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Houzz Tour: A Time-warp Apartment Gets a 21st Century Redesign
With an interior untouched since the 1980s, this flat was ripe for a modern makeover that introduced colour and warmth
Stepping into this London flat before it was redesigned was like passing through a portal and arriving back in the 1980s. “It was a time capsule,’” says Josephine Lecoufle-Vinet, the interior designer responsible for bringing it beautifully up to date. “The previous owners had renovated it in the 1980s and it hadn’t been touched since.”
Its present owner contacted Josephine through Houzz in June 2023. “She and her partner loved the flat’s layout – and its location, which was on the top floor overlooking Hampstead Heath,” she says. “Their brief was to create a home that felt warm and modern. Other than that, I had free rein.” Check out these before and after photos that chart its transformation.
To see more great projects where the homeowner found their professional via Houzz, take a look at our Born on Houzz series.
Its present owner contacted Josephine through Houzz in June 2023. “She and her partner loved the flat’s layout – and its location, which was on the top floor overlooking Hampstead Heath,” she says. “Their brief was to create a home that felt warm and modern. Other than that, I had free rein.” Check out these before and after photos that chart its transformation.
To see more great projects where the homeowner found their professional via Houzz, take a look at our Born on Houzz series.
The main living space had dated built-in cabinets and carpet, as well as curtains that were hung at the front of an angled bay and had to be tied to the walls. There was also a decorative fireplace with fake ember stones that lit up.
Josephine has since fitted roller blinds behind neat fascias at these windows.
Josephine has since fitted roller blinds behind neat fascias at these windows.
The owners had been living in a smaller, rental flat before and all their furniture was the wrong scale for this apartment. So Josephine sourced new pieces for them, including a burnt orange velvet armchair. “Blue is a cold tone, so I wanted to inject some warmth,” she says. “The rug also has terracotta in it.”
Josephine found the vases in Normandy while on holiday, took a photo of them and sent it to owner to see if she liked them. The answer was yes, so Josephine drove them back in her car.
Lexington armchair in Rust velvet, Atkin And Thyme.
Josephine found the vases in Normandy while on holiday, took a photo of them and sent it to owner to see if she liked them. The answer was yes, so Josephine drove them back in her car.
Lexington armchair in Rust velvet, Atkin And Thyme.
The old living room, looking out to the hallway. This room is now a living and dining space.
The front door of the apartment opens into this corridor, with the living room to the right and bedrooms beyond.
Josephine improved the storage in this space, painted it a soft blue and added a statement pendant light to create a welcoming and functional hallway.
LedsC4 Ilargi 320mm pendant light, Moonlight Design. Walls painted in Sardine; ceiling painted in Cornforth White, both Farrow & Ball.
LedsC4 Ilargi 320mm pendant light, Moonlight Design. Walls painted in Sardine; ceiling painted in Cornforth White, both Farrow & Ball.
The house is on the top floor of the block and has deep eaves on some of the walls (see plans of the original layout, below), including here in the hallway. These provide space for storage.
There were originally two cupboards built in here, but the owner wanted more space for footwear. “I thought having drawers would be better than cabinets for different types of shoes,” Josephine says.
She also added a cupboard in the middle for gym bags and yoga mats. “We had to check that the lintel above the window could support this change, as we were removing the wall between the two original cupboards,” she says.
There were originally two cupboards built in here, but the owner wanted more space for footwear. “I thought having drawers would be better than cabinets for different types of shoes,” Josephine says.
She also added a cupboard in the middle for gym bags and yoga mats. “We had to check that the lintel above the window could support this change, as we were removing the wall between the two original cupboards,” she says.
This plan shows the original layout of the flat.
This plan shows the final layout.
Find the perfect interior designer to help you renovate your home in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
Find the perfect interior designer to help you renovate your home in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
The main reception room measures 8m x 5m. “You can do quite a lot in such a huge space,” Josephine says. She’s zoned it into a dining area at one end and the living space with TV at the other.
Branton expandable dining table; Framework dining chairs, all West Elm. Kanata 5-light pendant, Northern Lights. Walls painted in Oval Room Blue, Farrow & Ball.
Branton expandable dining table; Framework dining chairs, all West Elm. Kanata 5-light pendant, Northern Lights. Walls painted in Oval Room Blue, Farrow & Ball.
The original kitchen, looking towards what is now the pantry (behind the pocket door, which Josephine retained), had a ceiling made of aluminium planks. The owner still has a (different) table here, with two benches.
More: How to Start a Kitchen Renovation
More: How to Start a Kitchen Renovation
The owner wanted a classic Shaker style in a cornflower shade for the new kitchen, with some texture mixed in. Marble tiles form the splashback and the worktop is quartz.
Kitchen cabinets, Kitchens With Elegance. Quartz worktop, Planet Marble. Splashback in Calacatta Amber honed marble, Mandarin Stone. Dark wood-effect floor tiles, Porcelain Superstore.
Kitchen cabinets, Kitchens With Elegance. Quartz worktop, Planet Marble. Splashback in Calacatta Amber honed marble, Mandarin Stone. Dark wood-effect floor tiles, Porcelain Superstore.
Josephine is French, and the print propped up on the worktop is a playful nod to this. “I always try to add French artists or soft furnishing to all my projects,” she says. “It’s my touch.”
Artwork by Dave Buonaguidi, Jealous Gallery. Range cooker and extractor, Rangemaster,
Artwork by Dave Buonaguidi, Jealous Gallery. Range cooker and extractor, Rangemaster,
Originally, the space between the kitchen and utility room was full of wine racks. “The owners don’t drink much, so they wanted this area to become storage for food,” Josephine says.
She asked the kitchen designers to create this pantry space in the same blue colour. “The owner wasn’t sure about what flooring to use,” she says. “There are ceramic wood plank-effect tiles in the kitchen, but we decided to add a bit of pattern and fun in here. These tiles go well with the walls and cabinets, and the pattern really helps in this kind of space, because the cupboards are quite plain.”
There’s a pocket door between the kitchen and the pantry, but not between the pantry and the utility room beyond. “That’s another reason for using a different floor colour and style,” she adds. “The tiles link and zone those two practical spaces.”
Built-in pantry furniture, Kitchens With Elegance. Havana White Herald floor tiles, Tiles Direct.
She asked the kitchen designers to create this pantry space in the same blue colour. “The owner wasn’t sure about what flooring to use,” she says. “There are ceramic wood plank-effect tiles in the kitchen, but we decided to add a bit of pattern and fun in here. These tiles go well with the walls and cabinets, and the pattern really helps in this kind of space, because the cupboards are quite plain.”
There’s a pocket door between the kitchen and the pantry, but not between the pantry and the utility room beyond. “That’s another reason for using a different floor colour and style,” she adds. “The tiles link and zone those two practical spaces.”
Built-in pantry furniture, Kitchens With Elegance. Havana White Herald floor tiles, Tiles Direct.
What is now the utility room was originally a shower room.
The owner had wondered about keeping this space as a shower room, but Josephine suggested redesigning it as a utility space. “We decided to create an en suite in the spare bedroom, so [guests] don’t have to walk through the entire flat to have a shower,” she says. There is a cloakroom for visitors, too, while the main bathroom is accessed from within the couple’s bedroom.
Removing a partition that separated the shower room from a narrow space on the other side that housed the previous owners’ washing machine and dryer (see the original floor plan) created a larger room, too. “It made more sense to have all the laundry stuff and white goods there,” Josephine says.
White wall tiles, Tile Mountain.
Removing a partition that separated the shower room from a narrow space on the other side that housed the previous owners’ washing machine and dryer (see the original floor plan) created a larger room, too. “It made more sense to have all the laundry stuff and white goods there,” Josephine says.
White wall tiles, Tile Mountain.
In the original main bedroom, which is around 8m x 5m, Josephine ripped out all these built-in wardrobes and removed the unit that contained the bedhead and bedside tables.
“The cupboards were all solid wood,” Josephine says. “I don’t like to waste anything, and we had all this wood so we tried to reuse it, but it was going to be a false economy. The owners did give away the kitchen, though, which was in very good condition.”
“The cupboards were all solid wood,” Josephine says. “I don’t like to waste anything, and we had all this wood so we tried to reuse it, but it was going to be a false economy. The owners did give away the kitchen, though, which was in very good condition.”
With the built-in joinery gone, the bed could then sit against this wall.
Pillow Talker bed, Loaf. Toshi chest of drawers, Atkin And Thyme. Opal Lamp White L, Folk. Lana wool rug in Beige, Benuta. Estelle wallpaper by Sandberg, Wallpaper Direct.
Pillow Talker bed, Loaf. Toshi chest of drawers, Atkin And Thyme. Opal Lamp White L, Folk. Lana wool rug in Beige, Benuta. Estelle wallpaper by Sandberg, Wallpaper Direct.
Josephine then added in a partition opposite the bed (out of shot on the left) to create a dressing room. She included a little desk for occasional working in the bedroom, too. After these photos were taken, she also had wooden shutters fitted on the windows in both bedrooms.
Desk, West Elm. Chair, Anthropologie. Artwork, Studio Coverdale. Walls and ceiling painted in Cornforth White, Farrow & Ball.
Desk, West Elm. Chair, Anthropologie. Artwork, Studio Coverdale. Walls and ceiling painted in Cornforth White, Farrow & Ball.
Josephine drew up the plans for the dressing room and the builders constructed it from MDF. “We measured everything, all the owners’ shoes and clothes – [one of the two] has quite a large collection of trainers – so we could create space for it all,” she says.
There is hanging storage designed for coats, dresses, shirts and trousers, plus drawers for folded items, and room for large boxes on the top of the units.
Mirror, Oliver Bonas. Matrix Round 2 Light table lamp, Moonlight Design. Hector wool runner, Benuta. Walls, ceiling and joinery painted in Cornforth White, Farrow & Ball.
There is hanging storage designed for coats, dresses, shirts and trousers, plus drawers for folded items, and room for large boxes on the top of the units.
Mirror, Oliver Bonas. Matrix Round 2 Light table lamp, Moonlight Design. Hector wool runner, Benuta. Walls, ceiling and joinery painted in Cornforth White, Farrow & Ball.
The intention was not to change much in the main bathroom, only to replace the original vanity unit. “Unfortunately, though, there was underfloor heating that didn’t work and had been grouted over, and the shower was leaking,” Josephine says.
She had to fix the shower, remove the old heating and replace it with new and put in a new floor. “In the end, we did quite a lot of work in here and changed about 75% of the room. There’s always a surprise somewhere,” she says.
There was a wide cupboard in the original bathroom. Half of it now forms part of the dressing room next door. “I decided to make the remaining doors a feature by tiling them instead of having them as wood,” Josephine says. “It was also a nice way to bring a different colour and texture to this very beige bathroom.” The tiles look like timber slats (seen on the left in this photo). Josephine used the same tiles in the shower. She added a new mirror and vanity unit, too.
Zotto American Walnut and Black Anthracite vanity unit, Lusso Stone. Floor tiles, Mandarin Stone. Forest Walnut Slat Wood wall tiles, Porcelain Superstore.
She had to fix the shower, remove the old heating and replace it with new and put in a new floor. “In the end, we did quite a lot of work in here and changed about 75% of the room. There’s always a surprise somewhere,” she says.
There was a wide cupboard in the original bathroom. Half of it now forms part of the dressing room next door. “I decided to make the remaining doors a feature by tiling them instead of having them as wood,” Josephine says. “It was also a nice way to bring a different colour and texture to this very beige bathroom.” The tiles look like timber slats (seen on the left in this photo). Josephine used the same tiles in the shower. She added a new mirror and vanity unit, too.
Zotto American Walnut and Black Anthracite vanity unit, Lusso Stone. Floor tiles, Mandarin Stone. Forest Walnut Slat Wood wall tiles, Porcelain Superstore.
Here’s the guest bedroom before. Josephine created a new en suite in here, to the left of the window, by building stud walls.
One of the owners has family overseas; the other has family in Scotland, so a guest room was important. A comfortable sofa-bed is ready for their visits.
Josephine used wallpaper in here and in the main bedroom. “I’m a big fan of wallpaper,” she says. “It brings so much to a space. Not everyone has artworks, so it’s a nice way to add in colour, texture and patterns.”
Sofa-bed, Darlings Of Chelsea. Domiers wallpaper, Les Reves Collection by Nina Campbell, Wallpaper Direct.
Josephine used wallpaper in here and in the main bedroom. “I’m a big fan of wallpaper,” she says. “It brings so much to a space. Not everyone has artworks, so it’s a nice way to add in colour, texture and patterns.”
Sofa-bed, Darlings Of Chelsea. Domiers wallpaper, Les Reves Collection by Nina Campbell, Wallpaper Direct.
The guest room was repurposed to double as a home office. Half of the cupboard seen here is clothes storage for visitors to use; the other is for a printer, files and paperwork.
Ceiling and walls painted in Cornforth White, Farrow & Ball.
Ceiling and walls painted in Cornforth White, Farrow & Ball.
The new guest en suite is compact but perfect for occasional visitors. “The owner wanted something quite understated here with marble-style tiles,” Josephine says. “She wanted a black tap, so we went full-on with that and used black on the shower, radiator, everywhere.”
The owner also originally wanted a toilet in here, but instead Josephine recommended simply keeping the one across the corridor to free-up more space for the shower. “The room is 120cm wide, which is the width of the shower tray,” she says.
Vanity unit and basin, Homebase. Monaco Brushed Marble Effect porcelain tiles, Mandarin Stone. Taps, shower tray and screen, Letta London.
The owner also originally wanted a toilet in here, but instead Josephine recommended simply keeping the one across the corridor to free-up more space for the shower. “The room is 120cm wide, which is the width of the shower tray,” she says.
Vanity unit and basin, Homebase. Monaco Brushed Marble Effect porcelain tiles, Mandarin Stone. Taps, shower tray and screen, Letta London.
There is a separate cloakroom near the bedrooms. Originally, it had a tiny basin fitted into the wall and a built-in cupboard on the other side.
The built-in cupboard was removed to make space for a basin and vanity unit. The bird artworks are by Oscar Vinet, Josephine’s son. “He gave the owner some of his illustrations when I styled her flat for the photoshoot,” she says.
Josephine loved working on this project. “The owner was so easy to work with, so bubbly, and she never said no to any of my ideas!” In turn, the owner is delighted with her newly modernised home, completed in February 2024. “She loved it,” says Josephine. “She kept messaging me about how delighted she was to be in there. She was very, very happy.”
Truffle wallpaper by Sanderson, Wallpaper Direct. Walls painted in Green Blue, Farrow & Ball. Wall hung vanity unit, Drench. Mirror, Bathroom Mountain.
Tell us…
What’s do you like about this updated apartment? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
Josephine loved working on this project. “The owner was so easy to work with, so bubbly, and she never said no to any of my ideas!” In turn, the owner is delighted with her newly modernised home, completed in February 2024. “She loved it,” says Josephine. “She kept messaging me about how delighted she was to be in there. She was very, very happy.”
Truffle wallpaper by Sanderson, Wallpaper Direct. Walls painted in Green Blue, Farrow & Ball. Wall hung vanity unit, Drench. Mirror, Bathroom Mountain.
Tell us…
What’s do you like about this updated apartment? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
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Who lives here? A couple
Location Hampstead, London
Property A fourth-floor apartment in a portered Victorian block
Size Two bedrooms and two bathrooms
Project year 2024
Designer Josephine Lecoufle-Vinet of JLV Design
Photos by Matt Gamble Photography
“This was a dream job with so much potential,” Josephine says. “The space is amazing. The challenge was, what can we do with all of this?” She had lots of ideas and there were some obvious improvements that she spied the second she stepped inside. “I could see the problems straightaway,” she says. The solution? “Take everything out!”
Once stripped back, Josephine could then improve the layout, adding an en suite to the guest bedroom and a dressing room to the main bedroom. A shower room off the kitchen became a utility; a room used to store wine became a pantry, and, suddenly, this apartment was flowing and functioning beautifully.
Josephine prepared three designs that specified colours and materials and the owner picked this blue scheme.
Walls painted in Oval Room Blue; ceiling painted in Cornforth White, both Farrow & Ball. Sofa, Darlings of Chelsea. Periscope flatweave rug, A Rum Fellow. TV cabinet, Naken Interiors. Drinks cabinet, Atkin And Thyme.