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London Houzz: How the House That No-One Wanted Found Its Flair
A top-to-bottom renovation was needed to turn a total wreck into this fun and colourful family home
When the couple who own this UK home were house-hunting, they faced a common problem: they’d fallen in love with an area in London, but couldn’t afford the properties there. Then they saw this house in Stoke Newington, north-east London. “Essentially, they bought the house no-one else wanted,” says interior designer Anna Shepherd of Life Design London. “It was pretty disgusting and most people were put off by the amount of work it needed.”
The couple decided to take the plunge and tasked Shepherd with creating a fun, welcoming home that would showcase their artwork and provide the perfect space for the young family of five.
The couple decided to take the plunge and tasked Shepherd with creating a fun, welcoming home that would showcase their artwork and provide the perfect space for the young family of five.
The couple love colour – especially green and yellow – and they wanted the house to be fun, but the walls throughout are almost all white.
“They’re art lovers and the art dictated the colours,” says Shepherd. “But the fact they have lots of colourful art meant they didn’t want colourful walls.
“During the renovation, the builders called the house ‘the ice cube’, because it was all white and they were skeptical about how homely it was going to feel,” she says. “Then all the art went up and the furniture came in, and suddenly it wasn’t the ice cube house anymore.”
The bold green kitchen flooring was decided at the last moment. “We were going to go safe with grey,” says Shepherd, “then the day the resin floor guy was coming, we had a quick summit in the morning and went for Lego green.”
“They’re art lovers and the art dictated the colours,” says Shepherd. “But the fact they have lots of colourful art meant they didn’t want colourful walls.
“During the renovation, the builders called the house ‘the ice cube’, because it was all white and they were skeptical about how homely it was going to feel,” she says. “Then all the art went up and the furniture came in, and suddenly it wasn’t the ice cube house anymore.”
The bold green kitchen flooring was decided at the last moment. “We were going to go safe with grey,” says Shepherd, “then the day the resin floor guy was coming, we had a quick summit in the morning and went for Lego green.”
In the kitchen, smart, dark-grey cabinets are topped with a simple white solid-surface benchtop. “It wasn’t top of the range because of the kids and family life and red wine,” says Shepherd. “They didn’t want anything that was going to be hard to maintain or they would be heartbroken about if, during a party, someone knocked over a drink.”
Ready to refresh your home? Find reviewed interior designers in your area on Houzz and see their work
Ready to refresh your home? Find reviewed interior designers in your area on Houzz and see their work
Hints of copper – in the wall and pendant lights, tap and toaster – link the kitchen and dining area, but Shepherd hasn’t gone overboard. “There’s also stainless steel and brass, so it’s not too matchy-matchy,” she says.
The couple rented several places during their hunt for a property and the months of the renovation, and it introduced them to the style of cooker you see here, so having their own was on the wish list.
The couple rented several places during their hunt for a property and the months of the renovation, and it introduced them to the style of cooker you see here, so having their own was on the wish list.
The oak flooring was one of the first decor decisions the couple made. “The chevron flooring was reclaimed and all slightly imperfect, so it was quite tricky to lay,” says Shepherd. “We had it lime-washed, so it’s very pale.”
The black desk was one of the few pieces the couple brought with them and it’s perfect for doing admin. “It needed to be cut down a little, but it was a natural fit in that spot,” says Shepherd. She built in a window seat next to it that incorporates storage.
The black desk was one of the few pieces the couple brought with them and it’s perfect for doing admin. “It needed to be cut down a little, but it was a natural fit in that spot,” says Shepherd. She built in a window seat next to it that incorporates storage.
One of the couple’s favourite hotels is The Bowery in New York, USA. Among other bold design details, it has massive Crittall windows and deep-green tiles, so that informed their choices in the living room.
“They didn’t want it to look too hard, though, so they added botanical-print wallpaper, which also brings in a leafy look, as the courtyard is so small,” says Shepherd.
The compact garden is mirrored by a roof terrace above. The sheep mural on the back wall was done by the graffiti artist, Stewy, who’s famous for his animal stencils.
The wall on the right is covered in London stock brick slips (thin, veneer-like sections of bricks), which are stuck to a layer of ply for insulation.
“They didn’t want it to look too hard, though, so they added botanical-print wallpaper, which also brings in a leafy look, as the courtyard is so small,” says Shepherd.
The compact garden is mirrored by a roof terrace above. The sheep mural on the back wall was done by the graffiti artist, Stewy, who’s famous for his animal stencils.
The wall on the right is covered in London stock brick slips (thin, veneer-like sections of bricks), which are stuck to a layer of ply for insulation.
The attic extension has a mansard roof. “We took the ceiling right up, rather than squaring it off,” says Shepherd, “so it doesn’t feel as if you’re in the loft – you could be in one of the rooms downstairs in terms of proportions.”
A wall of built-in cupboards takes care of all the storage in the couple’s bedroom. “They decided between them how many drawers they needed, who folds what, who hangs what, so it was storage tailored to them,” she says.
A wall of built-in cupboards takes care of all the storage in the couple’s bedroom. “They decided between them how many drawers they needed, who folds what, who hangs what, so it was storage tailored to them,” she says.
Shepherd designed the vanity unit in the attic ensuite and topped it with an Art Deco-style mirror. “We tried so many different shapes of mirror in that space, as there are so many angles in the room,” she says. “As this one has triangle corners, we said, let’s just see what it looks like and realised, we’ve found a mirror that actually works!”
The couple like the industrial look, so Shepherd went for simple white subway tiles in the shower and concrete-look porcelain floor tiles.
This is the youngest child’s room. There are no skirting boards in any of the rooms apart from the attic – they’re all shadow lines. “Because every wall was new and fresh, there were no Victorian features in there to be saved or worked around, so it was a clean slate,” says Shepherd. “When the property was built, it was actually part of a row of shops, so it didn’t have classic Victorian features, as it wasn’t residential.”
The two older children share a bunk bed. The family already owned the chest of drawers.
Browse more images of kids’ bedrooms
Browse more images of kids’ bedrooms
The family bathroom contains a small freestanding tub perfect for the children to play in.
These are the stairs leading up to the converted attic. The room at the end is a guest room/home office, and has a wall of fitted cupboards. The children’s rooms and the family bathroom are also on this floor.
The basement was already excavated, but not to a legal head height, so Shepherd had to dig down by just over a metre. That turned out to be more of a challenge than anticipated.
“A tunnel dug underneath by the ‘Mole Man of Hackney’ [who dug tunnels under his and his neighbours’ properties for years] had been filled with concrete by the council,” says Shepherd. “As soon as the team started digging, they found it was solid, so the work took so much longer than it was supposed to and was really messy and noisy.”
The new room was finally created, though, and now serves as a laundry, exercise space and playroom. The family of five have so much washing that Shepherd fitted two washing machines, and tucked a tumble dryer under the stairs.
The three cupboards have tambour doors. “They roll up, so they don’t jut out into the room,” says Shepherd. “There’s loads of storage in there for all the kids’ toys, gym stuff and so on.”
“A tunnel dug underneath by the ‘Mole Man of Hackney’ [who dug tunnels under his and his neighbours’ properties for years] had been filled with concrete by the council,” says Shepherd. “As soon as the team started digging, they found it was solid, so the work took so much longer than it was supposed to and was really messy and noisy.”
The new room was finally created, though, and now serves as a laundry, exercise space and playroom. The family of five have so much washing that Shepherd fitted two washing machines, and tucked a tumble dryer under the stairs.
The three cupboards have tambour doors. “They roll up, so they don’t jut out into the room,” says Shepherd. “There’s loads of storage in there for all the kids’ toys, gym stuff and so on.”
There’s more storage at the front of the room. The vintage wood cabinet has tambour doors, which inspired the cupboards at the back. The sideboard was from an online auction site, and Shepherd had it spray-painted. The flooring is poured resin in Lego yellow.
The window looks out into a well, which has been painted white. “The shutters match those in the kitchen above, so that makes the front of the house look nice and uniform,” says Shepherd.
The best thing about this room for the busy family is it’s allowed to be messy. “The room doesn’t go to anywhere else, so if the couple don’t want to clear it up, they can just walk away, shut the door, and leave it for another day,” says Shepherd.
The window looks out into a well, which has been painted white. “The shutters match those in the kitchen above, so that makes the front of the house look nice and uniform,” says Shepherd.
The best thing about this room for the busy family is it’s allowed to be messy. “The room doesn’t go to anywhere else, so if the couple don’t want to clear it up, they can just walk away, shut the door, and leave it for another day,” says Shepherd.
This ‘before’ shot of the front door and security-screened window hints at the state of the house before Shepherd turned it around.
The transformation speaks for itself: the entrance is now crisp, bright and welcoming – along with the rest of the home. It’s no surprise to hear the couple are delighted with the result.
Your turn
What do you like best about the designer’s transformation of this family home? Share your thoughts in the Comments below, like this story, save the images, and join the renovation conversation
More
Can’t get enough of Houzz Tours? Read your next one here with this Texas Houzz: A New Country House With Timeless Style
Your turn
What do you like best about the designer’s transformation of this family home? Share your thoughts in the Comments below, like this story, save the images, and join the renovation conversation
More
Can’t get enough of Houzz Tours? Read your next one here with this Texas Houzz: A New Country House With Timeless Style
House at a Glance
Who lives here: A family with three young children
Location: London, UK
Property: A Victorian terrace at the end of a row
Size: Four bedrooms and two bathrooms
Designer: Anna Shepherd of Life Design London
The house has gone from two floors and a very low basement to four floors. Shepherd did an attic conversion and made the basement useable. “It wasn’t regulation height, so we dug down,” she says.
One of the key things the couple did was flip the traditional layout on the ground floor, so they could have the kitchen at the front. This area gets the sun in the morning, and light floods into the dining area through the side windows during the day.
“Also, the house gets narrower towards the back, because of various extensions that were done in the past,” says Shepherd, “so they sited the snug in the cosier, darker end of the house.”