We pay £884 per month to live in our colourful Liverpool four-bed family home

Welcome back to What I Rent – Metro’s tenant diary series exploring what renting is like in the UK and further afield.

Artist Laura Hall, 41, has always channelled her creativity into the spaces around her.

Even as a child, she’d rearrange the furniture in her bedroom, and insist on fanciful colour schemes.

There are bright pillows everywhere, bold patterns on the walls — and there’s no such thing as too much colour.

Here’s what Laura had to say about her property journey…
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Tell us about yourself!

I’m a 41-year-old from Liverpool.

I live with my husband Graham and our two children Ben and Rory, along with two cats, Betty and Peggy, and a very grumpy gecko called Ian.

I currently work part-time as a finance manager for a theatre company, alongside running my own business as an interior design content creator.

I’m also a trustee of two amazing organisations, Homotopia, the UK’s longest-running queer arts festival, and TipTray, an incredible theatre company dedicated to the development of disabled and emerging artists.

Whereabouts is your property?

My four-bedroom 1930s ex-council house is in a suburb of Liverpool called Woolton Village.

It’s regularly named in rankings for the best places to live in the UK, and I feel very lucky to live somewhere that has a village feel but is also part of a city.

It’s the best of both worlds.

When did you move in?

October 2015.

How much does your property cost?

£140,000.

We haven’t had it valued for a while, but I think it’s worth between £385,000 and £400,000 now.

How much was your deposit?

What is the monthly cost of living here now, both mortgage and bills?

Around £1,600.

That enabled us to put down a 10% deposit for this place, and then we had a bit left to start doing it up.

We’ve got one year left of a five-year fixed term.

Luckily, we remortgaged the month before interest rates rose, so we’re on a 1.94% deal.

It’s £884 per month.

I’m not looking forward to remortgaging next year.

What made you choose this property?

We wanted more space and to start a family.

This house needed a lot of work, but it was in an amazing location and had so much potential.

It was on the market for more than a year before we viewed it.

In 2020, we remodelled downstairs and extended the back to create two living rooms and the open-plan kitchen-diner, as well as the downstairs loo and utility room.

We added an attic conversion with an ensuite in 2022.

Decorating-wise, I tend to start with a wall and build a scheme around that.

I don’t follow traditional colour psychology rules; I just do what feels right.

I have synesthesia, which means the brain processes sensory information through the senses.

It can involve things like tasting words or linking colours to numbers and letters.

So for me, everything has to have a colour.

That’s why I find decorating easy.

I have a really visual imagination, and I can immediately walk into a room and see how I want it to be.

Mood boards and plans aren’t really my thing, so my husband has to be patient.

I’ve done furniture upcycles and painted lampshades.

My ADHD means I don’t look up instructions, so it’s a bit chaotic, but I see things online, collect the info, and just give it a go.

My motto is: you can paint over it.

What’s your favourite room and why?

Do you feel like you have enough space?

I’d love slightly larger rooms and higher ceilings, but I think we’re pretty lucky to have the number of rooms we have, particularly two living rooms.

Do you have plans to change the property?

The garden is the last space we really need to deal with, having completely renovated the inside, including adding an extension and a loft conversion.

I’d also love to add a proper driveway at some point.

Are there any problems with the property that you have to deal with?

We fixed a multitude of problems as we renovated it, including damp, bad wiring, and floors that hadn’t been laid properly.

At the time, the house absolutely stank of nicotine, so the first thing we did was rip up every carpet and take down every curtain.

The road outside is also very busy, which is my least favourite aspect of the house.

Go and see as many as you can, and don’t be afraid to take on a project.

Last chance to enter the 2026 Ufurnish Awards

Last year, Laura Hall was a finalist for the Best Interior Instagram category.

This year, the category has been rebranded to Best Interior Content Creator, and is being sponsored by Cox & Cox.

What are your plans for the future, in terms of housing?

Do you plan to stay here long-term?

I think we’ll be here for a few more years yet, although I would like to move to a quieter street.

While the kids are young, it makes sense for us to stay here.

Long-term, we’d love to move somewhere more rural.

My ultimate dream would be a country house.

Shall we take a look around?

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.