This Last One Laughing contestant's home is a celebration of vibrant shades: ‘It needed colour and soul – mission complete!’

If it’s taken three years to find the right house, why wait any longer to enjoy living in it?

That’s the question Gbemisola Ikumelo, two-time BAFTA winner who recently appeared on Season 2 of Last One Laughing and the latest series of Would I Lie to You, asked when she finally bought her four-bedroom, mid-terrace Victorian house in East London last year.

Gbemisola's story

Keen to move from the small, one-bedroom London flat she loved but had outgrown, Gbemisola began her search in the Midlands, but when she couldn’t find anything that was quite right, she switched her focus back to the capital.

‘Of course, I quickly realised my Midlands budget wasn’t going to work!’ she laughs. ‘So I slowly started to save, and I found three or four properties I liked, but everything that could go wrong did, and I lost out every time.’

Welcome to my home

A bit about me

I’m Gbemisola Ikumelo, 39, @gbemisola_ikumelo on Instagram, an actor, comedian, writer, director and producer.

Where I live

My home is a four-bedroom Victorian mid-terrace in East London that I bought in 2025.

What I wanted to change

The house felt so stark because everything was black, white and grey. It was in beautiful condition but had no soul, and all the storage had been removed.

How I made it my own

I worked with My Bespoke Room (@mybespokeroom), an interior design service, to inject colour and personality into every room and add as much clever storage as possible.

My favourite part

It’s a close call between the kitchen and the living room, and it depends on the season. I love the kitchen in the summer, and the living room is so cosy in the winter.

Reality check

Just as she was reaching the point of giving up, she saw this house for sale and arranged a viewing, albeit with very low expectations. As it turned out, she knew it was the one as soon as she walked in. She put in an offer, and happily the sale went through without a hitch. ‘It was so smooth that it made me realise all the others fell through for a reason, because this was meant to be mine,’ Gbemisola smiles.

Although the house had been renovated by the previous owners and was in excellent condition, Gbemisola couldn’t wait to restore the character and soul that had been lost. Injecting lots of colour and creating plenty of practical storage were her top priorities. ‘I had a vision for what I wanted to achieve, and I wanted it done in three to four months,’ she explains. ‘It took so long to find the house of my dreams and the sooner I could enjoy it, the better!’

With a very busy schedule, and little more than a bed and sofa to her name, Gbemisola was understandably daunted by the prospect of redesigning and furnishing an entire house on her own.

Having decided that working with an interior designer was the way forward, she quickly discovered the costs involved far exceeded her budget – until she found My Bespoke Room, a fixed-fee online interior design service. ‘The costs were so much lower than all the others and it felt a bit too good to be true to be honest,’ she admits. ‘But I really liked what I saw of their work and decided it wouldn’t hurt to have a free consultation.’

Perfect match

Armed with a wishlist that included a green kitchen, built-in storage, and an inspiring office space, Gbemisola met with My Bespoke Room’s head of design, Milena Vallier, who took her ideas and brought them to life. ‘When I got the designs back, I thought, wow, she’s inside my head,’ smiles Gbemisola. ‘Milena interpreted my ideas and elevated them even more, and I was so excited to work with her.’

Gbemisola had her heart set on a green kitchen and with Milena’s expert input, this evolved to include blush pink and mustard yellow, which became the colour palette for the whole project. ‘We didn’t want to move from one monochromatic scheme to another, all-green one, so we narrowed down all the colours Gbemisola loves and settled on a streamlined palette,’ explains Milena. ‘We used the three colours in different proportions in each room, so the whole house feels cohesive, but at the same time each room has its own individuality.’

‘I was obsessed with having a green kitchen but when Milena suggested pink, it really unlocked something for me,’ adds Gbemisola. ‘That small suggestion was the beginning and I thought, this is someone who’s listening to the things I want but also steering me in an exciting direction.’

Dream team

Work began in Gbemisola’s bedroom and was completed in time for her move into the house. ‘I had a deadline to move out of my flat and wanted a finished room I could live in while the rest of the work continued,’ she explains.

‘I didn’t really want to be involved in the day-to-day project management, but I couldn’t help getting drawn into it. I’m glad I was part of the journey and there to see the transformation as it happened.’

It was very much a collaborative effort. Gbemisola and Milena had regular online meetings, and Milena was on hand to resolve any issues as they occurred. As the makeover progressed, Gbemisola realised there were changes she wanted to make, such as adding bedside lights and using different light switches.

‘I’d have epiphanies along the way,’ remembers Gbemisola. ‘I didn’t like the light switches because they spoiled the wallpaper, so Milena suggested using clear ones instead, which I didn’t even know you could get.’

With her demanding schedule and work commitments, Gbemisola also appreciated the ease and convenience of ordering everything she needed through My Bespoke Room’s shopping department. ‘I could put everything from multiple suppliers into one basket and just leave them there until we were ready,’ she shares. ‘The team also helped with planning the delivery schedule based on what would be needed when.’

Gbemisola’s vibrant new home is the perfect match for her bright personality, and Milena is as thrilled with the end result as Gbemisola is. ‘Every time a new room was finished, it became my favourite for the next week!’ Gbemisola laughs. ‘I needed to make the house work for me as a creative, and together we’ve definitely achieved that.’

Kitchen

‘I couldn’t wait to get rid of the grey and was so sure the kitchen should be all green, but when Milena suggested adding pink to the island, it was a lightbulb moment and I realised there were other colours!’ laughs Gbemisola.

‘I’m not a pink person at all, not that you’d think that looking at my house now!’ reflects Gbemisola. ‘I love how the colour scheme evolved with Milena’s input’ - My Bespoke Room

‘I sent Milena a huge document full of notes, ideas and images, and she turned that into a design that’s so perfectly me,’ says Gbemisola - My Bespoke Room

Living-dining area

‘The brick pillar is structural, so we had to work around it,’ explains Milena. ‘Rather than try to make it disappear, we made a feature of it and designed the layout so that it zones the kitchen and dining areas of the open-plan space. It was a bit of a challenge, but I really enjoyed it.’

The space-saving Yain dining table from Kave Home can be extended to seat eight for dinner parties, and the Serena dining bench from Danetti brings in another shade of green - My Bespoke Room

The open-plan space flows and feels connected, and is ideal for entertaining. The Izzy chaise sofa in Amber from Sofa.com makes a bold statement in the light-filled living area, while exposed brick walls add texture to the space - My Bespoke Room

Living room

‘This is my favourite room in the winter, it’s so beautiful and cosy,’ says Gbemisola. ‘I wanted something a bit theatrical and loved the idea of wallpapering the ceiling. I adore sitting in the egg chair from The Rattan Company and looking up at the gorgeous flowers. I’ve filled the space with all my plants too, so I call it the botanical room.’

‘Graham & Brown’s Florenzia Terrazzo wallpaper looks stunning on the ceiling in here,’ says Milena. ‘It’s completely different, draws the eye up, and it’s like entering a different world’ - My Bespoke Room

Office

‘As well as being where I live, this is also where I spend a lot of time working so it was important to me to repurpose some of the space,’ Gbemisola explains. ‘I didn’t want to be staring at the walls in a small box room, so I claimed the large living room as my office. It’s glorious!’ The Hyde Oak veneer storage pedestal desk from Next is positioned in the window so that she can enjoy the view.

‘I needed to make the house work for me as a creative,’ says Gbemisola, who won a BAFTA in 2020 for her short film, Brain in Gear, and in 2024 for Best Female Performance in a Comedy Programme for her role in Black Ops. ‘I can create and walk around and talk to myself in here, there’s so much space to do that’ - My Bespoke Room

Hallway

‘This piece of art is the manifesto of the house that sets the tone immediately,’ says Gbemisola of the showstopping I Am Who I Am artwork by Caroline Chinakwe in the hallway.

Main bedroom

‘This is such a big room and knowing where to start with the layout was overwhelming,’ says Gbemisola. Milena and the design team positioned the bed so that Gbemisola wouldn’t bump her head on the eaves, and maximised the room’s incredible natural light.

A Hollywood-style mirror paired with the white Danetti dressing table creates a glamorous corner for getting ready - My Bespoke Room

‘There was no storage at all, which seemed bizarre for a four-bedroom house, so adding as much as possible was a top priority,’ Gbemisola says - My Bespoke Room

The My Bespoke Room design team found Eva Sonaike’s striking African-inspired Idunu wallpaper, which was originally intended as a feature wall. Gbemisola loved it so much that it evolved to include the adjacent wall with a custom stool upholstered to match - My Bespoke Room

The eye-catching Sofia Doudine artwork from East End Prints ties in with the pink and yellow scheme while adding a complementary pop of electric blue - My Bespoke Room

Cloakroom

Gbemisola chose the fun Take The Biscuit wallpaper by Lust Home for the top half of the walls, with panelling painted in COAT’s Ditch the Tie underneath. The grey cabinet was wrapped in bright pink vinyl for a vibrant update, finished with a new bobbin handle from Plank Hardware.

The fixtures and fittings were already in place and are in keeping with the Victorian character of the house - My Bespoke Room

Main bathroom

This black-and-white space felt cold and stark but has been transformed with colourful accessories and artwork. The Stardust hot pink blind is from Blinds Direct and the walls are painted in COAT’s Ciao Sofia.

‘I’ve added lots of plants in here, too. They inject another hit of green and bring life to the space,’ says Gbemisola - My Bespoke Room

What I learned

Be open-minded. I wanted an all-green scheme but working with an interior designer opened my eyes to other options and gave me a new perspective.
There will be challenges but you overcome them. Finding solutions to problems actually felt quite exciting, and in hindsight some of the challenges were the best parts!
Make it work for you. Designing my home to meet my own needs, rather than sticking to a more ‘typical’ room layout, was the best thing I did.

How to work with an interior designer

Get the most out of the process and maximise the results, like Gbemisola:

Think about your non-negotiables before a first meeting. Have a clear idea of your budget and timeline, and make a list of your must-haves vs nice-to-haves.
Explain how you live, as well as how you want the finished project to look. Tell the designer if you hate clutter, have pets, kids, or work from home, as it will help them deliver on both aesthetics and functionality.
Collect examples of what you like and any particular features you want to replicate. You could also ask to see examples of projects they’ve worked on to see if their style matches your vision.
Remember it’s a collaboration and communication is key. Have ideas but be open-minded. After all, you’re paying for the designer’s input and expertise.
Make sure you understand how the designer charges and what’s included in the fee. My Bespoke Room offers a free 30-minute designer consultation and has flat-fee design packages from £195. A clear idea from the outset will avoid any unexpected charges along the way and ensure your budget stays on track.

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