Houseboat Refurbishment

More About this Houseboat Interior Design on the River Thames: A Calm, Contemporary Floating Home

Decorbuddi designer Ann Jackman has lived aboard her beautiful River Thames houseboat since 2008, when she transitioned from a corporate leadership career to interior design full-time. Her floating home has since become both a personal sanctuary and an inspiring showcase of how thoughtful houseboat interior design can transform compact living into something elegant, functional and deeply characterful.

Over the years, Ann has redesigned and refined every element of her home, applying the same creative approach she now brings to clients across London and beyond. Her boat demonstrates perfectly what is possible when intelligent space planning, bespoke joinery and a strong design vision come together.

Designing a Home on the Water: Calm Colours & Clever Spatial Thinking

Living on a boat is an entirely different experience from living in a traditional property. The footprint is narrow, the ceilings curve, and storage must be considered with extraordinary care. Ann began her redesign with a clear intention: to create a peaceful, natural interior that feels spacious, uplifting and connected to the river views outside.

She developed a palette of soft blues, gentle greens and warm neutrals. While many houseboats rely on full-height timber cladding, Ann chose to limit the wood to the lower walls only. This instantly opened up the space, reducing visual weight and introducing a contemporary, light-filled feel.

This sensitivity to proportion and light is one of the reasons Decorbuddi is increasingly sought after for luxury houseboat renovations - including for well-known and celebrity clients who value a discreet, design-led service.

A Fully Equipped Kitchen Designed for Real Living

Houseboats often compromise on the kitchen, defaulting to a narrow galley with limited appliances. Ann chose the opposite approach. Her kitchen replicates the functionality of a well-designed apartment, with generous countertop space, modern appliances and clever detailing that ensures nothing feels cramped.

By relocating the washing machine to an unobtrusive cupboard at the opposite end of the boat, she freed the kitchen from unnecessary noise and clutter. This is a hallmark of great floating home design: understanding how to distribute tasks and storage to keep the main living spaces calm and comfortable.

Bespoke Joinery: Maximising Every Centimetre of Houseboat Storage

Space efficiency is everything on a boat, and Ann’s storage solutions are a masterclass in specialist houseboat design. Working with an experienced marine joiner, she created an integrated run of cupboards and shelving stretching the full length of the interior, balancing open display with hidden organisation.

Even the steps at both the bow and stern contain concealed compartments. Drawers are tucked beneath built-in seating, and every joinery decision ensures that storage feels abundant without overwhelming the space. This kind of precision is essential in houseboat refurbishments, where conventional furniture rarely fits correctly and bespoke design becomes the key to comfortable long-term living.

Flexible Living & Entertaining: Designed for Real Life on the River

Ann’s open-plan layout transforms the boat into a genuinely social space - a rarity on narrowboats and floating homes. One of her most ingenious design ideas is the height of the dining/work table. Set just below the level of the kitchen worksurface, the tabletop disappears from view when cooking, maintaining visual simplicity.

Yet it is the perfect height for both dining and working from home, allowing Ann to host friends, colleagues and clients with ease. The boat accommodates far more people than its footprint would suggest, thanks to smart circulation planning and furniture placement.

A Bedroom with Outstanding Storage & Sense of Sanctuary

The bedroom sits close to the entrance. Privacy was essential. Ann repurposed scrap material from the boatyard to design a simple yet effective screen that hides the bed from view when guests step onboard. Despite the limited floor area, she managed to incorporate two full-sized wardrobes, one containing nine beautifully organised drawers, a remarkable achievement in a compact floating home.

This room reflects everything Ann understands about houseboat interior design: thoughtful zoning, smart use of vertical space, and creating softness without sacrificing function.

Personal Touches & Textural Layers in the Shower Room

Even the smallest spaces on a boat hold opportunity for personality. Ann transformed the shower room with artwork, mirrors and accessories collected during her travels, including hand-sourced pieces from Nigeria. The black shower fittings introduce modern contrast while harmonising with the calming, earthy tones found throughout the rest of the interior.

Why Specialist Houseboat Interior Design Matters

Designing a floating home requires knowledge far beyond standard residential interiors. Weight distribution, humidity, access hatches, systems integration, bespoke joinery, ventilation and safety all influence design choices. It’s an environment where the details matter, and where the skills of an experienced houseboat interior designer make a measurable difference.

Ann’s own home has become a benchmark for many clients seeking:

• A characterful floating home on the River Thames

• A full houseboat renovation

• A luxury narrowboat or barge interior

• Beautiful bespoke joinery suitable for marine environments

• Sensitive design that enhances natural light and space

• Calm, minimalist or contemporary interiors adapted for boat living

Ann’s houseboat home proves just how comfortable and inspiring life on the water can be when expertly designed. We have since gone on to design multiple boats, from simple projects for first time boat owners to projects for multi-home owning celebrity clients, requiring absolute privacy and a sanctuary on the river.

Create Your Own Beautiful Houseboat Interior

Whether you are planning to refurbish a narrowboat, redesign a floating home, or commission a full luxury houseboat renovation, we have the specialist knowledge required to transform compact spaces into exceptional places to live.

From layout optimisation to joinery design, from material selection to complete turnkey project implementation, we guide clients through every stage - delivering beautiful, efficient and deeply personal homes on the water.

If you are dreaming of creating your own houseboat interior that feels calm, characterful and intelligently designed, we would love to help.