Urban Glamour #39
This stunning London home exudes old-school glamour...
Get the look: The chandelier is from The Vintage Chandelier Company. The plates are Fornasetti. The Lover rug is by Rob Pybus for Floor_Story. The silver double bass is by Christian Maas for Talisman. Gift wrap, ribbon and decorations from a selection at Paperchase and John Lewis. Copper candle stick holder by Hay at Selfridges. Centre Point model, Chisel & Mouse.
THE PROPERTY
A double-fronted Thirties house in northwest London. The ground floor has a large hallway, a sitting room, a library/cinema room and a large open-plan kitchen/dining/living space. There is also a utility room, WC and an office. On the first floor there’s a large landing, the master suite with dressing room, a childrens’ bedroom with en suite, a guest bedroom, a shower room and a sitting room. The top floor has two further childrens’ bedrooms and a bathroom.
ENTRANCE HALL
This superbly glam Thirties home has proportions, details and a central staircase that oozes screen-star glamour. Think Odeon-style Deco touches from the days before multiplexes: decorative leaded glass, a foyer-sized hallway (pictured top) and a central staircase that leads up to a landing complete with plush velvet seating.
LIBRARY
The home always had a ta-dah! scale, but before the renovation the décor was outdated and upstairs had a cramped feel, thanks to a long, gloomy corridor across the width of the house. Back then, the cinematic mood was more The Shining than Hotel Budapest.
A four-metre double-floor extension at the back, a wall of steel-framed windows downstairs and a generous landing above changed all that, helping to reinstate the house’s original grandeur.
Get the look: The walls are painted in Hague Blue by Farrow & Ball, with Anaglypta on the ceiling. The chair is from Graham and Green. The wall lights are by Jim Laurence. The Lover rug is by Rob Pybus for Floor_ Story. Twig tree by Habitat. Festoon lights by Cox & Cox. Decorations and wrapping papers from selection at Paperchase, Ikea, John Lewis and Habitat.
CINEMA ROOM
The owners wanted to put the Thirties features back into the house, but with a modern take. So wood panel detailing replaced Seventies Artex, parquet flooring was reinstated and the house was reunited with a full set of handsome fireplaces.
The cinema room – an atmospheric, indulgent den between the living room and the library – has double doors at each end.
Luxe paneling and flashes of red keep this room feeling grown-up.
Get the look: The sofa is from BPA International. This is the E1027 side table by Eileen Gray for Aram Designs at Aram Store. The patterned cushions are by By Nord at Houseology. The linen cushion covers are from The Linen Works. This is a Windowpane throw by Raft Furniture.
LIVING ROOM
The wall panelling mirrors the shape of the steel-framed windows for a cosy-cool backdrop, while wicker warms up the greys.
Get the look: The wicker chairs were eBay finds. The Make Art Not War artwork is by Shepard Fairey. The woodburner is from Charnwood. The throw on the bench is by Bronte by Moon at Amara. Also on the bench is a Limpopo cushion in Aqua by Osborne & Little at Amara. Festoon lights and decorative deer antlers by Cox & Cox. Decorations and wrapping papers from selection at Paperchase, Ikea, John Lewis and Habitat. The Huangshan Lilac bolster cushion is by Designers Guild at Houseology.
DINING AREA
Steel-framed windows extend across the back wall of the house in a grid that’s softened by gentle greys, candlelight and mellow timbers.
Get the look: Find a CH24 Wishbone chair by Hans J Wegner at Carl Hansen and Søn and an Eames RAR rocker chair at Vitra. The wall lights are from Mullan Lighting. Table cloth and napkins by The Linen Works. Tableware, glassware, candle stick and cake stand by Habitat.
KITCHEN
The steel windows started out as a grid of landscape-shaped panes, but it looked too hard-edged so the builders were asked to do the maths all over again as vertical windows.
Get the look: The kitchen is by deVOL painted in Mole’s Breath by Farrow & Ball with worktops from Verona Marble. The windows are from Fabco Sanctuary. The lights over the island are from Retrouvius and the wall lights are from Mullan Lighting.
A long marble-topped kitchen island is the house’s centre point for socialising.
Get the look: The kitchen is by deVOL painted in Mole’s Breath by Farrow & Ball with worktops from Verona Marble. The lights over the island are from Retrouvius and the wall lights are from Mullan Lighting.
Tongue-and-groove cladding helps make the kitchen end of this open-plan space a bit cosier.
Get the look: The kitchen is by Devol painted in Mole’s Breath by Farrow & Ball with worktops from Verona Marble. Get the look: ’Noel’ bread, Marks & Spencer. Large panettone, Carluccios. Other Christmas food from Selfridges. Flowers, Wild at Heart.
The kitchen units are also topped with marble, matching the kitchen island.
LANDING
A supersized first-floor landing is a room in its own right. It feels quite decadent to leave this space as a “ breathing space” at the top of the stairs – but it makes a huge difference to the feel of the house. The original leaded windows were kept intact, while new panelling was added in a sympathetic style.
Get the look: The cabinet was an upcycled eBay find. This is the Giant 1227 floor lamp by Anglepoise. The bench is from Sofas & Stuff. The rug is Oilbirds by Eve Spencer for Floor_Story. The walls are painted in Cornforth White by Farrow & Ball. Lattice cushion cover by Niki Jones at Amara. Flowers by Wild at Heart.
GIRLS’ ROOM
There are hints of pink, pastels and even a floral pattern on the wall texture, but you have to look for them – it’s not an obviously “girlie” feel.
Get the look: The walls are papered in Anaglypta and painted in Ammonite by Farrow & Ball. The bed is from Sofas & Stuff. The shutters are from Shutterly Fabulous. Find the Bourgie lamp by Ferruccio Laviani for Kartell at Graham & Green. This is the Tauriani rug in Crocus by Designers Guild. The bed linen is by The Linen Works.
GIRLS’ EN SUITE
The shade on the bath strikes just the right note for a bathing space that’s feminine but not flashy.
Get the look: The bath is from The Cast Iron Bath Company, painted in Calamine by Farrow & Ball. The mirror cabinet was a vintage find. The flooring is from Verona Marble. The nickel taps are Lefroy Brooks. The light was bought in Morocco. Buy an Eames DSR chair at The Conran Shop. This is the Beginning cushion by Jessica Zoob for Black Edition at Romo.
BOYS’ ROOM
The rebuild completely reconfigured the upstairs floorplan and a loft extension was added. This is now two boys bedrooms with pitched walls and Shaker panelling in a style that flows seamlessly down to rest of the house.
The loft extension keeps the shape of the pitched roof for a cabin feel. Shaker-style pegs are great for a teenager – minimum effort required.
Get the look: The bed is by Sofas & Stuff. The paint shade is Cornforth White by Farrow & Ball. The Bennett throw and stocking are by Habitat. The bed linen is by The Linen Works. The wrapping paper is from Paperchase.
MASTER BEDROOM
Beading was added to the walls for extra detailing that emphasises the room’s proportions.
Get the look: The headboard is from Sofas & Stuff. The flooring is from parquet-flooring.co.uk. The paint shade is Purbeck Stone by Farrow & Ball. Bed linen by The Linen Works. Quaternio wool throw by Zuzunaga at Amara . Loft coffee table, Rockett St George. Glass vase, Ikea. Converse artwork by Gavin Mitchell at Northcote Gallery.
Teal, green and gleam set a richly elegant backdrop for art with impact.
Get the look: The flooring is from parquet-flooring.co.uk. The paint shade is Purbeck Stone by Farrow & Ball. Quaternio wool throw by Zuzunaga at Amara . Loft coffee table, Rockett St George. Glass vase, Ikea. Converse artwork by Gavin Mitchell at Northcote Gallery.
DRESSING ROOM
This strip of a room leading off the en suite is all about practical glamour. ‘The carpenter was asked to add the mirrored door panels – it’s an inexpensive way to break up the run of storage and make the space feel more interesting.
Get the look: The ottoman is from Sofas & Stuff. The storage is bespoke. Dress, Topshop.
MASTER EN SUITE
Black and white photography against a backdrop of greys feels sophisticated and mature.
Get the look: The bath is from Drummonds and the basin is Villeroy & Boch, in a bespoke unit sourced by Edwins. All taps are Lefroy Brooks. The chandelier is from Graham and Green. The jar is Fornasetti.
A pair of mermaid sconces hit just the right escapist glam note.
Get the look: The basin is Villeroy & Boch in a bespoke unit sourced by Edwins. All taps are Lefroy Brooks. The chandelier is from Graham and Green. The jar is Fornasetti. The walk-in steam shower (in reflection) is Lefroy Brooks.
This home is available as a location through 1st-option.com.
Photography / Paul Massey
