lot of houseplants, so that takes up a lot of my time.<\/p>\n

Has your landlord let you decorate?<\/p>\n

They said I could do whatever I liked, as long as I leave it neutral when I move out. I like a lot of bold and dark colours usually, but my entrance hall and the lounge are the two largest spaces here, so I did repaint those.<\/p>\n

I painted the lounge in a very pale pink, hoping that was plain enough, and I won\u2019t have to redo it. I also added some panelling to the walls.<\/p>\n

The bedroom I\u2019ve painted dark, and in the kitchen, I\u2019ve added vinyl to the cabinets.<\/p>\n

I couldn\u2019t find tile stickers that I liked enough, but there was a wallpaper that was ideal, so I did that. I\u2019ve put light strips in, so now it looks colourful.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Interior
\n\t\tShe\u2019s been living here since September 2023 (Picture: Justin Griffiths-Williams)
\nWhat inspires your interior design style?<\/p>\n

My favourite colour palette is dual tones, like teal, deep blue, and green.<\/p>\n

With this place, I\u2019ve had to adjust what I\u2019m into, but it\u2019s still eclectic.<\/p>\n

How did you find your property?<\/p>\n

Through the council. You have to go on and bid on properties, and then they decide if you get them. I was one of three people, but I was at the top of the list. <\/p>\n

It was a mess when I came in, but it was the first place I offered on.<\/p>\n

Do you feel like you have enough space?<\/p>\n

Definitely not. I used to live in a four-bedroom, double-fronted house. I\u2019m still going through everything now after coming out of a relationship, but I\u2019ve managed to create a lot of space with different storage options. I\u2019ve crammed a lot in.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Interior
\n\t\tShe previously lived in a four-bedroom house (Picture: Justin Griffiths-Williams)
\nIs there anything you\u2019d like to have but don\u2019t with this flat?<\/p>\n

The back windows are frosted, and I can\u2019t see out of them, which bugs me. Other than that, it\u2019s mainly aesthetic stuff. <\/p>\n

I\u2019d like to make the garden my own, but with the cost of trees and plants, I don\u2019t want to leave them all behind if I\u2019m not here for that long.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s your favourite piece of furniture in the flat?<\/p>\n

My nanny\u2019s old 1950s chest of drawers. I painted them, and that\u2019s something I won\u2019t get rid of.<\/p>\n

Are there any problems you\u2019ve had to deal with?<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve had a lot of trouble with the boiler. It constantly loses pressure, and they\u2019re not very good at coming to sort it. I\u2019ve also had a leak fixed.<\/p>\n

Do you have any plans to move in the future?<\/p>\n

My partner and I would love to move in together. At the moment, we\u2019re not in a position to do it, as it\u2019s too cramped in here for both of us.<\/p>\n

Shall we take a look around?<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Interior
\n\t\tThe bedroom is one of her favourite spaces (Picture: Justin Griffiths-Williams)<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Interior
\n\t\tEvelyn loves the detail that interior design brings (Picture: Justin Griffiths-Williams)<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Interior
\n\t\tShe was constantly being asked to redesign people\u2019s homes (Picture: Justin Griffiths-Williams)<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Interior
\n\t\t\u2026and even reworked her family home (Picture: Justin Griffiths-Williams)<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Interior
\n\t\tPlants plants plants (Picture: Justin Griffiths-Williams)<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Interior
\n\t\tBefore interior design, she worked in offices (Picture: Justin Griffiths-Williams)<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Interior
\n\t\t\u2026and even completed an embalming course (Picture: Justin Griffiths-Williams)<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Interior
\n\t\tThe whole time, a creative job is what she needed (Picture: Justin Griffiths-Williams)<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Interior
\n\t\tShe\u2019s taken her own touch to the kitchen (Picture: Justin Griffiths-Williams)<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Interior
\n\t\tAnd filled it out with some plants (Picture: Justin Griffiths-Williams)<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Interior
\n\t\t\u2026and the bathroom, too (Picture: Justin Griffiths-Williams)<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Interior
\n\t\tWe\u2019re manifesting our desires, too (Picture: Justin Griffiths-Williams)<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Interior
\n\t\tDark colours call to Evelyn (Picture: Justin Griffiths-Williams)<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Interior
\n\t\tHer rent costs her \u00a3700 per month (Picture: Justin Griffiths-Williams)<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Interior
\n\t\tShe feels she has a good deal for the rent she pays (Picture: Justin Griffiths-Williams)<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Interior
\n\t\t\u2026but in the future, she\u2019d love some more space (Picture: Justin Griffiths-Williams)<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Interior
\n\t\tWe\u2019re loving this wall print (Picture: Justin Griffiths-Williams)<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Interior
\n\t\tShe\u2019s been allowed to decorate, so long as everything\u2019s neutral once she moves (Picture: Justin Griffiths-Williams)<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Interior
\n\t\tGardening is good for the soul (Picture: Justin Griffiths-Williams)<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Interior
\n\t\tShe\u2019s worked hard to get her business off the ground (Picture: Justin Griffiths-Williams)<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Interior
\n\t\tShe\u2019s also fascinated by colour theory (Picture: Justin Griffiths-Williams)<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Interior
\n\t\tPatterns and textures are fundamental to her work (Picture: Justin Griffiths-Williams)<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Interior
\n\t\tNow isn\u2019t this a nice nook? (Picture: Justin Griffiths-Williams)<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Interior
\n\t\tTrainers are another passion of Evelyn\u2019s (Picture: Justin Griffiths-Williams)<\/p>\n

Do you have a story you\u2019d like to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@metro.co.uk<\/strong><\/p>\n

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