BoConcept manager Lisa Davis reveals Scandinavian style in former forge By Heather MacLeod Published on Sunday 1 July 2012 11:49 A converted Renfrewshire forge makes a stylish family apartment WHEN Lisa and Stevie Davis decided to extend their flat in a converted Renfrewshire forge, they didn't just think outside the box, they thought inside too. By knocking through to the upstairs property and adding a staircase, the couple acquired two extra levels. "We bought the ground flat in 2000, but when our daughter Hannah, who is now six, arrived, we needed more space," explains Lisa, who is general manager of BoConcept's Glasgow store. The doctor who was living above us had to relocate and we were able to buy the upstairs flat. Now we have half the original house over three levels and as many bedrooms. Although we had to deconstruct to construct our much-loved home, we now have a space that works for all three of us. Choosing to do the extension themselves was daunting, despite Stevie being a painter and decorator. Lisa recalls work starting on a grim winter's morning when they knocked through the outside wall of their bedroom to create an on-street entrance. We were lying in bed with just some hardboard between us and the elements. When the staircase was going in and everything was being stripped back, Hannah and I moved out for a few weeks. Stevie was working from 7am until 4pm, then coming home and working on this place, but all his friends were fantastic, supplying tools and helping out. Stephen McNab, of McNab Home Improvements, installed the staircase and oversaw all the structural changes, as well as fitting the custom-made kitchen. It was fascinating to see the original construction; it's such a solid building. We uncovered the old kitchen wall with the utensil recesses and took it back to bare stone. The oval Anari dining table is from BoConcept and comes in stained black oak, while the 1960s-style bucket seat chairs are in sleek but child-friendly black leather. The couple worked to a strict budget, allocating a set amount of money for each room, while keeping a contingency budget for emergencies. Lisa oversees the design team at BoConcept. "Everyone can be a designer," she points out, "and we like to give people what they want, not what they think they should have. With my own home, I've mixed BoConcept pieces with existing furniture and accessories. In keeping with Scandinavian simplicity, the interior of the Old Forge is mainly painted off-white on grey. The Como sofa next to the log-burning stove in the living room is covered in charcoal grey fabric with a section in blue felt. Lisa's favourite room is the master bedroom as it is here she has her "bed of dreams" with a seven-star mattress. So many people invest in sofas or tables, but the thing that everyone uses and appreciates most is a good bed. This one is perfect in every way, like sleeping on a cloud. With all the fundamentals bedded in, Lisa and Stevie are enjoying putting their personalities back into what is almost a new home. Lisa says: "We wouldn't have been here without such trusting and wonderful friends and family. It's still a work in progress, but this is not a show home or for selling on. Everything we've done to this house works for us a family, as watching Hannah grow up is the most important part of being here." k BoConcept, 257 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow (0141-341 4920, www.boconcept.co.uk)