Houzz Tour: A Period London Townhouse is Treated to a Lavish Makeover
Luxurious fabrics, bespoke fittings and lush details have transformed this Regency house into a home with a deliciously unique look
Designer Vicki Wells likes a challenge. This is fortunate because, when she was asked to refurbish this Regency townhouse near Regent’s Park, the scale of the project and the clients’ vision for their home were both vast and exceptional.
The owners had been inspired by the work of French architect and interior designer Jacques Garcia. ‘His look is a sort of over-the-top, completely overwhelming French style with masses of layers,’ says Wells. ‘I’d never done anything like that before!’
Wells relished the chance to make this lavish look come alive in this period property, while also incorporating modern technology and making the house function well. ‘The owners are very individual and wanted their home to reflect them regardless of what anybody else would think!’
The owners had been inspired by the work of French architect and interior designer Jacques Garcia. ‘His look is a sort of over-the-top, completely overwhelming French style with masses of layers,’ says Wells. ‘I’d never done anything like that before!’
Wells relished the chance to make this lavish look come alive in this period property, while also incorporating modern technology and making the house function well. ‘The owners are very individual and wanted their home to reflect them regardless of what anybody else would think!’
The sense of luxury can be felt immediately you walk into the house. ‘The challenge was to find pieces that looked original to the property,’ says Wells. She used mouldings to create the floor-to-ceiling mirror in the hallway. ‘I attached the mouldings to the wall, and then fitted the mirrors within,’ she says. ‘They were painted black and then washed over to look like grey metal.’
Wells sourced three different varieties of marble tiles for the floor, and then had them cut to size and the correct thickness to fit. ‘The floor also had to be levelled,’ she says. ‘It was a highly complex job, but it really worked in the end, so I was very pleased.’
Mirrors, Mirrorworks.
Discover 10 ways to work antique mirrors into your home
Wells sourced three different varieties of marble tiles for the floor, and then had them cut to size and the correct thickness to fit. ‘The floor also had to be levelled,’ she says. ‘It was a highly complex job, but it really worked in the end, so I was very pleased.’
Mirrors, Mirrorworks.
Discover 10 ways to work antique mirrors into your home
Ornate, layered, unique and luxurious – that’s how Wells describes this house. ‘The atmosphere and style have to work together,’ she says. ‘You walk in and you feel it straight away.’
There are two formal living rooms on the first floor. ‘These rooms had original cornicing, grand windows and fireplaces,’ says Wells. They were designed as one space. ‘This was going to be the typical configuration, with the double doors open most of the time,’ says Wells. Mouldings were added to the walls and small plaques fixed in place. After painting the walls three times, this soft greenish shade was chosen. The double doors that connect the two living rooms have gilt detail for an extra layer of luxe.
Find out how to add architectural detail to your ceiling
There are two formal living rooms on the first floor. ‘These rooms had original cornicing, grand windows and fireplaces,’ says Wells. They were designed as one space. ‘This was going to be the typical configuration, with the double doors open most of the time,’ says Wells. Mouldings were added to the walls and small plaques fixed in place. After painting the walls three times, this soft greenish shade was chosen. The double doors that connect the two living rooms have gilt detail for an extra layer of luxe.
Find out how to add architectural detail to your ceiling
‘Each floor was planned with its own colour scheme, to be linked by the stairwell,’ says Wells. The first floor includes burgundy, green, olive, yellow, burnt orange and pink tones, inspired partly by this rug.
All the upholstery was made to order and the box the TV sits on was also created for this space.
All the upholstery was made to order and the box the TV sits on was also created for this space.
The owners sourced the mirrors then Wells added glass wall lights on either side. ‘They look particularly beautiful when switched on,’ she says. She made the padded fire surround, which can serve as seating, too.
Lights, Rothschild & Bickers.
Lights, Rothschild & Bickers.
Throughout the house, Wells used new wood for the flooring and then had it treated in situ to look aged. The ground floor contains his and hers studies. This is the largest of the two studies (hers) and it features bespoke panelling and shelving. ‘The panelling was an extremely complex design with an inset mirror,’ says Wells. ‘It’s made from sapele wood, which is similar to mahogany and was sourced in Africa, but with protected and monitored felling.’ All the lampshades were handmade to suit the scheme.
The house’s listed building status meant the original cornicing had to remain visible, so Wells had the study shelving built just below it.
Armchairs, de Gournay. Lampshades, made bespoke by Caroline B Designs.
The house’s listed building status meant the original cornicing had to remain visible, so Wells had the study shelving built just below it.
Armchairs, de Gournay. Lampshades, made bespoke by Caroline B Designs.
A two-storey extension was built on the back of the house but, since the property is listed, planning restrictions meant Wells was not able to knock through into it, so the original window now sits between the small study and the dining space. ‘I dressed it in the same way as an external window to help incorporate it,’ says Wells.
Marlowe Floral wallpaper, Ralph Lauren. Chairs, de Gournay.
Get the lowdown on whether you can make structural changes to your home without planning permission
Marlowe Floral wallpaper, Ralph Lauren. Chairs, de Gournay.
Get the lowdown on whether you can make structural changes to your home without planning permission
Stairs lead down from the upper-ground floor to the kitchen on the lower-ground floor. When it came to designing this space, the owners showed Wells images of cupboards in a chalet in Switzerland. ‘They were made up of square shapes, but kitchen doors aren’t typically square, they’re rectangular,’ says Wells. Nevertheless, she created a wall of storage with neat square doors, some black and some fitted with glass and lit from within. ‘This whole piece is quite a narrow design, about 300mm deep,’ she says.
The island has a smart black marble worktop, with ceramic pendant lights overhead. All of the storage has been specifically designed for both the space and the owners’ possessions. ‘I even designed a knife drawer for their special set of knives,’ says Wells.
Bar stools, bespoke.
The island has a smart black marble worktop, with ceramic pendant lights overhead. All of the storage has been specifically designed for both the space and the owners’ possessions. ‘I even designed a knife drawer for their special set of knives,’ says Wells.
Bar stools, bespoke.
Wells then created the square outline the owners love by using pressed bronze leaf around the upper parts of the cabinets, some of which are drawer fronts, to produce the desired symmetrical outline.
All appliances, Sub-Zero & Wolf.
All appliances, Sub-Zero & Wolf.
‘The look in the rest of the house is quite mad, but when you arrive at the master suite, it calms down and becomes quite serene,’ says Wells. The owner had gathered a huge selection of fabrics she liked for this space. ‘We worked together to get it down to about 100 samples,’ says Wells, ‘which I then edited down even further.’
Canopy in Romo Palazzo velvet; fringes and trims, all GP&J Baker. Curtain fabric, Zimmer & Rohde. Art Silk carpet, Blenheim Carpets.
Canopy in Romo Palazzo velvet; fringes and trims, all GP&J Baker. Curtain fabric, Zimmer & Rohde. Art Silk carpet, Blenheim Carpets.
The beautiful blue silk wallpaper in the master suite forms the backdrop to a mix of different fabrics all sharing the same colour palette. An original fireplace sits behind the headboard; Wells created a canopy and curtains to hide it.
All curtains and soft furnishings made by Ewa Minkina. Silk wallpaper, de Gournay.
All curtains and soft furnishings made by Ewa Minkina. Silk wallpaper, de Gournay.
The master en suite bathroom continues the blue theme. A screen partially divides the toilet off from the room, while a generous lion’s head tap is mounted on a marble panel. ‘The owners wanted marble basins, too, but to keep costs down I instead found oval basins and chests of drawers and had them adapted to fit and topped with Carrara marble,’ Wells says.
Usk Bath; Lions Head bath filler, both Drummonds.
Usk Bath; Lions Head bath filler, both Drummonds.
There are two half landings at the rear of the house: one between the ground and first floors; the other between the first and second floors. In the second one, seen here down the flight of stairs, Wells created a dressing room for the master bedroom, which is behind the door on the left.
‘Using incidental spaces, such as landings, makes the most of them and can help a house feel very grand,’ she explains. The staircase on the right leads up to the third floor bedrooms and bathroom.
‘Using incidental spaces, such as landings, makes the most of them and can help a house feel very grand,’ she explains. The staircase on the right leads up to the third floor bedrooms and bathroom.
This bedroom on the top floor, with its numerous patterns, again shows the influence of Jacques Garcia. ‘The same carpet is laid throughout all three bedrooms on the top floor,’ says Wells, ‘and the colours from here continue into the bathroom.’ The velvet curtains have deep pinch pleats at the top, tiebacks and trimmings, for lots of layered detail and luxury.
Laura Ashley Wisteria carpet, Brintons. Marchwood wallpaper, Colefax & Fowler. Curtains in Radmore fabric in Aqua, Jane Churchill at Colefax & Fowler.
Laura Ashley Wisteria carpet, Brintons. Marchwood wallpaper, Colefax & Fowler. Curtains in Radmore fabric in Aqua, Jane Churchill at Colefax & Fowler.
The top-floor bathroom features a bath and blind in exactly the same shade of red. ‘The owners wanted very traditional fittings in here, but ones that were practical, too,’ says Wells. She chose blue tiles and then added the mirrors in sections, with tiles and lighting in-between for a framing effect. ‘There are two recesses at the back that are also mirrored,’ she says. ‘These details are all to make the space feel bigger.’
Burley basin on nickel frame, Aston Matthews. Taps, Lefroy Brooks. Blind in Chalcedon Cerise silk, Henry Bertrand. Retro Metro tiles in Green Park, Fired Earth. Raydon bathroom wall lights with fluted glass and nickel base, Jim Lawrence.
Burley basin on nickel frame, Aston Matthews. Taps, Lefroy Brooks. Blind in Chalcedon Cerise silk, Henry Bertrand. Retro Metro tiles in Green Park, Fired Earth. Raydon bathroom wall lights with fluted glass and nickel base, Jim Lawrence.
No opportunity has been missed to add ornamentation and a luxurious feel throughout the house. The upper-ground floor hallway, for example, has a specially created curved ceiling, which is decorated with a hand-painted design that continues into the cloakroom.
‘I always try to make a cloakroom interesting,’ says Wells. ‘The owners wanted the whole room, including the ceiling, to be wallpapered, and I fitted recessed lit shelves, too.’ Railings replace a solid wall on the way down to the lower-ground floor, helping to open up the whole space.
Tiles, Fired Earth. Hand-painted decoration, Angel Interiors.
‘I always try to make a cloakroom interesting,’ says Wells. ‘The owners wanted the whole room, including the ceiling, to be wallpapered, and I fitted recessed lit shelves, too.’ Railings replace a solid wall on the way down to the lower-ground floor, helping to open up the whole space.
Tiles, Fired Earth. Hand-painted decoration, Angel Interiors.
TELL US…
What do you think of this lavish, ornate home? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
What do you think of this lavish, ornate home? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
Who lives here A professional couple and their young daughter
Location Near Regent’s Park, London
Property A Grade II listed terraced Regency house on five floors
Size 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms
Designer Vicki Wells of Wells & Trembath with design consultancy by Henry Prideaux
The property is a five-storey townhouse in central London. On the lower-ground floor is a kitchen and breakfast area, with additional living space, a bedroom and a TV room. On the upper-ground floor is the front door, hallway, two studies, a formal dining room and a cloakroom. Up some stairs you find an alcove seating area on the half landing, which leads up to two living rooms on the first floor. Up another half flight and there is a dressing area on the half landing, with a master suite on the second floor. On the third floor are three further bedrooms and a bathroom.