Homes should reflect the personality, interests and eccentricities of their owners, shouldn’t they? What if that means a house filled with 18 pets – ranging from chickens to rabbits, kittens to poodles – individually-themed rooms that encompass gold swan taps and shell-covered fireplaces; and a riotous mashup of vintage furniture, patterned wallpaper and red-and-white painted floors? Yes, even then, we say. Welcome to the wonderfully weird home of musician, stylist and interiors specialist Whinnie Williams – take a tour of her home here.

When Whinnie and her fiancé, Tom Dream, a music video director, bought their place in Margate, they had the task of unifying and redecorating a series of flats that were divided up from a Victorian house in the 1980s into a single, five-bedroom home. Their inspiration for the redesign? During a trip to Venice, they stumbled upon an old hair salon decked out with terrazzo floors and brass detailing, and seeing it meant “everything clicked into place”, says Whinnie. And so began an overhaul more akin to building a movie set than a standard home interior – perhaps not surprising given Whinnie’s background in set design.

The resulting spaces are a testament to Whinnie’s original taste, DIY spirit and eye for a bargain, with many pieces for the house either of her own making, like the graphic black-and-white artwork in the living room (which was made with an old mop) or found trawling auction houses and eBay – ‘old chair’ being one of Whinnie’s favourite searches. More recently, Whinnie has launched her own interiors brand, Poodle & Blonde, for which she collaborates with Kierra Campbell to bring her signature style to a range of wallpapers, soft furnishings and even a kettle and toaster set. Watch our film with Whinnie to hear her reflect on why her house is the perfect canvas for her creativity, what she likes about living in community-focused Margate and why her house has come to be known as the heartbreak hotel among her friends.