Houzz Tour: An Elegant Georgian Townhouse in West London
Luxurious fabrics, bespoke touches and plenty of storage have made this Georgian home elegantly suited to modern family life
The owners of this Georgian townhouse had an advantage when it came to renovating their home. The interior designer they called, Henriette von Stockhausen, had directed their property’s initial renovation some 15 years previously, so knew their likes and dislikes inside out. ‘We’ve known the family for a long time, and we understand how their lives work and what they enjoy,’ explains Henriette. ‘I know [the mother] so well, I can predict exactly what sort of wallpaper and fabric she’ll like.’
With four young children in the house, the biggest challenge for Henriette was designing a space that would stand the wear and tear of family life without compromising on beauty. ‘It was difficult to keep a clean and pretty look while making it work for everyday life,’ says Henriette. The designer used hidden storage to keep everything slick, and kept some more traditional elements to ensure it didn’t end up being a ‘standard clean look’, but rather a detailed, nuanced and elegant interior.
Photographs: Alison Hammond Photography
With four young children in the house, the biggest challenge for Henriette was designing a space that would stand the wear and tear of family life without compromising on beauty. ‘It was difficult to keep a clean and pretty look while making it work for everyday life,’ says Henriette. The designer used hidden storage to keep everything slick, and kept some more traditional elements to ensure it didn’t end up being a ‘standard clean look’, but rather a detailed, nuanced and elegant interior.
Photographs: Alison Hammond Photography
The kitchen leads on from the dining room through an open archway. While the feel of the space is quite different, with the kitchen having a more contemporary vibe, continuity is kept through the oak floorboards and similar colour scheme.
The key to the calm look of this room is that everything is hidden away to keep the lines sleek and the surfaces clear. A full-height bank of appliances and cabinets spans the left-hand wall. Gaggenau ovens, a steamer and a large fridge-freezer stand next to tall walnut sliding doors that hide further cabinets and preparation areas, to enable any mess to be kept from sight. All of the small appliances, including the toaster, coffee machine and kettle, are kept behind here.
The kitchen was designed bespoke by VSP Interiors. The cabinets are white lacquer and the worktop is granite in Snowdrift.
Appliances, Gaggenau. Sink and tap, Franke.
Tour a narrow galley kitchen in Birmingham
The key to the calm look of this room is that everything is hidden away to keep the lines sleek and the surfaces clear. A full-height bank of appliances and cabinets spans the left-hand wall. Gaggenau ovens, a steamer and a large fridge-freezer stand next to tall walnut sliding doors that hide further cabinets and preparation areas, to enable any mess to be kept from sight. All of the small appliances, including the toaster, coffee machine and kettle, are kept behind here.
The kitchen was designed bespoke by VSP Interiors. The cabinets are white lacquer and the worktop is granite in Snowdrift.
Appliances, Gaggenau. Sink and tap, Franke.
Tour a narrow galley kitchen in Birmingham
At the other end of the kitchen is an informal dining space, which the family use on a regular basis. ‘It’s quite a tricky space because it’s narrow,’ explains Henriette, ‘so to make the most of it, the dining table needed to be custom-made. It’s a size you can’t buy off the shelf.’
A skylight was added to keep the area light and bright and make it a friendly space for casual meals.
The dining table and benches are white lacquer with dyed leather seats. Ever conscious of practicalities, the mother carried out the ‘spaghetti test’ – placing spaghetti bolognese on the leather samples overnight to see which would be best suited to family life.
Walls painted in Cornforth White, Farrow & Ball.
A skylight was added to keep the area light and bright and make it a friendly space for casual meals.
The dining table and benches are white lacquer with dyed leather seats. Ever conscious of practicalities, the mother carried out the ‘spaghetti test’ – placing spaghetti bolognese on the leather samples overnight to see which would be best suited to family life.
Walls painted in Cornforth White, Farrow & Ball.
The house has five storeys, with two additional half-levels. The front door opens on to a hallway that merges with the open dining and kitchen areas. A basement level on the lower-ground floor houses a bedroom, bathroom, playroom and cloakroom. On the half-level above the kitchen-diner is a study, and a double-aspect drawing room is on the first floor. Up half a flight of stairs is a guest bedroom, then steps lead up to a master bedroom, walk-in wardrobe and en suite on the second floor. On the third floor are two further bedrooms and a family bathroom.
Table and mirror, Louise Bradley. Carpet, Stark Carpet. Walls painted in Pavilion Gray, Farrow & Ball.
Table and mirror, Louise Bradley. Carpet, Stark Carpet. Walls painted in Pavilion Gray, Farrow & Ball.
The playroom/family room is in the basement. With four children born since the last renovation, the family were in need of a less formal living space. Henriette was careful to build in lots of storage, so toys could easily be stashed away and the room used as a place in which the parents could relax.
Wallpaper, Designers Guild.
Wallpaper, Designers Guild.
To add interest to the small, windowless cloakroom in the basement, Henriette went with a bold choice of wallpaper. ‘Without windows, spaces need something interesting to make them a bit more fun and give them some sort of impact,’ she says. She went for a dark and atmospheric design, with a contrasting custom-made Carrara marble basin. The basin was hung slightly lower than normal to enable the children to reach it.
Wallpaper, Ralph Lauren. Taps, Hansgrohe. Toilet, Laufen.
Wallpaper, Ralph Lauren. Taps, Hansgrohe. Toilet, Laufen.
To bring the sparkle and glamour the client adores into the drawing room, Henriette opted for embroidery, glass beads and luxurious fabrics. White sofas team with chocolate armchairs and fabrics from Designers Guild and Ralph Lauren to build up layers of texture and sumptuousness.
The lighting scheme for the property was designed and installed by specialist John Cullen Lighting. Henriette worked with the company to develop six mood settings for the Lutron lighting system that was installed, enabling the family to change the atmosphere in their rooms at the touch of a button.
Sofas, Nicky Haslam. Armchairs, Massant. Coffee table, Carew Jones. Chandelier and console table, Louise Bradley. Curtain fabric, Salon Silk Pearl Grey by Ralph Lauren. Flooring, Solid Floor.
The lighting scheme for the property was designed and installed by specialist John Cullen Lighting. Henriette worked with the company to develop six mood settings for the Lutron lighting system that was installed, enabling the family to change the atmosphere in their rooms at the touch of a button.
Sofas, Nicky Haslam. Armchairs, Massant. Coffee table, Carew Jones. Chandelier and console table, Louise Bradley. Curtain fabric, Salon Silk Pearl Grey by Ralph Lauren. Flooring, Solid Floor.
‘It was quite difficult to walk the line between classic and modern,’ says Henriette. ‘Everything the client likes is quite modern, but she didn’t want to lose the traditional feel altogether.’ The designer opted for classic elements, such as the Louise Bradley chandelier, but kept clean lines in all of the joinery and the old stone fireplace.
Fireplace, Wharton Antiques.
Fireplace, Wharton Antiques.
For the master bedroom, the client wanted it to stay fairly neutral, but still be very pretty. ‘We found the most gorgeous, old-fashioned, dusky grey pink colour for the walls,’ says Henriette, ‘and everything went from there.’ A pink sofa was updated using white piping to give it a slightly more contemporary edge. The headboard was made bespoke by VSP Interiors, as were the curtains in a fabric from Designers Guild.
Bedside table, Moissonnier. Bedside lamp, Porta Romana (discontinued). Spotlights, John Cullen Lighting. Sofa, Massant. Chinoiserie wallpaper, Stark.
Bedside table, Moissonnier. Bedside lamp, Porta Romana (discontinued). Spotlights, John Cullen Lighting. Sofa, Massant. Chinoiserie wallpaper, Stark.
An important part of the redesign for the master bedroom was the addition of this sleek walk-in wardrobe. It has a boutique feel and gives the whole suite a more lavish and indulgent feel. It was made by bespoke furniture company Minimo in stained limed oak with the input of lighting specialist John Cullen Lighting. ‘This is essentially a very dark room, but lit properly it looks amazing,’ says Henriette.
Browse more walk-in wardrobe ideas
Browse more walk-in wardrobe ideas
The sense of opulence is continued in the master en suite, with mirrored walls reflecting the natural details of the Calacatta d’Oro marble. The flooring is granite in Snowdrift.
Shower, Hansgrohe. Basin, Villeroy & Boch, under-mounted in custom-made marble units. Taps, CP Hart. Lights, Vaughan. Walls painted in Cornforth White, Farrow & Ball.
Shower, Hansgrohe. Basin, Villeroy & Boch, under-mounted in custom-made marble units. Taps, CP Hart. Lights, Vaughan. Walls painted in Cornforth White, Farrow & Ball.
A deep, double-ended bath and a separate large shower make for luxurious bathing. ‘All of the surfaces that could be mirrored are, in order to maximise the light,’ says Henriette.
Starlet double-ended under-counter bath, Bette.
Starlet double-ended under-counter bath, Bette.
On the top floor are two children’s bedrooms and an additional bathroom. This particular bedroom is quite small, so to accommodate all of the necessary storage, Henriette designed this princess bed with a built-in wardrobe and drawers.
‘The wallpaper is basically toile de Jouy, but with children’s patterns on it – children on swings and other things,’ she explains. The simple blind fabric adds a lighter touch and prevents the wallpaper from feeling too serious.
Play Garden wallpaper, Ralph Lauren. Blind fabric, Designers Guild. Oatmeal carpet, Wool Classics.
‘The wallpaper is basically toile de Jouy, but with children’s patterns on it – children on swings and other things,’ she explains. The simple blind fabric adds a lighter touch and prevents the wallpaper from feeling too serious.
Play Garden wallpaper, Ralph Lauren. Blind fabric, Designers Guild. Oatmeal carpet, Wool Classics.
As the kids are all still quite young, and totally into pink, the second bedroom follows a similar scheme. ‘We wanted to keep it pretty and not too bright,’ says Henriette. They installed a click flooring system made from a type of plastic that’s highly shiny and easy to clean. To soften the look, Henriette had a rug made by Loomah.
Bed and bedside table, The White Company. Armchair and ottoman, Massant. Armchair fabric, Brunschwig & Fils. Curtains made from Diamond Matelasse fabric, Ralph Lauren.
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Bed and bedside table, The White Company. Armchair and ottoman, Massant. Armchair fabric, Brunschwig & Fils. Curtains made from Diamond Matelasse fabric, Ralph Lauren.
TELL US…
What do you think of this Georgian townhouse? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
Who lives here A family of six
Location Kensington, London
Designer Henriette von Stockhausen of VSP Interiors
Size 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms
The dining room at the front of the house is accessed via large pocket doors off the hallway, increasing the sense of space. ‘Now we’ve opened up this room, it’s almost part of the hall,’ says Henriette. ‘We wanted to make the space flow a bit better, because of all the children. Most of the time the doors are left open, but for more formal dinner parties the space can be shut off.
‘The client likes everything quite neutral, leaning more to greys than creams, and she loves things that sparkle,’ Henriette says of the mother of the family. The designer chose a soft seagrass wallpaper with silver leaf behind it to bring in a bit of texture and weight. She had the dining table made in an ebony veneered base with a glass top, and had the dining chair legs stained to match. She also reupholstered the chairs in a silvery taupe fabric with chrome nailing for a more contemporary look.
A cupboard in the left-hand corner is covered in the same wallpaper, so it blends seamlessly with the rest of the room. ‘Everything from carafes to glasses are in there – basically anything you’d need in a dining room,’ says Henriette.
Wallpaper, Ralph Lauren. Fulham light oiled and smoke oak flooring, Solid Floor.