British artist Emily Powell has transformed her five-bedroom terraced home in Brixham, Devon, into a complete work of art and is now selling it for £2 million. The 35-year-old painted every surface across 400 square metres over two floors, covering everything from light switches and floorboards to bath tiles and even the fridge.
The sale includes the entire property plus 65 additional artworks Powell created over the past decade and 20 pieces of painted furniture. Powell declared the project "finished" and wants to preserve this chapter of her work while starting fresh. «We've chosen to put it on the market because it's really important to me that this entire chapter is preserved», she explained. «I don't want to paint over what's already here, I need to start a new chapter.»
International interest in open-house tours
Open-house tours scheduled for this week sold out within 24 hours, with over 500 people joining a waiting list. Visitors from the United States and Europe are expected to attend. The kitchen will serve as a tea room with cake from Devon company High Tide Tea.
The property's artistic elements are deeply personal. Each room features color palettes designed to evoke specific emotions. The hallway displays fishing boats along skirting boards, while a cupboard under the stairs transforms into a painted swimming pool complete with a ladder. Birds fly throughout the house in memory of Powell's late father.
From rented flat to artistic masterpiece
Powell bought the house using funds from art sales over the previous decade. «It took us so long to be able to buy our first house, which was completely bought with painting money from my pieces over the past 10 years», she said. After years in rented accommodation, she began painting «a couple of weeks» after moving in.
«I think it was a couple of weeks before I decided to paint a tree on the back of the office door, then it grew really quickly», Powell recalled. Motherhood provided time in the evenings to create the extensive artwork. The entrance features a doormat with «an homage to Matisse and artists who painted still life pieces of the home».
Individual rooms carry distinct themes. The red lounge offers comfort with fireplace tiles containing family memories. The playroom features a circus theme with animals in party hats. Powell's young child's room displays giant tigers for protection. The upstairs hallway leading to the master bedroom showcases giant sunflowers, referencing her residency on the Isles of Scilly this summer.
Artist's lifetime commitment
Riccardo Carrelli of Chestertons, handling the sale, describes the collection as a «significant art investment at an early stage in the artist's career». He calls the property a «fusion» of art and real estate.
Powell views the sale as offering buyers «an entire capsule of art». She has pledged to return every ten years for the rest of her life to retouch the artwork, ensuring its preservation. The artist used five-litre tins of house paint and various brushes from a local hardware store to complete the project.
«When you live inside one giant painting, there are so many angles you have to consider and colour combinations that shift through doorways or up the stairs», Powell said. The artwork incorporates scenes from locations including the Arctic, Lake District, and Inner Hebrides of Scotland, making it «a journey through different parts of my life».
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
