A homely art deco theme; In association Gardinia Chic Barcelona hotel inspired our apartment's design

Huddersfield Daily Examiner (Huddersfield, England), March 25, 2008

Byline: By EMMA DAVISON News Reporter

A TRIP to a Barcelona hotel was all the inspiration Debbie Atkinson and her partner Dan Nelmes needed when they set about putting their own stamp on their Lockwood apartment.

The hotel they stayed at, called Chic and Basic Born, completely indulged in the art deco look and the couple fell in love with the striking theme so much that they decided to recreate it in their own home.

"It all started when we stayed in this hotel in Barcelona", said Debbie, 24. "We'd just come out of university and we were on a budget; this hotel had just been renovated and the only reason we could afford to stay there was because it wasn't completely finished.

"It was so beautifully decorated and we loved everything about it - everything was done in black and white gloss and there was colour-changing mood lighting.

"It was really nice and we decided we wanted to incorporate that theme into our own home. "It was at that time that we decided to buy our first home together and it turned out we had the same ideas on how we wanted it to look."

When the couple returned home, Dan, 22, relocated to Huddersfield from South Wales and they started looking for properties. They instantly fell for the penthouse apartment at Palm Court in Garden Street.

The modern one-bedroom apartment wowed them with its modern finish and the couple knew that they could make it their own.

Debbie, who works for the Manchester Evening News, said: "We looked around the flat and that was it, we both loved it. It already had the kitchen done in white gloss with black tiles and a nice modern bathroom, so we knew it was the perfect place for us to recreate the art deco look."

The couple enlisted the help of Debbie's uncle Stuart Turner, of Newsome, who created the stylish look in their home by building a huge glossy black headboard complete with down lights for the bedroom and also creating sleek and roomy storage space.

For the lounge, he built a funky black and white glass cabinet, with lights which change colour and art deco-style portholes.

On a budget as first-time buyers, the couple splashed out for the odd signature piece, but also saved by scouring high street shops to source accessories to complete the art deco look.

"Everything was inspired by the hotel", said Debbie. "And everything, including the cutlery, is in black and white although there is the odd splash of red to give the place a bit more colour.

"We did it all on a budget, we got a good deal from my uncle and we shopped at places like TK Maxx and BHS for furniture and accessories. We did buy one really expensive thing though - a white leather corner sofa from Linda Barker - which is very art deco.

"My uncle was great, he's into art and design and he knew exactly how to help us create the exact look we wanted after we explained what we wanted and showed him pictures of the hotel.

"We really enjoyed the experience of creating our home and shopping for things together.

"It's nice to be able to put your own design stamp on your home, it reflects who you are and makes it a much nicer place to live.

"We love the look that we've created and the fact that we've been able to carry it through the flat."

Another idea of the Spanish hotel's that the couple have incorporated into their home is being creative when it comes to space-saving.

Debbie said: "We've managed to make the most of the space by creating a lot of storage space, which is similar to what the hotel did. This has worked especially well in the bedroom, it's not huge but we've go so much storage it doesn't look cramped."

The young couple are selling their cool and contemporary pad because they are eager to take the next step up the property ladder, but they will miss the home that they've created.

"We're really quite gutted to be moving", said Debbie. "We're very happy with the work we've done and we'll be taking what we've learnt to our next home to put our own stamp on that too.

"There's so many apartments in Huddersfield, so there's a lot of competition, but we're hoping ours will really stand out. It's individual, but it's not so individual that it will only appeal to someone with a specific taste-everyone who's seen the flat loves it!

"With it being the penthouse it's also lovely and light, the massive skylight in the bathroom means you can have a bath and look at the stars; it's the same in the bedroom.

"It's also ideal for first-time buyers because everything's staying, so all they would need to move in is a bed and a sofa - it would have really helped us at the time because we've had to spend quite a lot of money on it!"

The couple's home at Palm Court in Garden Street is on the market for pounds 104,950.

To arrange a viewing contact William H Brown on 01484 542072.

HAVE you an interesting story to tell about your house?Whether it's a mansion or amaisonette, if your home is one we could feature we'd like to hear from you.

Contact Emma Davison by email or by telephone on 01484 430000