Interior designer Evelyn Lindley, 35, rents a one-bedroom coach house in the Kent village of Malden for £700 per month. She moved in during September 2023 and has since transformed the space with bold colours, panelling, and vinyl kitchen cabinet makeovers.
From customer service to creative career
After years in retail, office work, accounts, and even taxi driving, Evelyn decided to pursue her lifelong passion for interior design during the 2020 lockdown. Her mother paid for the course, telling her: “I’m absolutely sick and tired of hearing you say how much you regret not doing interior design. I’ve paid for your course, and you’re going to do it.” Evelyn also trained as an embalmer after leaving school but found it too hard due to health issues. She was diagnosed with autism in 2017, which she says “made sense of a lot of my struggles.”
The flat and location
The property is a coach house with its own entrance and stairs leading to the upper-level flat. It includes one bathroom, a small kitchen, and a living room. The village of Malden is quiet and surrounded by countryside, with a park just steps away. There is a coffee shop, a homeware shop, and pubs nearby, though the village shop has closed. Evelyn found the flat through the council’s bidding system and was top of the list out of three applicants. “It was a mess when I came in, but it was the first place I offered on,” she says.
Decorating on a rental budget
The landlord allowed Evelyn to decorate as long as she returns the flat to neutral when she moves out. She painted the lounge a very pale pink to avoid repainting later, added panelling to walls, painted the bedroom dark, and applied vinyl wallpaper to kitchen cabinets. She also installed light strips for a colourful effect. Her favourite piece of furniture is her nanny’s 1950s chest of drawers, which she painted. “That’s something I won’t get rid of,” she says.
Challenges and future plans
Evelyn has faced boiler problems, with constant pressure loss and slow repairs, plus a leak that was fixed. She wishes the back windows were not frosted, as she cannot see out. She would also like to make the garden her own but hesitates due to cost and the possibility of moving. Her partner and she plan to move in together but currently find the flat too cramped for two. Despite the space constraints, Evelyn feels grateful for her home: “For the location, I think so. I’m very grateful to live here, and that alone is just worth whatever I’m paying for it.”
