Black to basics for this bijou city pad; Courageous choices and quirky decor turn dated flat into a treasure peek in your pad.

Byline: Laura Davidson

Black may not be the cheeriest of colours but it's Roz Colthart's favourite shade. She's used it as the basis for decorating her living room and the effect is seriously dramatic.

Her monochrome magic room looks bold but also girly with feminine touches like pretty damask cushions and mini mannequins.

She said: "Black doesn't have to be dull. I've mixed it in this room with lots of white and mirrored accessories and my two sofas are cream, so that lightens it all.

"It's probably my favourite room in the house. It's a lovely place to relax."

Roz, 35, has a thing for black. She started her own business, Black Essentials, almost two years ago. It's an online women's clothing and accessories store selling - you've guessed it - the best of everything in black.

So it's no surprise that the colour has crept in at her bijou apartment in Edinburgh. Aptly, she also lives in the city's Blackhall area.

She said: "I went through a period of wearing a lot of black - it's a staple, every woman does it. I thought it would be great if there was a single shop you could go to for black clothing. That's where the business idea came from.

"My house was decorated before I started the business, though, so that's what came first."

She moved in two years ago and set about completely transforming the flat.

It was stuck in the 80s with Artex and dated built-in bedroom furniture.

She ripped out the lot, tore down walls and put in a new kitchen and bathroom.

Roz said: "Two days after I got the keys, I had workmen in ripping out the kitchen, and the place was like a building site for three months. The worst job was probably getting rid of the artex and having the place replastered because it made everywhere so dusty. It's been worth it though - I'd wanted to live in this area, and this street in particular, for ages."

The cosy kitchen is the heart of Roz's home. She's painted the walls in warm shades of toffee and coco and installed a natural oak kitchen from IKEA.

A round wooden dining table with suede-covered chairs gives a place for informal dinner parties at one end and there's also a handy breakfast bar for drinks. Roz had added some quirky decor. Beside the bar, gold letters spell out the word 'yummy' and there's a funky pop art print featuring a snap of Roz's mum Gil when she was 17.

French doors lead to the living room next door with its monochrome scheme.

Mirrored shelves on one wall act as a gallery for Roz's framed photographs and a modern black trunk makes an unusual coffee table in the middle of the room. Even Roz's TV has a co-ordinating black frame, but she's cleverly sunk it into the chimney breast so it doesn't dominate. The bedrooms are accessed from the hallway. The master is opulent shades of gold with a floral-patterned feature wall and a rattan bed from IKEA with silk cushions and throws. The spare bedroom is in cream with a gorgeous white iron bed.

In the bathroom, there are stone-look tiles and a gorgeous corner bath and a floor-to-ceiling mirror makes the room appear twice the size.

Roz said: "I had so much work to do on it. But it's really been worth it. I've never felt more at home in a house."

"I had so much work to do on it - but it has really been worth it. I have never felt more 'at home' in a house"

Housefile

First-floor two-bedroom flat in Blackhall, Edinburgh.

I love: Everything about it. I'd wanted to live in this area for ages so I'm really happy here.

I'd change: I'd like to have sliding doors leading from the kitchen to the living room.

Next house: In a dream world an apartment in Manhattan, like Charlotte's in Sex And The City, but until that happens I'm happy here!

CAPTION(S):

Room has a magic monochrome look; Owner Roz Colthart has brought her original and very individual taste to the fore in this flat; The well-equipped kitchen is functional yet very funky; A golden glow fills the flat's master bedroom beautifully; Huge mirror makes the bathroom seem much larger than it is; Roz chose a clean and airy look for the flat's guest bedroom