Houzz Tour: A Calming Victorian Family Flat in Northwest London
Contemporary features mix with original artwork and soothing colours to make this Victorian family home a real urban oasis
In the majority of city flats, space is at a premium. So for this family of four moving into a three-bedroom, top-floor apartment in a Victorian mansion block in Maida Vale, northwest London, maximising storage space was key. They enlisted the help of interior designer Anna Richmond of Conley & Co to gut and renovate the entire property, to give them as much liveable and useable space as possible. Clever tricks and a little reconfiguring mean the family – and all of their things – now fit comfortably and elegantly into this laid-back home.
A bespoke bookcase acts as a room divider as well as storage and a media unit. There’s a wall-hung TV just to the right, and the cupboard underneath (just visible) actually continues under the stairs for storage of suitcases and other large items.
‘It’s a big room with a high ceiling, so we fitted recessed downlights above the stairs to create a walkway going up to the kitchen in order to zone it off a bit,’ explains Richmond.
Bespoke storage unit painted in Plummett, Farrow & Ball.
‘It’s a big room with a high ceiling, so we fitted recessed downlights above the stairs to create a walkway going up to the kitchen in order to zone it off a bit,’ explains Richmond.
Bespoke storage unit painted in Plummett, Farrow & Ball.
Steps lead up to a bespoke, Crittall-style aluminium door that leads out on to a terrace, and to the left is the entrance to the kitchen. The owner’s artwork provides a focal point for this space and adds a touch of colour.
‘The client was worried about having a hard wooden floor with sharp edges for her young children,’ says Richmond, ‘so we went for a grey sisal carpet, which is still very robust.’ Porcelain tiles at the top of the stairs begin the transition into the kitchen.
Carpet, Blenheim Carpets at Chelsea Harbour.
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‘The client was worried about having a hard wooden floor with sharp edges for her young children,’ says Richmond, ‘so we went for a grey sisal carpet, which is still very robust.’ Porcelain tiles at the top of the stairs begin the transition into the kitchen.
Carpet, Blenheim Carpets at Chelsea Harbour.
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The kitchen features soft colours, with concrete-like porcelain floor tiles in lieu of a poured concrete floor, which would have been impractical in a top-floor flat, given its weight. A bank of full-height storage cupboards provides much of the utility space for the home, with a washing machine, tumble dryer and broom cupboard all nicely hidden behind bespoke white doors.
Handleless cupboards with a marble-look worktop and an antique mirror glass splashback make for a sleek and contemporary kitchen with a hint of glamour. ‘The cupboards are a matt lacquered finish, which keeps the look very simple and soft,’ says Richmond. ‘We went handleless to maintain the simplicity.’
Kitchen units, Schroder.
Browse more contemporary white kitchens
Kitchen units, Schroder.
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Richmond decided to go for a built-in bench seat with drawers underneath in the dining area to maximise storage. ‘It also meant we could have a nice, comfortable seating area without lots of chairs, and it just adds a little bit of softness,’ she says.
A circular wooden window looks out onto the terrace, accessed through bifold doors opposite the dining area.
A circular wooden window looks out onto the terrace, accessed through bifold doors opposite the dining area.
Richmond took out the whole wall in the hall and in its place built this unit from MDF with a sliding pocket door (to the left) that opens into the living room. It provides storage for anything from books to shoes.
The console table is an antique that belonged to the client’s parents. ‘It was a little broken, so we fixed it to the wall,’ says Richmond. The mirror was bought to match.
Storage unit painted in Down Pipe; wall painted in Blackened, both Farrow & Ball.
The console table is an antique that belonged to the client’s parents. ‘It was a little broken, so we fixed it to the wall,’ says Richmond. The mirror was bought to match.
Storage unit painted in Down Pipe; wall painted in Blackened, both Farrow & Ball.
As you enter the apartment, you have the storage wall with pocket door into the living room on your left, while to the right of the antique console table, the hall leads onto three bedrooms. Wooden floors were swapped for plush carpet in these rooms to keep the sleeping spaces soft and comfortable.
A relaxed colour palette creates a serene and calming master bedroom, jazzed up by a statement fabric for the curtains and lampshade. The Roman blinds and headboard were made bespoke in a Romo fabric, and Jieldé bedside wall lights keep the bedside tables free for other items.
Bedside lights, Jieldé. Bedside tables, Ikea. Headboard and blind fabric, Milani by Romo. Curtains and lampshade fabric, Cocoa Beach by Rapture & Wright. Walls painted in Dimpse, Farrow & Ball.
Bedside lights, Jieldé. Bedside tables, Ikea. Headboard and blind fabric, Milani by Romo. Curtains and lampshade fabric, Cocoa Beach by Rapture & Wright. Walls painted in Dimpse, Farrow & Ball.
Even in the compact en-suite bathroom, Richmond was careful not to compromise on style. Moroccan floor tiles add interest and colour, and are offset nicely by simple white metro tiles on the walls. Brass drawer handles on the bespoke basin unit pick up on the slightly Moroccan feel, while a square white basin keeps the look clean and contemporary.
Basin, Duravit. Taps, Crosswater. Tiles, Terrazzo Tiles. Vanity unit handles, Chloe Alberry.
Basin, Duravit. Taps, Crosswater. Tiles, Terrazzo Tiles. Vanity unit handles, Chloe Alberry.
‘The nursery was a super-simple room to do,’ says Richmond. ‘The client just wanted it to be neutral and calming.’
Chair fabric, Romo.
Chair fabric, Romo.
The family bathroom is largely bespoke. ‘It’s quite a small room with no windows,’ says Richmond, ‘so we had to be quite clever to fit it all in.’ The shower is all tiled, and includes a tiled niche to store shampoos and soaps. The basin unit with a stone top and the mirrored cupboards are all bespoke.
Basin, Duravit. Taps, Crosswater.
Basin, Duravit. Taps, Crosswater.
‘The terrace was like this when the owners moved in,’ says Richmond, ‘we just jet-washed it for them.’
TELL US…
What do you think of this Victorian flat? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
TELL US…
What do you think of this Victorian flat? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
Who lives here A young family of four
Location Maida Vale, northwest London
Property A top-floor flat in a Victorian mansion block
Size 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
Designer Anna Richmond of Conley & Co
‘The client is an artist, so was quite creative and had a good sense of what she wanted,’ says Richmond of the renovation of this Victorian flat. ‘She wanted to bring it up to date and create something quite Zen.’ In the living room, they went for white-oiled oak flooring with pale grey on the walls to bring in a little colour and make it feel cosy. ‘A lot of it was about having space to display the client’s art,’ says Richmond, and many of the owner’s works are now on show throughout the flat.
Beautiful old Brazilian wood sofas were reupholstered to bring in texture, and a Le Corbusier LC4 chaise longue provides an interesting contrast to the wood.
LC4 chaise longue, Le Corbusier. Walls painted in Cornforth White, Farrow & Ball. Nest tables, Hay.