As a small child growing up in a Victorian semi in a leafy north London suburb, it didn’t occur to Kieran Moyyay to even think about how it might figure in his future. "We left to live in Zurich when I was five, and the house was rented out to tenants until three years ago, so it was never on my radar," he says.
Kieran, who works in finance, and his wife Rosie, a doctor, were living in a warehouse apartment in east London with their son Remy, now four, and were hoping to size up, when, fortuitously, they were able to acquire his childhood home.
Although grateful for their luck, the house was dated to say the least and ticked neither of the "space and light" boxes the couple had long visualized for the modern home in which they’d raise their family, which now included four-month-old daughter Aurelia.
"This home library room is at the front, most traditional part of the house, and we wanted to honor that with the moody green walls and smoked oak," says owner Rosie. "Having a library ladder was on our wish list, too."
Abstract wall art adds a sophisticated edge to any space — and this two-piece is a steal at less than £60.
Mulroy Architects came to the rescue with plans for a large rear extension, cleverly constructing a courtyard between the existing dining room and the new open-plan kitchen/living room.
"It adds so much light and is quite unusual; we love it," says Rosie. The architects also created a dramatic curved vaulted ceiling with a skylight that spans the full length of the room, giving it an amazing futuristic vibe.
"It felt more honest to the house to have a deliberately modern extension, and it feels very right. It gives us the clean, open-plan space we craved, which wouldn’t have been possible otherwise," says Kieran.
Guessing they would hit it off, Mulroy Architects introduced the couple to Steve Nash, founder of All & Nxthing design studio, to work with them on the interiors.
"They were spot on," says Rosie. "We gelled instantly and loved how All & Nxthing managed to modernize and personalize spaces while keeping as much character as possible."
Steve and his team worked their magic, fusing period and modern, reclaimed and vintage, in the process imbuing the house with a sense of calm, invigorated with earthy color palettes and textures.
"The U-shaped layout lent itself perfectly to a full bank of storage, allowing us to keep the majority of the kitchen low level," says designer Steve from All & Nxthing.
Earthenware and wooden accessories help ground a lighter kitchen and add texture — we love this deep green pitcher.
Spaces are individual yet cohesive, such as the moody-hued library room that transitions to the warm dining room, then into the laid-back modern living room.
The kitchen-living space beautifully demonstrates how to do textures: chalky painted brick walls offset with contemporary lighting, with wrap-around Cristallo quartzite work surfaces juxtaposed with warm oak joinery and concrete floors softened with luxe rugs.
"We used the back of the oak wardrobes as a headboard. With the room’s minimal textures, the second headboard adds softness and makes the bed more inviting," says Rosie.
In the dining room, plain walls come alive, drenched in contrasting shades of pale and intense limewash paint, highlighting period details and creating a dramatic setting for a splendid off-white concrete table.
Upstairs, the sublime main bedroom is saturated in the same dirty peachy-pink limewash used in the dining room. It’s drenched over the walls and exposed structural girders and almost melds into the large soft oak bedhead (which is also the back of the wardrobes in the wardrobe area), giving the whole space a golden glow.
Bring some greenery and added texture to your modern bedroom with this Swiss Cheese plant from Beards & Daisies.
"This space is full of subtle texture. We used the same alder wood from the sauna to create the bespoke vanity," says Steve.
Rosie and Kieran each had one non-negotiable on their wish list. Kieran’s was for a sauna — a must-have growing up in Switzerland — and for Rosie, a bath in the bedroom.
"We both got our wishes," says Kieran, with a smile. "Even if Rosie has used the bath just once."