One of my favourite interior accounts to follow on Instagram is @bamaluzhome, which features textile artist Elle Collins’ plant-filled home, unique upcycles and her simply irresistible British shorthair blue cat Mia.
After admiring her home (and pet!) for many years, I asked if she would be up for me writing about her mid-century style home and luckily she said yes! I was so excited to learn more about her home and the decorating she had done since moving in back in 2019.
Elle is a textile artist who makes absolutely stunning wall hangings. No doubt you’ll be able to spot a few of her creations in the photos of her home below, but you should also check out her website Bamaluz Home to see examples of her fibre art inspired by nature. You’ll find beautiful one-off designs with impressive texture, alongside bespoke options to fill your home with unique artwork – so check out Elle’s website now!
Firstly, can we just appreciate Elle’s incredible house plant collection? It’s one of the reasons why Elle chose her home when she was house hunting, as the large vaulted room with patio doors would provide enough light to help them thrive.
As such, the room is now filled with a giant tree-sized Monstera Deliciosa, along with masses of trailing house plants, massive ferns and tropical species. It’s quite the urban jungle in Elle’s home – and it doesn’t stop in the living room!
In fact, I think there are multiple house plants in every single room, even the hallway and bedroom. The four-poster bed frame is the ideal space for hanging plants, so why not have trailing Pothos and ferns in the bedroom??
In the dated bathroom, Elle gave the old fitted bathroom units an epic makeover by painting the melamine surfaces and creating a faux Crittal shower screen. It’s such an impressive revamp and I’ll definitely use her top tip of wrapping worktops in vinyl sheets to create a new, water-resistant surface. Here’s a before and after so you can see the transformation.
The kitchen too is an impressive revamp. The old wooden kitchen units were still in good condition when she moved in, but not to Elle’s taste. So, rather than tearing out the perfectly-usable kitchen, she thriftily restained the cabinets and added slatted wood to the ends of the units. Here’s a before pic:
And here’s how it looks after the dark stain and slats have been applied. I LOVE the wooden slats at the ends, I think it’s one of my favourite ever kitchen revamps and I’d love to try something similar in my own home one day.
Each room not only features houseplants but also contains Elle’s collection of mid-century furniture. I personally love the shelving unit in the living room – it reminds me of my own retro Ladderax system. Wasn’t furniture so much more practical (and good-looking!) in the mid-century era?
She also has oodles of mid-century style in the snug, with a cosy Arne Jacobsen Egg chair that Elle recovered herself with soft shearling fabric. It just makes you want to curl up in there with a book, doesn’t it?
I hope you’ve enjoyed this quick tour of Elle’s home and please go follow her on Instagram @bamaluzhome for regular interior updates and lots of adorable kitty photos!
The full article about Elle’s home and vintage interior can be found in Issue 62 of Reclaim magazine, which is still available to buy from the back issue archive if you want to see loads more photos of the interior and learn all about her creative DIY projects and home renovation.
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