Interior design ideas: forever 50s - in pictures

Dave McGowan was unimpressed when he first set eyes on the Glasgow tenement flat that is now the home he shares with his wife, Laura Spring. “It wasn’t just the mint-green bedroom carpet,” Spring says. “It was the hallway with its false ceiling and homemade cupboard, the magnolia walls and the laminate flooring.” The sofa is Habitat's Ella design. Photograph: Robert Ormerod

Spring, 34 – founder of an eponymous textiles company – had a little more foresight. “I could see beyond all that. I loved the large kitchen: I wanted one spacious enough to relax in. And it’s on the top floor, facing west, with big, high-ceilinged rooms full of light. We already knew people in the area and liked its vibrant cultural mix,” says Spring, who has loved Glasgow since she moved to the city in 1999 to attend the School of Art. The green Ernest pouffe is by Donna Wilson, from SCP. Photograph: Robert Ormerod

McGowan practises his music in the living room, so the couple retained the laminate flooring as soundproofing. Spring painted the walls in Melon Sorbet by Dulux. Photograph: Robert Ormerod

As for that bedroom carpet, “we ripped it up and discovered a wood floor and beautiful turquoise tiles where the fireplace once stood”, she adds. Another nice surprise was an alcove behind a false wall: “We pulled it down and found a set of shelves.” Photograph: Robert Ormerod

Once they had restored the flat’s original features, the couple felt free to make their mark. Both are fans of the 1950s. “Most of our chairs are rescued from the street, we have a 50s rocket lamp found in the rubbish and most of our picture frames are from charity shops. We also swap items with artist friends.” The chair and footstool, above, are from Ikea. Photograph: Robert Ormerod

McGowan is a die-hard Columbo fan, and a signed print of actor Peter Falk hangs proudly in the bathroom. Photograph: Robert Ormerod

When the bathroom sprang a leak onto the neighbour below, Spring and McGowan took the opportunity to replace the tongue and groove panelling, and lay pink and white floor tiles. Photograph: Robert Ormerod

As Spring envisaged, the kitchen is now the hub of their home. “We don’t have wall units in there, just lots of artwork and objects, so it feels like a proper room. My mum comes round and says she couldn’t cope with so much stuff, but to us it exudes our personalities.” The chairs were salvaged from neighbours’ street rubbish and covered in Spring’s own fabrics. Photograph: Robert Ormerod