Innehållsförteckning för November 2022 från 25 Beautiful Homes

Moving into an unmodernised Victorian property with stunning London views meant Rupert and Jane could make the most of its original features while adding contemporary touches. After some initial redecoration, they started the big renovation in 2020, which included a new kitchen. THE BRIEF The previous kitchen had been cosy but was old, and the layout was dark and uninviting, so Jane called in Charlie Smallbone of Ledbury Studio after seeing his work at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2018. ‘I had lots of ideas mainly based on using interesting materials,’ says Jane. DESIGN SOLUTIONS Jane wanted to be able to close off the kitchen from the dining room, so Charlie created a divider inspired by a vintage Italian screen that Jane owned. ‘It’s made of brushed and polished stainless…

INSPIRATION ‘I love the way interior designer Ben Pentreath creates a timeless look, warmth and depth by mixing stripes with chintz florals’ Set on the edge of a market town in the Surrey countryside, this Grade II-listed Georgian house wouldn’t look out of place in a scene from a period drama, thanks to its handsome exterior and extensive grounds. Perhaps Leah Lane had this in mind when she moved from London with her husband, Rupert. ‘I am a hopeless romantic and grew up watching period dramas,’ she says. ‘I loved the idea of living in a Georgian house – the symmetry, high ceilings and beautiful detailing – and I was definitely not going to settle for anything else.’ The couple fell in love with the perfect mix of rooms in…

Kathy Rosenberg had a head start with her decorating project by buying a chalet bungalow that she knew very well. ‘My friends owned this house years ago and had extended the kitchen and above the garage to create a huge bedroom suite,’ she says. ‘I knew they’d invested in a high-quality kitchen and bathroom, which were still in great condition.’ Kathy was looking for a new home in the village where she already lived, near Nottingham, after her divorce. She heard through the grapevine that the property was coming onto the market and was able to secure the sale privately. ‘I loved the location and the bungalow had lots of character,’ Kathy says. ‘I wanted a bedroom for each of my grown-up children – Matt and Emma have left home…

IDEAS TO SHARE Perched on the lagoon’s edge in the Castello district and overlooking the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, Hotel Ca’ di Dio by VRetreats (vretreats.com/en/ca-di-dio) has been artfully created by renowned Spanish architect and designer Patricia Urquiola to capture the spirit of Venice and blend its history with comfortable modernity. Just moments from the Doge’s Palace, it was built in 1272 as accommodation for pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land. Echoes of the building’s heritage can be felt in its architecture, which has been meticulously restored by local craftspeople and cleverly softened by the colour palette, chosen to recall the reflections of water and the materials from which Venice is built. The towering lobby, carved from the building’s old church, is illuminated by a chandelier of…

When Theresa and Allan Widlake’s daughters Mia and Tiffany grew up and left home, the couple decided it was time for a fresh start. ‘It was our first opportunity to reinvent ourselves after leaving behind the homes in which we’d raised our girls,’ says Theresa. ‘We got married young and had always lived in modest rented or company-owned housing and I’d always had to just make the best of what we had. We both agreed we wanted to create a relaxing and stylish space that would work for just the two of us.’ The couple sold their ranch-style home in rural north Zambia and then found a three-storey new build house in one of Johannesburg’s leafy northern suburbs. ‘The house wasn’t large, compared to other properties in the area –…

HOW INVOLVED WERE THE OWNERS IN THE DESIGN PROCESS? Martina and Joe approached us with a beautifully laid out briefing document. They’re both talented graphic designers with an eye for detail and an appreciation of classic, tranquil and textured design. They were involved throughout. DESCRIBE THE ORIGINAL LAYOUT The existing house was a terrific blank canvas. It had a traditional terrace layout, with a hallway and staircase down one side leading to the smaller rooms at the end of each level and two well-proportioned rooms to the front and back in the main body of the house. WHAT WERE THE OWNERS’ PRIORITIES FOR THIS HOUSE? Martina (@thevenetianpantry) comes from a tiny town outside Venice and she wanted their London home to reflect a rustic Italian aesthetic in an English setting.…

When Nerissa Davies came upon this former shooting lodge in Surrey, she was instantly captivated. ‘From the moment my husband Hugh and I saw it we loved its quintessential period features,’ she recalls. ‘Better still, it was set amid beautiful scenery.’ Sadly, the state of the house was less than idyllic – the central 17th-century part was badly in need of repair – but as an interior designer, Nerissa (ndaviesinteriors.com) had the creative eye and talent to envisage its total transformation. After bidding successfully for the property, Nerissa swung into action by first carrying out the work needed to bring it up to 21st-century standards. Creating a feeling of light and space was a priority, so the kitchen floor was lowered to improve the ceiling height and a wall was…

After selling their bungalow and buying a larger home for their family locally, Claire and David Carr prepared to do a little light decorating as they moved in. ‘On the day we got the keys, David decided that the house, in fact, needed a much bigger renovation,’ recalls interior stylist Claire (you can follow her on Instagram @interiorantidote). THE BRIEF The existing kitchen was cramped and the couple wanted to enlarge the space and allow in more natural light. Claire was also very keen on the idea of a range cooker and classic cabinetry that wouldn’t date. DESIGN SOLUTIONS By removing a downstairs bathroom and interior walls, they were able to create a larger kitchen and open it up to the dining room. ‘This building work meant that we had…

no. 19 Designer Lizzie McGraw says one of her favourite projects came about in an unlikely way. ‘I had a homeware shop in New York, and one day a woman came in and admired a wall painting I’d done. I wasn’t there at the time but shortly after, when I got to speak to her on the phone, she insisted we meet up for a chat.’ It was a meeting that proved fateful as not only did it result in Lizzie being commissioned to paint the Manhattan home of the woman in question, Vicki Gordon, but it was also the start of an enduring friendship. Since Vicki and her husband bought the brownstone terrace years before, their tastes had evolved and they were now keen to update the interior. Instead…

Having previously worked on their friend’s house, Krystyna was approached by clients Molly and Andy to rejig the basement of the Victorian apartment they bought eight years ago. This involved changing the floor plan, reworking the family bathroom, guest bedroom and hallways and revamping the ground floor cloakroom. THE BRIEF ‘The biggest challenge we faced was changing the layout and making a new opening for the bathroom,’ says Krystyna. ‘The bedroom design wasn’t part of the original scope, but we needed to give it a facelift as we added a new door to the bathroom (originally the bathroom entrance was from the hallway).’ DESIGN SOLUTIONS ‘The bedroom refurb came naturally after we finished the bathroom and was a calm extension of that space. I worked on a new colour scheme,…

Whether it’s helping her children with homework and art projects at the kitchen table, cooking on her Lacanche range, or entertaining friends and family, Suzy Steer-Fowler is certainly making the most of her recently refurbished home. ‘We’ve lived in temporary properties for a number of years, and five years ago, our decision to move back from Devon to London was my big opportunity to find a suitable house and create our forever home,’ explains Suzy. She employed the services of interior architect and designer Rebecca Connolly, to lead the refurbishment project of the three-storey Victorian terraced house in family-friendly Clapham, a desirable find for Suzy who loves characterful old properties. ‘We lived in the house for two years before the renovation started, but moving back in was delayed by Covid,’…

no. 5 Living in south London, young professionals Kate and Tom Pickford had fully renovated their two-bedroom flat in Streatham and loved their city lifestyle. However, a number of factors influenced their decision to leave London and move back to where they’d grown up, near Reading in Berkshire. ‘Tom’s work was in Berkshire, and he was keen to reduce his daily commute, and after my father passed away, I wanted to move back to be near my mum,’ says Kate. ‘We’d also been thinking about starting a family, and as our flat had almost doubled in price since we’d bought it, we knew we could trade it in for a much bigger house with a garden close to where Mum lives.’ Despite some family reservations the couple bought a filthy,…

According to Sarah Stacey, a well-designed home is the foundation for a beautiful life, and it’s a philosophy that has earned her many plaudits. It was also one of the reasons she was asked to redesign the sitting room, as well as other areas, of this family home. ‘The owners wanted a more bespoke design direction for the space,’ she says. ‘For example, the wall of units didn’t go all the way up to the ceiling so just didn’t look as though they were meant to be there.’ THE BRIEF ‘Having just designed the kitchen in a dramatic style, I was asked to create a similar impact here,’ says Sarah. ‘One of the most obvious ways was to pump up the colour by adding a large patterned rug and bright…

HOW DID YOU COME TO BE INVOLVED IN THIS PROJECT? Our client reached out to us after purchasing this beautiful Grade II-listed townhouse. She wanted to create the perfect ‘home away from home’. The brief was to come up with something colourful and fun that still chimed with the traditional architecture of the surrounding Cotswolds village. WHAT WERE THE BIGGEST PRIORITIES FOR THE RENOVATION? To update the kitchen and bathrooms and create a work-from-home space. We accomplished these by first tackling the layouts and functionality of the house. On the ground floor, the kitchen benefited from a built-in bench, incorporated to make the most of long social evenings spent there, and a cast-iron bath was installed in the bathroom for future child-proofing. On the first floor, we replaced a bathroom…