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Houzz Tour: A Victorian Family Home That’s Made for Christmas
This vibrant Victorian terrace packed with period features is always beautifully dressed up for the festive season
Decorated with rich velvets and vivid colours, interior designer Emma Green’s Victorian terrace in south London is always particularly beautiful at Christmas time. When she and her husband bought the house, however, it looked very different.
‘It was all yellow walls and blue carpets,’ Emma reminisces. ‘We’ve done it up gradually, in stages. First we concentrated on getting the place more liveable. We pulled up the carpets downstairs to reveal the beautiful original floorboards underneath, which we stained, then we re-carpeted upstairs and painted the whole place. A new kitchen was next, which we then went on to update with new fronts, and finally we converted the loft.’
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‘It was all yellow walls and blue carpets,’ Emma reminisces. ‘We’ve done it up gradually, in stages. First we concentrated on getting the place more liveable. We pulled up the carpets downstairs to reveal the beautiful original floorboards underneath, which we stained, then we re-carpeted upstairs and painted the whole place. A new kitchen was next, which we then went on to update with new fronts, and finally we converted the loft.’
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With all the tough decisions made, however, Emma is now delighted with the final result.
Front door painted in Down Pipe, Farrow & Ball.
Front door painted in Down Pipe, Farrow & Ball.
Emma kept the existing footprint of the house and restored all its period features, including the Victorian doors, cornicing and original floorboards. She bought the mirror while on holiday in France and made the light shade with a vintage chandelier surrounded by silk.
Hallway and double reception room painted in Slate, Paint and Paper Library. Light shade, Emma Green Design.
Hallway and double reception room painted in Slate, Paint and Paper Library. Light shade, Emma Green Design.
At Christmas, a large tree always sits alongside a roaring fire. ‘We all love this time of year,’ says Emma. ‘We get started on the tree and fill it with baubles that match the colour scheme.
‘The purple balls are then hung from the lights, I put a couple of little gold trees on the mantelpiece, which we cover with fairy lights, and then there are always a few candles around, too. I also wrap a garland around the stair banisters and add a few seasonal touches to the children’s rooms.’
‘The purple balls are then hung from the lights, I put a couple of little gold trees on the mantelpiece, which we cover with fairy lights, and then there are always a few candles around, too. I also wrap a garland around the stair banisters and add a few seasonal touches to the children’s rooms.’
As the living room faces the street, the windows have been covered with two-tier shutters, so that during the day the family can keep out prying eyes while still letting in the light.
‘I had the sofa made bespoke, because I knew the style and size I wanted and couldn’t find anything similar,’ Emma says. ‘A local upholsterer made the footstool, too.’
Purple sofa, bespoke.
Tempted to have shutters fitted? Find curtain, blind and shutter professionals in your area.
‘I had the sofa made bespoke, because I knew the style and size I wanted and couldn’t find anything similar,’ Emma says. ‘A local upholsterer made the footstool, too.’
Purple sofa, bespoke.
Tempted to have shutters fitted? Find curtain, blind and shutter professionals in your area.
Emma wanted this room to feel warm and sumptuous, which is why she chose the rich velvet fabric for the sofa. ‘I like purple velvet – it looks very luxurious and it works well with turquoise, which is my favourite colour,’ she says.
Cushions, bespoke.
Cushions, bespoke.
In the dining room, Emma had the cherry wood dining table (which came from a shop that’s now closed down) French polished and stained a darker colour to match the floorboards. She’s surrounded it with a mix of Victoria Ghost and vintage chairs, which she had painted and upholstered to match the turquoise and purple colour scheme.
Victoria Ghost chairs by Philippe Starck, available at John Lewis.
Browse 9 festive ways to dress your Christmas table.
Victoria Ghost chairs by Philippe Starck, available at John Lewis.
Browse 9 festive ways to dress your Christmas table.
In the kitchen, Emma replaced a small window with patio doors to pull in more light and connect to the garden. She also swapped the traditional unit fronts for glossy, taupe-coloured doors to give the room a more contemporary feel.
Kitchen unit fronts, Euromobil.
Kitchen unit fronts, Euromobil.
‘I went for open shelving instead of boxy wall units in the kitchen, as it makes an interesting focal point,’ Emma says, pictured here with one of her children. ‘And filling the shelves with glasses adds a little extra sparkle to the room, too.’
Converting the loft has allowed Emma to create a hotel-style master bedroom suite, with a dressing room leading into an en suite bathroom.
‘I designed the super-king-size bed with a high, buttoned, black-velvet headboard to be the focal point of the room,’ Emma says. ‘It’s so large, it had to be winched up through the window!’ The cushions, which Emma also designed, and the throws that dress the bed add to the room’s boutique hotel feel.’
‘I designed the super-king-size bed with a high, buttoned, black-velvet headboard to be the focal point of the room,’ Emma says. ‘It’s so large, it had to be winched up through the window!’ The cushions, which Emma also designed, and the throws that dress the bed add to the room’s boutique hotel feel.’
Glossy lacquered wardrobes in the dressing area, which link the bedroom to the bathroom, help to bounce light around. The large oval bath stands serenely at the end of the dressing room, helping to create the feel of an inner sanctuary away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the house.
Emma chose large-scale, 60cm x 60cm porcelain tiles for the bathroom floor to make the space look bigger.
Bath, Victoria Plum. Porcelain floor tiles, Surface Tiles.
Emma chose large-scale, 60cm x 60cm porcelain tiles for the bathroom floor to make the space look bigger.
Bath, Victoria Plum. Porcelain floor tiles, Surface Tiles.
Emma always likes to include lots of vibrant colours in children’s rooms and, where she can, will use environmentally friendly paint; the bright green chimney breast here ticks both of those boxes. She’s also dotted the room with turquoise to link the colour scheme to the rest of the house.
Green paint, Paint The Town Green. Blind fabric, Designers Guild.
Shop children’s furniture on Houzz.
Green paint, Paint The Town Green. Blind fabric, Designers Guild.
Shop children’s furniture on Houzz.
In the nursery, a mural cut from vintage wallpaper adds detail to the pretty pink scheme.
Mural, Inke. Curtains, bespoke.
Mural, Inke. Curtains, bespoke.
With no built-in storage in the nursery, Emma looked for wardrobes that were both fun and functional, and these Amsterdam House designs hit the spot. ‘They add a little bit of fun and colour,’ she says, ‘and they actually hold quite a lot of stuff, too.’
Amsterdam House wardrobes, Cuckooland.
Tell us…
Does your home look particularly lovely at Christmas? Tell us how you dress it up and show us your photos in the Comments section.
Amsterdam House wardrobes, Cuckooland.
Tell us…
Does your home look particularly lovely at Christmas? Tell us how you dress it up and show us your photos in the Comments section.
Who lives here? Interior designer Emma Green, her husband and their two children
Location South London
Size Three bedrooms and two bathrooms
Designer Emma Green at Emma Green Design
There are pros and cons to being an interior designer when it comes to doing up your own home. ‘Working on your own place is harder in a way than working on a client’s house,’ Emma reveals. ‘When I work with a client, I find it easier to understand exactly the look they want and then I can put together a list of choices for them. When it comes to my home, I’m aware of all the different combinations of choices I can make, so it’s a bit trickier.’