Urban Glamour #39

By Livingetc 2018-12-24T08:44:47Z

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 ata-dah! scale, but before the renovation thedécor was outdated and upstairs had a cramped feel, thanks to a long, gloomy corridor across the width of the house.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.

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.

LIVING ROOM

The wall panelling mirrors the shape of the steel-framed windows for a cosy-cool backdrop, while wicker warms up the greys.

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.

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.

Along marble-topped kitchen island is the house’s centre point for socialising.

Tongue-and-groove cladding helps make the kitchen end of this open-plan space a bit cosier.

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.

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.

GIRLS' EN SUITE

The shade on the bath strikes just the right note for a bathing space that’s feminine but not flashy.

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.

MASTER BEDROOM

Beading was added to the walls for extra detailing that emphasises the room’s proportions.

Teal, green and gleam set a richly elegant backdrop for art with impact.

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.