Artist who hand-painted personalised artworks onto every surface in her home puts it on the market for £2million

A British artist who hand-painted over every surface in her house has put it on the market for £2 million.

Emily Powell’s five-bedroom property in Brixham, Devon, is adorned with floor-to-ceiling pieces which cover every fitting, including light switches, floorboards, bath tiles and even the fridge. 

There are around 400 square metres of deeply personal works, encompassing two floors, which flow together as one walk-in painting. 

Fishing boats bob along the skirting board in the hallway, the kitchen table is set with plates, cups and a teapot, the cupboard under the stairs is a swimming pool with ladder, and birds fly throughout the home. 

Each immersive room is designed to bring different emotions, from the comforting red lounge with fireplace tiles containing family memories, to the circus-themed playroom featuring animals wearing party hats. 

The upstairs hallway leading to the master bedroom has giant sunflowers, referencing Powell’s residency on the Isles of Scilly this summer, while her young child’s room has giant tigers offering protection during the night. 

The 35-year-old, who grew up in Liverpool, will host a series of open-house tours ahead of the property being sold – with around 400 members of the public due to experience the installation this week. 

She has pledged to return to the house every 10 years for the rest of her life for retouching to ensure the artwork is preserved. 

Emily Powell (pictured) has transformed her home into a lived-in artwork – now on sale for a guide price of £2million

The artist has promised to return to the house every 10 years for the rest of her life for retouching to ensure the artwork is preserved 

Ms Powell’s artwork covers every surface of the home – including the bathroom tiles and sink 

The house sale includes an additional 65 pieces Powell has produced over the past decade, and 20 items of painted furniture, from the fridge and freezer to bookcases, a bin store and play house. 

‘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,’ said Powell, who lives with her husband, young child and cat. 

‘When we got here, we had been in rented accommodation for so long. It was such a special moment. I thought we would have beautiful carpets and polished ornaments but that didn’t happen at all. 

‘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. 

‘It has become a journey through different parts of my life. Each room has colour palettes to support your emotions. 

‘There are birds flying in memory of my late father and different scenes from my life, from the Arctic and Lake District to the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. 

‘When you walk into the house, on the doormat there is an homage to Matisse and artists who painted still life pieces of the home.’ 

Powell used five-litre tins of house paint, applied with a selection of brushes from her local hardware store, to create the pieces. 

The five-bedroom terraced Devon home is immersive and ‘designed to bring different emotions’ through its owner’s artwork

Ms Powell painting the harbourside at Hugh Town in St Mary’s island on the Isles of Scilly

Ms Powell’s intricate artwork covers every surface in her home 

She described how motherhood had given her time at home, especially in the evening, when she would pick up a paintbrush and create new works inspired by moments of her life. 

‘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,’ she added. 

Tickets to the open-house tours sold out within 24 hours, with more than 500 people on a waiting list. 

Visitors will travel from the United States and Europe to go on the tours, which will see Powell’s kitchen turned into a tea room with cake from Devon company High Tide Tea. 

‘I’ve had so many requests over the years to open the house up,’ Powell said. 

‘I felt like I have finally finished it. 

‘We’ve chosen to put it on the market because it’s really important to me that this entire chapter is preserved. 

‘I don’t want to paint over what’s already here, I need to start a new chapter. 

‘This is an opportunity for people to have an entire capsule of art.’ 

Riccardo Carrelli, who is handling the sale for Chestertons, said it was a ‘fusion’ of art and property. 

‘The collection is a significant art investment at an early stage in the artist’s career,’ Mr Carrelli added. 

He confirmed viewings will take place outside the open-house tours, for those interested in buying the property. 

The £2 million guide price reflects the combined value of the home, along with the included original works and furniture. 

Emily Powell is a contemporary painter, born in 1990, who studied at Norwich School of Art and did a sabbatical at the Ecole Regionale des Beaux-Arts de Rouen. 

She has featured in a BBC documentary about the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, and recent exhibitions have hailed her as ‘one of the most important emerging artists in the UK today’.