Welcome to another edition of #MyHouseLikeThis

Today we’re swooning over the beautiful Nottingham home of Anna Martin, known by many who follow her gorgeous squares of interiors inspiration on instagram under the alias of @amotherdesigner.

If you recognise Anna’s home it’s probably because like us you have a subscription to Ideal Home and LOVE getting your interiors fix the old fashion way - thumbing through a good magazine in pursuit of interiors gold to steal for your own home treasures. Anna’s gorgeous home was selected to be featured in Ideal Home and there is really no surprise with its open plan kitchen and dining area, modern scandi style mixed with beautiful traditional features (that fireplace!). We particularly love the concrete flooring which, as you’ll learn from our chat required quite a bit of patience and determination before it was the perfect finished article you see today…

AHLT : Hello Anna, thanks for taking part in #MyHouseLikeThis. Before we get stuck in, tell us a little bit about your life and the home you’ve renovated...

Hi, I’m Anna and I'm 38, married with one daughter. I work as a print and textiles designer predominantly on children's wear having studied graphic design at university. I am a very creative person who loves fashion and interiors. I love to travel and take inspiration for our home when I get the chance. I am very drawn to Scandinavian style and our house is a 1930's build which we have fully renovated. You’ll notice it is mostly a monochrome palette with pops of pink. I love a dark wall and how it makes furniture and ornaments stand out against it, we also strive to have original features paired with more modern touches throughout our home.

AHLT: You have a wonderful home and we 100% share your love for dark walls and blending the old with the new. If you were to sum up your style with just three choice words, what would they be?

Gosh, that’s tricky...scandi, monochrome and considered...

AHLT: Excellent choices, we can definitely see that in your home style. So out of everything in your house what would you say was your favourite purchase and why?

This is really tricky! I love our IKEA Stockholm cabinet as it really works to separate the living and dining area in our open plan kitchen diner but it's simple enough not to dominate the area and it showcases lots of our favourite collectables.

AHLT: You have some amazing spaces in your home and as a designer must have lots of ideas when it comes to designing your home. How do you usually go about it?

I think things through A LOT! It really does take me an age to make a decision. For example, I have a plant hanger that I've been procrastinating about for over a year! I do a lot of research too.

AHLT : Even the greatest plans can sometimes go wrong...what was your biggest DIY fail and what did you learn from it?

We've recently painted our kitchen cupboards and they look terrible! It wasn't the decorators fault - the painting just didn't suit the style of them. So we are now awaiting new doors to be made. I know I'll be happy when we have the new doors, but it was a slightly pricey mistake! Trust your gut. I wasn't sure but I let myself be convinced.

AHLT: That does sound like a pricey error, how would you say a mistake like that affected that space in your home?

Our kitchen diner is my favourite space in the home as we spend most of our time in there entertaining or just hanging out eating and chatting. I'm also more relaxed in there as we have concrete floors so less chance of destruction from the child or the puppy!

AHLT: We are obsessed with concrete flooring, excellent choice! However similarly to you and your plant hanger, we have been procrastinating about our flooring as it’s such a big project to undertake. On that note, what is your next home project and what considerations will you have to make before you start?

We are thinking about extending to the side and converting our garage into a snug. We have to consider how we can do it without ruining our lovely patio which has a built-in wall seat that we love and also how we can make it flow from the current layout without appearing as an afterthought.

AHLT : With a big project like that we can understand why you’d need to consider how it works with the existing feel of your home, what or who usually inspires you when planning your home decor?

I'm very inspired by other peoples homes on Instagram and in interiors magazines. I'm also inspired by hotels. Our favourite hotel in Crete, The Ammos, has such fabulous style that I often come home with new ideas!

AHLT : The Ammos looks stunning, we can see why you’d be so inspired. Your home is stunning but if you wanted to change one thing what would it be?

Apart from it being bigger with maybe a bar and a pool I'm not sure I’d change much. It's constantly evolving so I don't ever imagine it's finished. Once one room is done, I'm onto the next. I think that's a problem with being creative and constantly inspired!

AHLT : We know the feeling...the decorating and renovating urge never really goes away. As a final question for you, what advice would you give to homeowners looking to start their next decor or renovation project?

Research everything from the tiny details to the big ones and make sure your builders understand exactly what you expect. We had three concrete floors laid before we finally got what we set out to achieve. It was a stressful process but we got there in the end! 

AHLT : Thank you Anna for your time, you have a beautiful home and we know our readers will love it just as much as we do.

To follow Anna’s story you can find her stunning home on Instagram in the links provided below...