Maida Vale
A Boutique Short-Let Refurbishment
The Brief
Ready to let
- Location
- Maida Vale, London
- Property
- Two-bed, two-bath apartment
- Size
- 887 sq ft · 82 sq m
- Scope
- Full refurbishment · short-let
- Budget
- ≈ £40,000
- Year
- 2019
A dated two-bedroom apartment in Maida Vale — honey-oak kitchen, tired white-tiled bathrooms and a corner shower squeezed into an awkward pocket — destined to become a boutique short-let.
The brief was a hotel-quality feel on a tight budget: a home that would photograph beautifully, welcome guests instantly and stand up to the wear of constant turnover.
The strategy was disciplined — keep and refine what was already good, spend where guests would feel it most, and let a confident, dark-and-warm palette do the heavy lifting.
The Approach
Luxury on a budget
Four decisions delivered a premium short-let without a premium spend — reusing quality, relocating where it counted and finishing with materials that punch above their price.
Floors kept, not replaced
Rather than rip out the existing floor, we sanded, recoloured and polished it — a richer, warmer tone at a fraction of the cost, with none of the waste.
The shower, repositioned
The cramped corner shower moved to run along the wall, lined in black marble herringbone for a generous, walk-in experience.
Reuse with intent
The original bathtub and a salvaged marble sink were kept and reframed, paired with a 3D-effect marble mosaic that ties the family bathroom together.
A smarter kitchen
Redesigned around the way guests cook — microwave and fridge integrated in, grey shaker units and a warm timber worktop keeping it calm and durable.
The Work
Before & after
From dated and dark to warm and hotel-like — reimagined room by room, keeping what worked and reinventing what didn't.
The Work
Before & after
The family bathroom and the living space — where reused pieces and a recoloured floor did the quiet, cost-saving work.
The Result
Hotel feel, tight budget
A tired two-bed became a boutique short-let with a genuine hotel feel — a warm living room, a smarter kitchen and two bathrooms that read as far more expensive than they were.
Keeping the floor, the bathtub and the marble sink freed the budget for the moments guests notice: the black marble herringbone shower, the 3D marble mosaic and integrated appliances that keep every surface calm.
Delivered for around £40,000 — proof that a considered, reuse-first approach can look every bit as luxurious as a full strip-out.
"Keep what's good, spend where it shows — that's how a budget starts to feel like luxury."Ana Trofin — Founder