Welcome to series 2 of House Tours Open Door. We've been busy filming gorgeous homes over the summer, filled with cool and clever ideas from their creative owners.
We plan to beam you into eight jaw-dropping homes, to hear from the owners and to get under the skin of exactly what makes a place special. Inspiration from the comfort of your living room? Sounds like a double win.
EPISODE 2 - AT HOME WITH SIOUXSIE DICKENS
Siouxsie Dickens has thrown open the doors to her gloriously gothic Victorian villa to give us a glimpse of how she turned it into something special.
As a fashion stylist, married to a menswear designer, the couple put their home together in the way that they would approach a catwalk show or a magazine shoot - pulling in favours and collaborating with brilliant, creative people.
WATCH HOUSE TOURS OPEN DOOR EPISODE 2 WITH SIOUXSIE DICKENS
The couple started with a vision of how it should look - a kind of Gothic period glamour, like the TV show, Penny Dreadful.
The previous owners had already converted a building of four bedsits into a single home but had to sell up in the middle of adding an extension to the kitchen.
During the viewing, Siouxsie already instinctively knew where the units and appliances would go. Her reference was those upstairs-downstairs, pantry-style kitchens, that are totally in keeping with the period of the house.
It's an approach the couple took to all of the decorating - to honour the property and its original features in a quirky, individual way.
This house is about more than adding a coat of Down Pipe to the walls and buying a fancy chandelier though.
It is full of design decisions that in fashion terms, take it from the equivalent of ready-to-wear to a couture creation.
An example of this is the fire surround in the living room, which appears original, but was specially commissioned by the couple.
Flowers by Rebel Rebel
Siouxsie loves to layer textures. In the kitchen the polished-plaster floor is juxtaposed with marble, reclaimed timber worktops, made by Siouxsie's friend, Chris Brandler, and exposed brick and chandeliers in the dining area.
The painted windows add definition.
In the master bedroom, the chimney breast was extended to match the exact width of the super-king size bed and the walls have been distressed and painted to resemble the musty mystique of a flooded château.
Before they buy anything for the house, Siouxsie's husband, Ben, asks 'is it special enough or 'is it too normal'?'.
Siouxsie wanted the shower room to be dripping wth greenery. Floor-to-ceiling metro tiles and a Victorian-style floor put a period spin in this modern room.
SHOP SIOUXSIE'S KEY PIECES NOW
A little bit macabre, a little bit moody - a monochrome palette, a stash of period details and a trunkful of taxidermy put the decadently romantic spin on Siouxsie's Victorian home.
Kitchen
Shop now: cabinetry from DeVOL
Shop now: pendants from The French House
Living room
Shop now: Fire surround by Decorative Designs
Shop now: Find anatomical prints at Surface View
Bedroom
Shop now: The paint effect was created with Farrow & Ball's Hague Blue
Shop now: Find a similar cane bed at The French Bedroom Company
Shop now: LG SIGNATURE Instaview door-in-door Refrigerator
Shop now: LG SIGNATURE Wine Cellar
Find out more about the LG SIGNATURE range of premium appliances at lgsignature.com
-
-
IKEA baby nursery ideas – 12 inspirational whimsical tricks that also make the space work hard
These IKEA baby nursery ideas offer clever ways to utilize and upgrade basic pieces to create pretty and practical
-
Coffee bar ideas – 7 brilliant designs that'll convince you your kitchen needs a dedicated brewing station
Get your caffeine fix with these coffee bar ideas that showcase how you can bring the coffee shop experience to your own kitchen
