How thinking pink with dopamine decor made a Fife home a TV star

In a small village, Crossford, in Fife. Our house was built in the 1940s and it is a very English style of villa, with an archway door. We bought it in 2017, and it is an unusual style for the area but it is full of mid-century character, and I’ve always thought that from the outside it looks like a child’s drawing of a house.

​Describe the style of the house?

Throughout the theme is childhood and nostalgia.

A lot of the furniture is vintage or second-hand and upcycled.

Pink is featured in every room, along with a lot of green – and there is a disco ball in the kitchen.

​How have you renovated it?

When we moved in it was a blank canvas, and we had all these plans as to which rooms we were going to decorate first. And we vowed not to touch any room until we could do it fully and properly, including replastering, replacing floors and carpets.

But our hands were really forced because there was a problem with damp in one of the bedrooms and then a shower broke. We had these great ideas but life took over and we had to do the work in the order that they really needed doing.

There were also some features which a lot of houses this age have, such as wallpapered ceilings and artex walls, so plastering and gyproc was needed, rather than just an easy paint job.

​Who decides on the decor? It is driven by me. My husband Brian likes things to be nice and tidy but I’ve definitely brought the colour into his life. He is now on board with it but it has taken a while. When we first started living together in 2009, it was Brian’s house that I moved into which was a typical bachelor pad. I started there by painting the walls a pale blue, and I was allowed a pale pink, but only in the hallway. It was very muted but that was just me starting to dabble in my love of colour. It became kind of addictive.

​Why do you love pink?

Pink has a definite effect on my mood. When I started adding colour to the house it was really energising. I got an ADHD diagnosis in adulthood, which explained a lot, and since then I’ve realised that there are quite a lot of people with the condition who have a particular colour that they love – for me it is pink.

Bolder colours seem to do something helpful to our brains, which is why they call it “dopamine decor”.

And the process and creativity of decoration is a really mindful activity and doing it all yourself is a really satisfying process.

My favourite shade has been called “drunk tank pink” – so called because it is said to have a calming effect in American jails!

But I like most shades of pink, although there are probably some neons that even I would consider too bold.

But then I started out with much paler pinks before deciding to really go for it.

The living room is a shade of what is called Joyful Pink, and that is as bold as I would go, for now.

​How much of the practical work have you done yourselves? We both do the decorating and Brian has learned a lot of skills as we went along such as tiling. He’s also great at wallpapering, he’s really meticulous and can turn his hand to most things.

Other tasks such as plastering, we felt it was best to get a professional in.

How has getting involved in online groups helped?

I’ve not got a creative background so I’ve really been learning as I go and picking up skills. Being on social media as a consumer definitely helped me get loosened up with my decor ideas. There is something inspiring about interacting with real people and although I admire expensive homes in glossy magazines, the online stuff has been much more helpful. There is a real community and we spur each other on.

I started putting my house on Instagram in 2020 because I had a few friends who were interested in interiors and it has grown from there, it is now a full-time job.

​What advice would you offer someone wanting to introduce colour in their decor?

I try to encourage my followers not to go with trends but to go with what you love, as it will last forever. You get better as you go along, with practice and because you acquire the right tools along the way. But my favourite part is still choosing the colours in the first place and then placing and organising the finishing touches.

​Why did you apply to be on Scotland’s Home of the Year? I just love the show and that it celebrates all types of different houses and styles.

When I applied, Brian was a bit more unsure but I was very keen. I think my decorating style did take a bit of getting used to, for him, but now he loves being in a colourful and interesting house.

Our daughters, Rosie and Olive, are really excited about the show, as they have been when the house has featured in magazines.

In terms of recording the programme, sometimes I start a project and then don’t finish it before starting another, so to get everything ready for filming was a mad rush. So for me, having a deadline meant that I really had to tie up all those loose ends.

The Pink House will be one of the three contenders from the East of Scotland to feature on this week’s Scotland’s Home of the Year, on BBC One Scotland on Monday 3 June at 8.30pm.