Designer Emily Pun Helped a Color-Shy Couple Step Out of Their Neutral Comfort Zone in This Character-Filled London Terraced Home

Renovating a property in 2026 isn't for the faint-hearted. Labor and material costs have never been so high, pinning down a decent build team can be tricky, and deciding on the finished look that actually reflects you — rather than your algorithm — requires a certain amount of conviction. Faced with spiraling build costs and serious decision fatigue, a London couple DM'd Emily Pun of Den on Instagram to ask if she could help them get their Balham build back on track and cast her creative eye over the finished look.

It didn't take long for Emily to whip the building team into shape, pin down color schemes and give the couple the reassurance they needed to create a modern home filled with personality.

With a baby on the way, the original three-bedroom terrace was expanded into a spacious four-bedroom family home, with a loft conversion and rear extension providing much-needed extra space to grow into. Once the structure was in place, it was down to Emily to bring in the warmth, ambience and personality — while encouraging the couple to make braver design decisions along the way.

The couple was already mid-build when they realized they were quickly getting out of their depth — and comfort zone. They reached out to Emily Pun to regain a sense of control over the project and, crucially, make some of those increasingly overwhelming design decisions.

"The main goal was to get the project in line and breathe some clarity and transparency into the process," explains Emily. "We're mindful of making sure that our clients never feel like the process is murky or too opaque. We make sure that everything is out in the open, and sometimes that requires clients to live in the discomfort of the gray areas. So we try to anticipate as much as possible."

When it came to the look of the house, however, the couple weren't starting from scratch. "They came to us with a very clear design aspiration," says Emily. "They, as everybody does, pinned a bunch of images on Pinterest, so they had done quite a significant amount of homework prior to coming to me."

The challenge was turning that inspiration into something that felt personal rather than prescribed. "She wanted the house to feel like them, not a Pinterest board," Emily adds.

While an intentionally neutral base brings a much-needed sense of calm, it's the layers of color and pattern that give the house its personality and make the space feel distinctly their own. Though getting the couple to venture beyond creamy, natural hues took some persuasion.

"The client really, really struggled with color," admits Emily. "She really wanted color, but couldn't visualize from a paint swatch or a sample how it would look in reality. The build was speeding ahead and time was not on our side, so there had to be a lot of trust in me understanding her vision."

Emily helped boost the couple's confidence, from smaller injections of color — like the red Nordic Knots rug in the living room — to braver, more permanent decisions elsewhere, like the bold kitchen island. "The biggest priority was making sure that the house felt unique to them," she adds.

The worktop became the centerpiece of the kitchen — and the starting point for its color palette. "We went to the stone yard together and looked at different quartzite samples," explains Emily. "The clients didn't want marble because of the upkeep and maintenance, so when we spotted this beautiful slab of Nacorado quartzite, it really hit the brief."

There was another contender. "We were torn between it and a jade green slab, but the client thought there was already too much green popping up in the house," says Emily. Instead, the warm rusty-red tones running through the Nacorado informed the kitchen cabinetry, helping to shape the rich, earthy color scheme around it.

The utility room provided an opportunity to have a little more fun. "I pushed the clients to be a bit bolder in here, so we went with glossy cabinet fronts, and I insisted on wallpaper," says Emily. "It elevates a very practical, utilitarian space into somewhere that gives you a little serotonin boost when you walk into it — somewhere that doesn't feel quite so dreadful to do chores."

It's also a perfect example of the high-low approach that runs throughout the house. "We wanted the wallpaper to add a bit of fun and make the room feel more layered," Emily explains. "This is somewhere we made some savings, using a Dulux lime green paint and an inexpensive peel-and-stick wallpaper."

Where they didn't scrimp was on the joinery. Beautifully made but resolutely practical, it conceals a stacked washer and dryer, shelving, a pull-out clothes rail and dedicated storage for the ironing board and vacuum, while the sink provides somewhere to soak shirts. Proof that even the hardest-working room in the house can pack in the personality.

The tiling and stair runner in the entryway were another opportunity to bring in some personality. "The client didn't want traditional reclaimed Victorian tiles; she wanted something that felt a little more fun," explains Emily of the Quorn Stone design.

But the choice was about more than pattern alone. "The view from the entrance through to the kitchen — and then back toward the front door—was really important to her," says Emily. "The whole arrival experience was very intentional, right down to the material choices." The patterned floor helps connect those spaces, creating a strong first impression while setting the more playful tone that continues throughout the house.

Rather than simply presenting clients with a finished scheme, Emily prefers to work through color samples and fabric swatches together in person, encouraging them to notice the shades and textures they instinctively gravitate towards before refining the palette from there.

"She was unknowingly choosing a lot of green at the time — her favorite color is definitely green," laughs Emily. "It wasn't until the house was finished that she realized quite how much of it there was."

In the bedroom, the client's one non-negotiable was a huge bespoke headboard — and she wanted it to be as plush as possible. "It feels very elevated and very different without it feeling too kitsch," says Emily.

Rather than relying on one statement piece to do all the work, the room is made up of smaller, carefully considered design gestures. "When you zoom into certain corners, everything feels very intentional," explains Emily. "Nothing is too overt or fighting with anything else. When it all comes together, it feels harmonious."

Ultimately, Emily's advice for creating a home that feels like your own is simple: trust yourself. "That's not to say you won't make mistakes — we're human, and mistakes are part of the process," she says. "But trust the decisions you make and the things you instinctively love. I think it's better to live in a space of knowing rather than wondering, 'what if I'd chosen that wallpaper?'"

And perhaps that's the real lesson from this home: sometimes the best design decisions are the ones that require a little courage.

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