This bright and colorful house serves perfect holiday inspiration

See how this couple transformed their new build home into a super cute and modern space

Emily Smith's colorful new-build house has a rainbow-inspired festive theme
(Image credit: Kasia Fiszer)

They say everything happens for a reason, and that certainly applies to the way Emily and Jake Smith found the home that became their first step on the property ladder. "At the time, we weren’t really looking to buy," says Emily. "But in the middle of lockdown, when we saw there were some new houses being built in our area, we thought we’d go and have a look, just to be nosy really."

They’d been saving for a while, but thought they weren’t in a position financially to buy, and they weren’t fully sold on the idea of buying a new build either. "We thought it might be a bit cramped and overlooked," says Emily. 

Profile

The owners: Emily Smith, (@coloursofnumberone), a medical imaging physicist for the NHS, lives in the UK with her partner, Jake, who works in digital advertising
The property: A three-bedroom new build house in Nottingham, England.
Project cost: £5,850, roughly $7,208

As soon as they walked through the door, they were welcomed with a large, light and bright hallway that instantly changed their minds. "It was so much more spacious than we’d thought it would be and we immediately realized that this was definitely somewhere we could see ourselves living one day," says Emily.

Emily Smith's colorful new-build house has a rainbow-inspired festive theme

Emily added the ingenious built-in dining bench to squeeze in as many friends and family as possible. Table, Belliani. Dining chairs, Sklum. Bench, Wayfair. Candlesticks, Oliver Bonas. Flooring, Karndean. Artwork, Etsy. Faux plants, Ebay and Shein. Pendant light, Facebook Marketplace

(Image credit: Kasia Fiszer)

That one day came around much quicker than expected. While chatting to the estate agents, Emily discovered that, as an NHS worker (England's National Health Service), she was entitled to a discount she hadn’t known about. With the realization that this house was the only one not yet sold, they quickly reconsidered their finances and put in an offer. 

Emily Smith's colorful new-build house has a rainbow-inspired festive theme

Bright pops of color appear in every room, creating the feel-good space Emily wanted. Splashback, Amazon

(Image credit: Kasia Fiszer)

Once that was accepted, Emily and Jake quickly started seeking decorating inspiration. They looked to Pinterest and Instagram to get a feel for what they’d like to do, pinning and saving ideas that made them smile. When they moved in, the nation was still in lockdown, but Emily used this to her advantage. "Doing up the house was a distraction from Covid times," she says. "I sat with floor plans, mapping out exactly what I wanted to do. I had a lot of time on my hands as I couldn’t go out, so I was able to really think about it and play around with different ideas and layouts."

Emily Smith's colorful new-build house has a rainbow-inspired festive theme

"The colorful living room is my favorite room in the house," says Emily. "Most of my Christmas decorations in here are just rainbow baubles in different guises," Yellow sofa and coffee table, IKEA. Green sofa, Habitat. Lamp and cushions, Marks & Spencer. Rug, Benuta. Flooring, Karndean. Clock, Made. Artwork, Etsy and Fy!

(Image credit: Kasia Fiszer)

Sometimes the best way to decorate a room is to choose one stand-out piece that you love, and use that as the basis for the rest of your scheme, which is exactly what Emily did. "The yellow sofa was the first thing we bought. As soon as I saw it, it just made me smile," she says. 

"Then it was all about what we could get to go with that. One mistake we made, though, was with choosing the second sofa. As we couldn’t go to look at it in the shop, we ordered online and hoped for the best. But when it arrived we saw it was nowhere near the same height as the other one, so we sent it back."

Emily Smith's colorful new-build house has a rainbow-inspired festive theme

"We used a 3m kitchen countertop as our desk; we both work in here so it needed to be big," says Emily. "We were proud of ourselves for getting it up the stairs, then realized it was the wrong way round. We had to take it outside, spin it and try again."

(Image credit: Kasia Fiszer)

While Emily’s passion for interiors grew out of being isolated in lockdown, the fruits of her labor resulted in an unexpected means of connection — via Instagram. "After decorating the house, I was so proud of what we’d achieved," she says. "But as lockdown persisted, I couldn’t invite my friends and family round, so I couldn’t share it with anyone. That’s why I started putting pictures on Instagram."

Emily Smith's colorful new-build house has a rainbow-inspired festive theme

The open and airy hallway was one of the key features that drew Emily and Jake to the house, Artwork, Etsy, John Lewis & Partners, Emily’s own photos/art, Penny&Me, Hannah Dunnett, Evermade, Isabella Faye

(Image credit: Kasia Fiszer)

Emily Smith's colorful new-build house has a rainbow-inspired festive theme

Lamp, Rosie & Gore. Trees, Asda

(Image credit: Kasia Fiszer)

Emily is a huge fan of Christmas, and her new-found love of interiors has lead to a change in the way she decorates for Christmas, too. "I used to just automatically go for the classic reds and silvers," says Emily. "But after putting so much thought and care into ensuring my interior scheme is a reflection of my personality, I realized that my Christmas decorations should show it as well."

Contacts

Kitchen Symphony

Emily now ditches the traditional scheme for a look that ties in with and accentuates her existing interior style. From rainbow trees to multi-colored baubles and handmade pom-poms designed especially to match the sofas, her Christmas style is just as fun and playful as the rest of her space. 

Emily Smith's colorful new-build house has a rainbow-inspired festive theme

‘I originally chose a brighter royal blue for the bedroom, which was fun, but not very relaxing. I prefer this darker, more soothing shade.‘ Bed and pendant light, IKEA. Wall lights, B&Q. Curtains, Curtains 2go. Bedside table, handmade from IKEA bread bins

(Image credit: Kasia Fiszer)

"If I was to offer one piece of advice to someone buying a new build, it would be to be brave," says Emily. "It can feel quite overwhelming at first as you’re faced with a white blank canvas and everything is fresh and new, and you’re worried about ruining what you’ve got. But if you get straight in there and add your stamp to it quickly, you’ll love it even more."

Emily Smith's colorful new-build house has a rainbow-inspired festive theme

Emily painted the wall pattern in the en suite herself. "I drew round a cup, made a little stencil with some card and painted it —everyone always thinks it’s wallpaper," she says. Mirror, IKEA 

(Image credit: Kasia Fiszer)
Image

Subscribe to Real Homes magazine 

Want even more great ideas for your home from the expert team at Real Homes magazine? Subscribe to Real Homes magazine and get great content delivered straight to your door. From inspiring completed projects to the latest decorating trends and expert advice, you'll find everything you need to create your dream home inside each issue.

Amelia Smith
Content Editor

After joining Real Homes as content producer in 2016, Amelia has taken on several different roles and is now content editor. She specializes in style and decorating features and loves nothing more than finding the most beautiful new furniture, fabrics and accessories and sharing them with our readers. As a newbie London renter, Amelia’s loving exploring the big city and mooching around vintage markets to kit out her new home.