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Quiet Beauty in Edinburgh: At Home and Work with Nina Plummer

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Quiet Beauty in Edinburgh: At Home and Work with Nina Plummer

March 18, 2020

When Nina and Craig Plummer left London for Edinburgh, they came seeking soulful living. The two met as psychology students at Dundee University and they take an analytical approach to interiors and the feelings rooms impart. Self-taught design aficionados, they share a love of antiques, quiet spaces, and applying care and intention to their quarters: “We like to think that if we use our values to shape our homes, our homes will, in turn, shape the life that unfolds within them,” says Nina. Together they founded Ingredients LDN, a quietly beautiful online interiors store that “celebrates a slower pace.”

Their apartment on the drawing room floor of a Grade A-listed Georgian townhouse in Edinburgh’s New Town serves as their combination living quarters, work studio, showroom, and entertainment space. As such, it continually gets shifted around and restyled to telegraph what Ingredients LDN is all about. The couple spent months restoring the rooms to their original magnificence doing much of the labor themselves, from the wallpaper removal to the replastering and limewashing, including on the 14-foot ceilings. And they say it’s still coming together. Craig works in finance by day and Nina mans the shop. We were so intrigued by the vignettes she creates and photographs for their site that we asked her to show us around the flat and to fill us in on the behind-the-scenes story.

Photography by Nina Plummer for Ingredients LDN. Note that since this was published, the shop has a new Edinburgh showroom and name: it’s now Ellei Home.

in the \1960s, the townhouse was divided into four apartments. theirs came with 17
Above: In the 1960s, the townhouse was divided into four apartments. Theirs came with many original features intact but in need of care and restoration: an enormous number of details went into making the space look the way it does now. For instance, the windows were “brought  back to their original six-by-six astragals” and the damaged and largely missing floor was replaced by wide oak boards finished in a hard wax oil.

Shown here, the Danish classic OGK Safari Daybed cushioned with Kapok Mattresses made in West Africa of hand-woven cotton stuffed with silky kapok fibers (note that goods often sell out on ILDN and get replenished). The Carron cast-iron radiator is new and took many hands to lug up the stairs.

the same corner becomes the dining area when nina and craig are expecting frien 18
Above: The same corner becomes the dining area when Nina and Craig are expecting friends for a meal—or Nina is shooting tabletop items. The set of antique bentwood chairs were purchased for “no more than £5 each”: Nina finds antiques by meticulously shopping online sources, such as UK auction consortium The Sale Room, classified ads site Gumtree, and “a huge list of independent antiques sellers whose style I like.”

The fireplace had been walled in: the Georgian Carrara marble mantel is newly added as is the plastered brick surround and hearth. The bamboo and silk hanging light is the Z11 by Ay Illuminate: “I adore their lamps and their values,” says Nina. “They work only with natural materials and are mindful of ethical and sustainable practices, so I used them in almost every room.”

during the several months nina and craig were awaiting building permits, they l 19
Above: During the several months Nina and Craig were awaiting building permits, they lived in the apartment with just a sofa and a mattress on the floor. Decotique’s Le Grand Air design shown here came with its linen slipcover; it showcases Kirsten Hecktermann’s hand-dyed Velvet Jewel Cushion Covers, a longstanding Remodelista favorite made in custom colors for Ingredients LDN.

The limewashed walls are in Stone from Bauwerk of Australia. (For the lowdown on limewashing, see Limewashed Walls for Modern Times.)

the double doors that open to the kitchen were built by the couple&#8\2\17; 20
Above: The double doors that open to the kitchen were built by the couple’s carpenter who modeled them after the traditional Georgian pattern on the interior shutters. The brass handle and plates were “the only pieces of original hardware left in the house.”
the couple knocked down the walls of what had been a tiny unheated kitchen and  21
Above: The couple knocked down the walls of what had been a tiny unheated kitchen and windowless bath to create space for deVol’s Sebastian Cox kitchen. The cabinet fronts are band-sawn beech in varying widths and the counter is honed Cararra marble. The range is by Smeg.
the bridge faucet is devol&#8\2\17;s aged brass ionian tap. the peg rail, s 22
Above: The bridge faucet is deVol’s Aged Brass Ionian Tap. The peg rail, sourced from a small British maker on Etsy, is handy for hanging all sorts of things, including Handwoven Trivets and Cloth Bowl Covers.
at nina&#8\2\17;s request, the devol team designed an island on castors, so 23
Above: At Nina’s request, the deVol team designed an island on castors, so that it can be rolled out of the way as needed. The porcelain light is deVol’s Crackle Pendant hung from a vintage French pulley bought on eBay. The blonde Maple Cutting Boards in the back corner are by Josh Vogel of Kingston, New York’s, Black Creek Mercantile.
nina&#8\2\17;s stock comes from far and wide: the stoneware mixing pouring  24
Above: Nina’s stock comes from far and wide: the stoneware Mixing Pouring Bowl is by Sheldon Ceramics of Los Angeles and the Small Bowl and Spoon are from Notary Ceramics of Portland, Oregon. She and Craig are avid cooks—they keep supplies and equipment in a tall cabinet and utility room/pantry opposite the island (but not visible in these photos).
a cafe table and window seat. the couple finished the kitchen walls with waterp 25
Above: A cafe table and window seat. The couple finished the kitchen walls with waterproof Marmorino Venetian plaster (see Modern Plaster Walls, Six Ways).
an antique french bread cupboard &#8\2\20;complete with original knife mark 26
Above: An antique French bread cupboard “complete with original knife marks” stands alongside the Smeg fridge. The stacked Fluted Soup Bowls are by Judy Jackson of NYC; the gray Tallow Candle is a Dutch design. The brass hanging rail and hooks are from deVol.
kapok bedrolls and kirsten hecktermann pillows on the ogk safari daybed, d 27
Above: Kapok bedrolls and Kirsten Hecktermann pillows on the OGK Safari Daybed, designed in 1962 by Danish architect Ole Gjerlov-Knudsen when his son was going on a camping trip. (It’s available in the US from Nordic Design Ambassador/Model Camilla Vest.)

Nina hope to eventually rent a work space, but says “in the meantime, our business and our lives are incredibly intertwined and our home was designed to meet both needs.”

the master bedroom is cloaked in libeco belgian linen. suspended from hooks, th 28
Above: The master bedroom is cloaked in Libeco Belgian Linen. Suspended from hooks, the bedside porcelain hanging lights, also seen in the kitchen, are by deVol. The bed is from Gervasoni’s Ghost collection by Paola Navone.
like the living room, the walls are limewashed in a warm neutral called stone.  29
Above: Like the living room, the walls are limewashed in a warm neutral called Stone. “The process is easy and very forgiving,” says Nina. “The effect achieved depends on the brushstrokes you use: you can get an almost solid color or more of a plaster look.”
the couple converted a bedroom into the master bath. the new roll top bathtub w 30
Above: The couple converted a bedroom into the master bath. The new roll-top bathtub was purchased from C.P. Hart and painted Farrow & Ball’s Off Black. The brass shower and faucets are a customized Barber Wilson ensemble. The ledge provides open storage and conceals the plumbing for this bathroom and the one on the other side of the wall.
the second bedroom is used as a guest room and office. it&#8\2\17;s shown h 31
Above: The second bedroom is used as a guest room and office. It’s shown here when it was a work in progress, with moody stripped walls and a stained green plastic carpet that in desperation Nina “flipped upside down to reveal a sort of burlap that worked quite well for the time being.”

See more of Nina’s tabletop inspirations in Fresh Starts, Morning Edition.

Three more combined work/live spaces:

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