Colour My Home With… Milly Kenny-Ryder

Milly Kenny-Ryder is a London-based freelance travel writer and photographer. She edits www.thoroughlymodernmilly.com and produces travel guides through her company, Weekend Journals. You'll find her on Instagram at @millykr and @weekendjournals.

Home is…

London, and Tooting specifically. I grew up in West London and still feel rooted there, but my husband and I moved south six years ago. We bought our current place, an Edwardian terraced house in Tooting, almost a year ago, then spent nine months on intensive building and renovation work. Doing it through Covid was a real test, but that only makes it sweeter now we've finally settled in.

Where does your love of colour come from, and are there palettes you gravitate towards?

I grew up among eccentric artists, and the family home was an eclectic swirl of colour, art and antiques. I can appreciate the beauty of pared-back, subtle schemes, especially in the hotels I stay in for work, but at home I need colour and pattern around me.

How did you approach the different colour schemes during your renovation?

It was hard, and I was hopelessly indecisive. Mylands has so many wonderful colours that I kept changing my mind. In our old flat I think we went a little too bold, not quite anticipating how intense the colours would read across a whole room. So this time I wanted memorable shades that weren't too wild.

We have a lot of wallpaper in the house, so I aimed to draw colours from the tones in those papers. I also wanted to respect the era the house was built in, honouring the original features we were lucky to inherit. In the bathroom we chose two lovely Mylands blues, Morning Blue and Walpole, instead of pairing blue with white woodwork, and it's one of my favourite decisions. The gentle clash makes the room feel more stylish.

Pink is my absolute favourite, which is why I picked Palmerston Pink for the kitchen. Set against a classic deVOL kitchen and charming reclaimed hexagonal terracotta tiles from Maitland & Poate, it conjures memories of my grandmother's Provençal farmhouse. The hallway is our most restrained choice, a warm grey called Honest John, which will always remind me of my late, much-loved grandfather, John.

How did you first come across Mylands?

I'd heard murmurings about Mylands from several people, my mother among them, who works as a painting restorer and knows paint inside out. I love that Mylands is understated in reputation yet unmatched in quality, and it meant a great deal that it's all made locally in South London.

Your interiors are bold and original. Where does your inspiration come from?

From all sorts of places. The simplest answer is my parents and my childhood home. But the more I travel for work, the more I notice how a hotel, market, restaurant or shop abroad can spark a wallpaper, a colour or a material.

Now the renovation's done, what's next for Milly KR?

Even with the main work finished, there are plenty of decisions left, especially around furniture and our very unruly garden, so we're chipping away at those. Over the coming months I'll be working with a few brands who want to use my home as a backdrop for shoots and content, and I'm hoping to start a new guidebook soon, Covid permitting.

Any hard-won tips for decorating or renovating?

Stay flexible and realistic. Renovation and decorating always throw up surprises, so expect them and you'll spare yourself the disappointment. I'm trying to be more disciplined about the furniture and decor I buy to avoid a muddled look, having learned the hard way that mid-century furniture doesn't sit well with Edwardian wallpaper.