Houzz Tour: A Couple Bring a Family Feel to Their Victorian Home
Extending this terraced house brought in light and made the space work better for family life
After 15 years of living in their Victorian terraced home, designer Mel Massey and her husband realised the space wasn’t working for their family anymore.
“We didn’t want to move, so instead we decided to extend and reconfigure the rooms,” she says. The house now feels more spacious and family-friendly, with a better connection to the garden and plenty of light.
“We didn’t want to move, so instead we decided to extend and reconfigure the rooms,” she says. The house now feels more spacious and family-friendly, with a better connection to the garden and plenty of light.
The floorplan shows the new layout of the open-plan ground floor.
In the seating area, two vintage sofas look out to the garden, but are light enough to be moved around the room when necessary. The wall opposite the garden houses a bespoke cupboard with sliding doors, which provides plenty of storage. The TV screen is also in here, and comes out on an arm when the family want to watch it.
The mirror is made from a pair of windows that Mel had sandblasted and powder-coated, then fitted with mirror glass. “It reflects everything beautifully,” she says.
Mel prefers to avoid downlights in favour of more interesting light fittings. So in this room, there’s a low-hung copper pendant in the corner, plus a large bulb light hung on an old fisherman’s hook. “I’d seen the pendant a while ago, but it was really expensive,” Mel says. “So I noted down the name and eventually found it for £50 on eBay.”
Flooring, Istoria by Jordan Andrews. Pendant light, eBay.
The mirror is made from a pair of windows that Mel had sandblasted and powder-coated, then fitted with mirror glass. “It reflects everything beautifully,” she says.
Mel prefers to avoid downlights in favour of more interesting light fittings. So in this room, there’s a low-hung copper pendant in the corner, plus a large bulb light hung on an old fisherman’s hook. “I’d seen the pendant a while ago, but it was really expensive,” Mel says. “So I noted down the name and eventually found it for £50 on eBay.”
Flooring, Istoria by Jordan Andrews. Pendant light, eBay.
At the opposite end of the extension is a wall-hung fireplace, which gives a cosy feel to the space. “This was tricky to get right, as we didn’t want the flue to cover the rooflight above,” Mel says. “It was solved by creating a dog leg that comes out to the right.”
Mel replaced the floorboards all over the house with engineered oak boards, but in the seating area she went for a more interesting parquet. Beneath the fire is a simple, flat hearth, laid with tiles of differing textures.
Paxfocus fireplace, Focus Fireplaces. Hearth tiles, Domus.
Mel replaced the floorboards all over the house with engineered oak boards, but in the seating area she went for a more interesting parquet. Beneath the fire is a simple, flat hearth, laid with tiles of differing textures.
Paxfocus fireplace, Focus Fireplaces. Hearth tiles, Domus.
The previous kitchen was very small and was located at the back of the house. Mel decided to move it to the centre of the open-plan layout in an area that would otherwise have been used as a thoroughfare.
The galley kitchen has a streamlined design, with gloss fronts that reflect the light. Large pan drawers and roomy cupboards keep the worktops clear of clutter.
Kitchen units, Magnet. Corian worktop, Interstyle Solid Surfaces.
The galley kitchen has a streamlined design, with gloss fronts that reflect the light. Large pan drawers and roomy cupboards keep the worktops clear of clutter.
Kitchen units, Magnet. Corian worktop, Interstyle Solid Surfaces.
The step down to the extension is fitted with two slabs of Spanish stone.
“I went to buy tiles and came back with these,” Mel laughs. “They’re beautiful and it’s actually a great place to sit.”
Stone on step, Bert & May.
“I went to buy tiles and came back with these,” Mel laughs. “They’re beautiful and it’s actually a great place to sit.”
Stone on step, Bert & May.
The deep blue dining room wall complements the vintage wooden sideboard and walnut alcove unit, which were both found on eBay.
“The dining table was given to us by my granny as a wedding present,” Mel says. “And the lamp in the corner belonged to my husband’s granny.”
Walls painted in Hague Blue, Farrow & Ball. Pendant light, Normann Copenhagen.
“The dining table was given to us by my granny as a wedding present,” Mel says. “And the lamp in the corner belonged to my husband’s granny.”
Walls painted in Hague Blue, Farrow & Ball. Pendant light, Normann Copenhagen.
A bright piece of artwork hangs above the sideboard, bringing colourful character to the room.
Ben Allen artwork, Art Republic.
Ben Allen artwork, Art Republic.
On the first floor, there are two bedrooms and a family bathroom.
“Our old bedroom was quite bright, but this time we decided to go for a monochrome scheme,” Mel says. “We introduced lots of texture with velvet curtains, a wooden bed and a fluffy rug, and added bright pink accents.”
Pendant light, Lee Broom. Wall lights, Anglepoise. Walls painted in Lamp Black and Urbane Grey, both Little Greene. Bed, Habitat.
Pendant light, Lee Broom. Wall lights, Anglepoise. Walls painted in Lamp Black and Urbane Grey, both Little Greene. Bed, Habitat.
Mel chose different tables for each side of the bed. “I didn’t want a matching look for the tables,” she says. “My husband stores lots of books on his, whereas I only need space for an e-reader.”
“The original bathroom window was taken out when we did the wetroom extension, so we decided to commission a local company to recreate it,” Mel says.
The couple laid the same engineered oak floorboards as in the rest of the house. “They work well in the room, as long as you don’t soak the floor,” she says.
Bath, Bathstore. Vanity unit, Swoon of Sweden.
The couple laid the same engineered oak floorboards as in the rest of the house. “They work well in the room, as long as you don’t soak the floor,” she says.
Bath, Bathstore. Vanity unit, Swoon of Sweden.
Mel found an interesting coat stand to use as a towel rail and painted the legs of the vanity unit (seen in the previous picture) the same yellow.
Coat stand, Blu Dot.
Coat stand, Blu Dot.
The couple’s two sons have their bedrooms on the second floor.
Mel’s builder created this bespoke bed for her eldest son’s room. The white frame and ladder contrast with the dark wall behind and orange surfaces elsewhere.
The wall opposite the fireplace features a bespoke wallpaper that resembles textured concrete and gives the room an urban feel.
Orange surfaces painted in Auburn Falls 4, Dulux. Wallpaper, Surface View.
More: 7 Creative Bed Ideas for Children’s Rooms
The wall opposite the fireplace features a bespoke wallpaper that resembles textured concrete and gives the room an urban feel.
Orange surfaces painted in Auburn Falls 4, Dulux. Wallpaper, Surface View.
More: 7 Creative Bed Ideas for Children’s Rooms
Opposite the bed, a vintage gentleman’s wardrobe and desk sit below a secondhand Coca-Cola light. “I like to use vintage items as much as possible around the house, as they look lovely and are less wasteful,” Mel says.
The couple’s son is a keen skateboarder, so Mel created some fun skateboard shelves for his books and knick-knacks.
The wetroom has a floor of pretty reclaimed stone tiles, which contrast with the industrial look of the space.
The steel-framed windows are made from toughened glass, with opaque panels below and a top row of transparent glazing. “The room isn’t overlooked and it’s lovely to gaze out from the shower,” Mel says.
Vintage tiles, Bert & May.
The steel-framed windows are made from toughened glass, with opaque panels below and a top row of transparent glazing. “The room isn’t overlooked and it’s lovely to gaze out from the shower,” Mel says.
Vintage tiles, Bert & May.
“These crazy radiators are usually used for greenhouses,” Mel says. “The room is next to the outside wall, and I really wanted it to function in the winter – plus they’re quite fun.”
Radiators, Turnbull & Scott.
Radiators, Turnbull & Scott.
Mel’s builder made another bespoke bed for her younger son, this time with a double bunk.
The colour scheme in this room features grey and a striking purple-blue. “With kids, it’s a good idea to futureproof the design, so they continue to like it as they grow,” Mel says.
The colour scheme in this room features grey and a striking purple-blue. “With kids, it’s a good idea to futureproof the design, so they continue to like it as they grow,” Mel says.
Bespoke wall-to-wall cupboards offer plenty of storage for both boys. “We created a fun hidey-hole for him with foot holes to climb up,” Mel says. “We’ll put the doors back on later when he’s too big to sit in it.”
Cabinets and ladder painted in Mambo, Little Greene.
Cabinets and ladder painted in Mambo, Little Greene.
Lego base panels have been attached to the wall, as Mel’s younger son is a big fan of the building blocks. A vintage suitcase that belonged to Mel’s grandpa is ideal storage for the Lego pieces.
Blinds, Kids Curtain Company.
Blinds, Kids Curtain Company.
The staircase that leads to the loft is the same design as those in the rest of the house.
Roxy, a former shop mannequin, is a surprising addition at the bottom of the stairs. “The kids spend ages dressing her up with various outfits,” Mel says.
Carpet, Alternative Flooring.
Roxy, a former shop mannequin, is a surprising addition at the bottom of the stairs. “The kids spend ages dressing her up with various outfits,” Mel says.
Carpet, Alternative Flooring.
The loft room has an L-shaped layout and is home to a snug and office area.
At the rear of the loft room is a den where the kids can have their own space. Aluminium-framed floor-to-ceiling windows and a transparent Juliet balcony provide great views of the surrounding area.
Mel’s office space is at the other end of the room. “We kept the RSJ on show and left the brick wall exposed,” Mel says.
“It’s so far down to the kitchen that I thought it might be useful to put a bar up here,” Mel says. She found this wooden unit and hired a plumber to install a sink and tap behind one of the glass panels, with a water pipe below.
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What’s your favourite feature in this characterful Victorian family home? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
Find reviewed plumbers in your area on Houzz.
Tell us…
What’s your favourite feature in this characterful Victorian family home? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
Who lives here? Interior designer Mel Massey with her husband and two sons
Location North London
Property A Victorian terraced townhouse
Size Four bedrooms and two bathrooms
Designer Mel Massey of Mel Massey Studio
Photos by David Giles
The ground floor rear extension of Mel Massey’s home was constructed beneath a previous first and second floor extension, where a wetroom and bathroom sit one on top of the other.
The previous extensions were positioned slightly too low for the new addition, but it would have been tricky to raise them, so instead, the couple incorporated a boxed-in section above the ground-floor seating area (seen here on the left) to accommodate the base of the bathroom above.
“The ceiling in the extension is still at a comfortable height,” Mel says, “and it’s created some interesting lines in the room.”
The couple were keen to bring in as much light as possible, so they chose sliding doors with minimal framing. The top part of the frame is recessed to create even more of an uninterrupted view.
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