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UK Houzz Tour: An Interior Designer’s Elegantly Updated Home
The owner-designer of this house had to walk a fine line between modern living and holding on to its rich history
The history of this house stretches from its Victorian beginnings, through squatters in the 1960s, including noted black women’s rights activist Olive Morris, to a series of renters at the start of the 21st century. So when Indie & Co interior designer Celine Erlam and her family moved in, there was a lot that needed updating, but also plenty they wanted to keep.
The couple took up all the home’s floor coverings – from carpet to laminate – to expose the floorboards. “We also kept the fireplaces, which aren’t Victorian, but were put in at some stage and we liked them,” says Celine.
The vintage chandelier in the living room is Murano glass, and Celine fitted the decorative ceiling rose, as the original had been removed.
The vintage chandelier in the living room is Murano glass, and Celine fitted the decorative ceiling rose, as the original had been removed.
Celine used her native country as the starting point for the home’s scheme. “I’m from Corsica and my husband and I both love the colour palette there,” she says. “Our major influence was to try to bring in a bit of Corsica in terms of its tones. It doesn’t feel Mediterranean in any way, but it’s more the colours – greens, muted sandy shades, and splashes of mustard, which brighten up the house.”
This artwork and its companion in the kitchen are actually scarves. “My husband was on a work trip to Canada and found these very early in the career of artist Santiago Paredes. They feel like a flavour of Brixton, so we got them framed,” says Celine.
The couple enlarged the opening between the front and back reception rooms to link the spaces while retaining their individuality. The vintage bureau is Celine’s daughter’s desk.
Thanks to a sensitive rear extension (more of that shortly) the window at the back of this room was retained, creating a lovely light space.
Celine experimented in here and the front room by painting the ceiling a slightly darker shade than the walls. “I did it in a subdued way, but I’ve since done it for clients, going for a very strong green on a very high ceiling of one property,” she says.
The armchair was inherited from Celine’s mother-in-law, and the artwork, depicting an overgrown theme park, is by a friend.
Thanks to a sensitive rear extension (more of that shortly) the window at the back of this room was retained, creating a lovely light space.
Celine experimented in here and the front room by painting the ceiling a slightly darker shade than the walls. “I did it in a subdued way, but I’ve since done it for clients, going for a very strong green on a very high ceiling of one property,” she says.
The armchair was inherited from Celine’s mother-in-law, and the artwork, depicting an overgrown theme park, is by a friend.
The old kitchen was quite small for the growing family.
Celine added a small extension on the back of the house for the dining area, seen here on the right of the floorplan. She took it full width, but didn’t fill in the side return.
“We kept a courtyard, again to try to keep as much of the fabric of the house as possible,” she says. “It has a lot of ferns and ivy growing in there, as well as a chalkboard for the children.”
“We kept a courtyard, again to try to keep as much of the fabric of the house as possible,” she says. “It has a lot of ferns and ivy growing in there, as well as a chalkboard for the children.”
The kitchen-diner now has a wall of sliding glass doors bringing in masses of light. Celine added curtains, which are generally drawn right back during the day then closed after dark.
“They soften the room where there are a lot of hard materials,” she says. “It completely changed the space once we’d installed them. In the evening when we’re having dinner, [the space] hugs you, it’s so much softer.”
The flooring in here is micro-cement.
“They soften the room where there are a lot of hard materials,” she says. “It completely changed the space once we’d installed them. In the evening when we’re having dinner, [the space] hugs you, it’s so much softer.”
The flooring in here is micro-cement.
The artwork in the dining area is the companion to the one in the living room and brings colour into the muted room.
The full-height units on the left of the dining area, which hold a fridge, freezer and breakfast station, are Ikea carcasses with doors made by the joiner.
The units are flanked by very slim shelves containing cookery books on this side and plants including herbs on the other. “It makes the kitchen feel more bespoke, as they’re specific to our needs,” says Celine.
The units are flanked by very slim shelves containing cookery books on this side and plants including herbs on the other. “It makes the kitchen feel more bespoke, as they’re specific to our needs,” says Celine.
The breakfast station doubles as a cocktail cabinet when the couple entertains.
The wooden cabinet fronts are stained in a rich brown that still allows the grain to show through. “I knew we were going to have full-height cupboards, so I went for something quite muted,” says Celine.
“I love the contrast with the silver Argento marble [worktop] and the brass cabinet handles,” she adds. “Even though the kitchen is very modern, the handles give it a bit of a lived-in look.”
“I love the contrast with the silver Argento marble [worktop] and the brass cabinet handles,” she adds. “Even though the kitchen is very modern, the handles give it a bit of a lived-in look.”
The marble worktop runs along both sides of the kitchen, with a splashback on this side where the hob and sink are located. “Marble isn’t that difficult to look after,” says Celine, “and even if it does show wear and tear, it’s kind of nice to see it’s a kitchen that’s used. I don’t want everything to look pristine.”
The couple didn’t need to make room for laundry appliances in here, as they transformed the basement into a utility area, with a washer and dryer, hanging space, and underfloor heating.
The pocket door between the kitchen and hall tucks neatly out of the way, so it can be open most of the time, but is there when necessary in this busy family home. “If you have kids, you want to be able to zone spaces, so having this door is so useful,” says Celine. “If the kids are being really loud upstairs or my daughter’s doing her music in the living room, we can close it and have a conversation.”
With built-in speakers in the ceiling, this is a the perfect spot for a dinner party. In fact, it’s Celine’s favourite room. “I designed it around how I like to entertain and cook, so it really works very nicely,” she says. “I’m not big on islands – I love the idea of people being around the dining table.”
The pocket door between the kitchen and hall tucks neatly out of the way, so it can be open most of the time, but is there when necessary in this busy family home. “If you have kids, you want to be able to zone spaces, so having this door is so useful,” says Celine. “If the kids are being really loud upstairs or my daughter’s doing her music in the living room, we can close it and have a conversation.”
With built-in speakers in the ceiling, this is a the perfect spot for a dinner party. In fact, it’s Celine’s favourite room. “I designed it around how I like to entertain and cook, so it really works very nicely,” she says. “I’m not big on islands – I love the idea of people being around the dining table.”
A powder room is tucked behind the kitchen at the end of the hall. “We spent a bit of money on it, as it’s always the one thing clients don’t want to spend money on,” she says.
The oak cupboard holds the boiler, hence the grille at the top. The marble is the same Argento as in the kitchen. “The tap is natural brass,” says Celine. “It stains, it bruises, but we like that.”
Find local interior designers on Houzz and read reviews from previous clients.
The oak cupboard holds the boiler, hence the grille at the top. The marble is the same Argento as in the kitchen. “The tap is natural brass,” says Celine. “It stains, it bruises, but we like that.”
Find local interior designers on Houzz and read reviews from previous clients.
There’s a view from the front door right through to the garden. The white door on the right down the steps is the powder room; the room with the elephant head at the top of the stairs is Celine’s son’s room.
The radiator cover with its brass grille was custom made and painted the same pale grey as the walls. The staircase and front door (which looks quite pale in the light in this photo) are painted in dark green.
The radiator cover with its brass grille was custom made and painted the same pale grey as the walls. The staircase and front door (which looks quite pale in the light in this photo) are painted in dark green.
Celine customised simple bunk beds for her son. “We bought some stickers and had some curtains made to make it a bit special for him,” she says.
Celine fitted the fireplace in her daughter’s room with shelves – perfect for reaching little toys. “I painted the surround in yellow to really lift the space,” she says.
A canopy makes the young girl’s bed feel a bit more special.
The family bathroom is mostly used by the children. A shower curtain adds leafy interest. “I don’t really like too much glass, especially if the door pivots,” Celine says. “And it’s rarely used as a shower, as the children have baths in here.”
The tiles on the shower wall are laid at interesting angles for subtle pattern. “They were a pain to put together,” says Celine. “The tiler was furious with me!”
The tiles on the shower wall are laid at interesting angles for subtle pattern. “They were a pain to put together,” says Celine. “The tiler was furious with me!”
What was once the main bedroom on the first floor…
…has been turned into Celine’s studio.
“We’ve had the team working in here for a while now and it’s really nice,” says Celine. “We’re all women and we enjoy each other’s company, so we use my house as a bit of a second home. It’s very cosy.”
The bank of cupboards, made from ash by the joiner, are filled with samples and so on for work, but they could easily be converted into standard wardrobes if this room became a bedroom again.
“The way we designed this room is with longevity in mind,” says Celine. “So all the sockets are in the right place for where the bed might be and so on. It works very well for work, but could easily be transformed.”
“The way we designed this room is with longevity in mind,” says Celine. “So all the sockets are in the right place for where the bed might be and so on. It works very well for work, but could easily be transformed.”
The couple converted the loft to add two extra bedrooms and an ensuite. This is their room.
“We really wanted to have our own space,” says Celine. “We approached it like a hotel room. We wanted a ginormous bed and were quite happy to compromise on the space around it. It’s where we sleep and get dressed, and that’s all the room is needed for.”
“We really wanted to have our own space,” says Celine. “We approached it like a hotel room. We wanted a ginormous bed and were quite happy to compromise on the space around it. It’s where we sleep and get dressed, and that’s all the room is needed for.”
The built-in, white oiled oak cabinetry makes use of the sloping area of the room. “We managed to include two wardrobes and a set of drawers, and there are sockets in there so we can charge our phones, so it works really nicely,” says Celine.
Behind each wardrobe there’s access to the eaves through a little door, so even the very low space is utilised. “In lofts, you have to go for built-in joinery,” she says.
Behind each wardrobe there’s access to the eaves through a little door, so even the very low space is utilised. “In lofts, you have to go for built-in joinery,” she says.
The bathroom is lined in micro-cement, including the vanity unit. “It’s important to find a professional to install it or it can go wrong, but it’s an amazing material if it’s laid well,” says Celine. “It does show scratches and wear, but that’s part of the charm. If it always looked pristine, I think I’d like it less.”
Rather than a glazed panel, Celine fitted a track into the ceiling for a curtain. “With a loft bathroom, you’re limited with space and always feel you’re compromising a bit, but with the curtain, you can push it back completely,” she says.
The couple did the project in phases, which meant it took about two years, but, as they prepare to have a blue plaque fixed to the facade to celebrate its role in the life of Olive Morris, the house is now ready for the next stage in its history.
Your turn
What do you love about this home? Tell us in the Comments below. And if you enjoyed this story, like it, save the images and join the conversation.
More
Not quite had your fill of great global design? Check out this Russian Houzz Tour: Contemporary Art Meets Ornate Orthodox
The couple did the project in phases, which meant it took about two years, but, as they prepare to have a blue plaque fixed to the facade to celebrate its role in the life of Olive Morris, the house is now ready for the next stage in its history.
Your turn
What do you love about this home? Tell us in the Comments below. And if you enjoyed this story, like it, save the images and join the conversation.
More
Not quite had your fill of great global design? Check out this Russian Houzz Tour: Contemporary Art Meets Ornate Orthodox
House at a Glance
Who lives here? Interior designer and founder of Indie & Co, Celine Erlam, with her husband and two young children, plus Lucy the Cavachon dog
Location Brixton, south London
Property A Victorian terrace
Size Five bedrooms and two bathrooms
Designer Celine Erlam of Indie & Co
“The house needed a lot of love to be brought back to being a family home, but we didn’t just want to rip everything out and start again,” Celine says of her Victorian terrace in Brixton, London. “We tried as much as possible to retain what was there and not replace things that didn’t need replacing.”