Back in the eighties` Spitalfields was Dickensian and neglected.  Street life revolved around the fruit and vegetable market: crushed coriander scents and flaming bonfires of wooden pallets to keep the  homeless men warm.
The  Georgian wreck of a house is where my Pure Style journey began. With little money to spare after propping up walls, repairing panelling,  we had to think inventively about decoration. I chose sludgy, timeless colours with names like  `hopsack` straight off the Dulux trade card, nothing fancy. And we  spent happy hours  sifting  through junk shops and street markets to collect  simple functional furniture that wouldn`t look out of place.

Photographs  Henry Bourne
See the house before and after  on  Spitalfieldslife.com