A British artist has placed her extraordinary terraced house on the market, asking a guide price of £2 million for what is now a vast, lived-in artwork. Emily Powell, 35, has spent years transforming her five-bedroom home in Brixham, Devon, into an immersive, floor-to-ceiling painting that covers every conceivable surface.
A Walk-In Masterpiece in Devon
The property, which Powell purchased with earnings from her art over the past decade, now features around 400 square metres of deeply personal hand-painted works. The art flows seamlessly across two floors, with no surface left untouched—from light switches and floorboards to bath tiles and the refrigerator. The installation creates a continuous narrative, where fishing boats bob along hallway skirting boards, a painted kitchen table is set with crockery, and birds fly throughout the rooms.
Each room is designed to evoke specific emotions. A comforting red lounge features fireplace tiles embedded with family memories, while a playful circus-themed room includes animals wearing party hats. The upstairs hallway, leading to the master bedroom, is adorned with giant sunflowers reflecting Powell’s recent residency on the Isles of Scilly. Her young child’s bedroom offers protection in the form of painted giant tigers.
Preserving a Personal Chapter
Powell, who lives in the house with her husband, young child, and cat, has pledged an unusual commitment to the future owner. She has vowed to return to the property every 10 years for the rest of her life to retouch and preserve the artwork. The sale also includes an additional 65 individual art pieces Powell has created over the past ten years, plus 20 items of painted furniture, such as bookcases, a bin store, and a playhouse.
"It has become a journey through different parts of my life," Powell explained. She described how motherhood provided quiet evenings at home, which she used to pick up a paintbrush and create works inspired by personal moments. Scenes throughout the house pay tribute to her late father and depict landscapes from the Arctic and the Lake District to Scotland's Inner Hebrides.
Overwhelming Public Interest and Artistic Legacy
Public fascination with the unique home is undeniable. Ahead of the sale, Powell is hosting a series of open-house tours, with all tickets selling out within 24 hours and a waiting list of over 500 people. Visitors are travelling from the United States and Europe to experience the installation, where Powell's kitchen will serve as a tea room offering cake from a local Devon company.
Riccardo Carrelli of Chestertons, who is handling the sale, described the offering as a significant fusion of art and property. "The collection is a significant art investment at an early stage in the artist’s career," he stated. For Powell, selling marks the closing of a major chapter. "We’ve chosen to put it on the market because it’s really important to me that this entire chapter is preserved," she said. "I don’t want to paint over what’s already here. This is an opportunity for people to have an entire capsule of art."
