Houzz Tour: Soft Tones Freshen a Beautiful Georgian Home
A light, neutral palette was key to showcasing the period features in this renovated Georgian townhouse
When the owners of this Georgian townhouse moved into their new home, the property was in a state of disrepair. However, they had managed to restore quite a large part of the house before calling in interior designer Beth Dadswell to help with the rest.
“They’d done quite a few things themselves,” Beth says, “but needed a bit of help to phase the project properly.” Beth and her team worked closely with the couple to collaborate on turning the space into a practical and cosy home for the busy family.
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“They’d done quite a few things themselves,” Beth says, “but needed a bit of help to phase the project properly.” Beth and her team worked closely with the couple to collaborate on turning the space into a practical and cosy home for the busy family.
This article is from our Most Popular stories file
To keep the budget on track, pipework and electrics were left in their original positions. The sink has a view out to the garden through recently refurbished windows.
“The timber was rotten, so we replaced them with new wooden ones,” Beth says. “We added brass fittings and tied them in by using brass handles on the kitchen cabinets.”
The white walls make the space light and fresh, but the couple also wanted the room to complement the period feel of the house and to feel warm, rather than clinical.
“The brass fittings and dark-stained wooden floor help with this,” Beth says, “as do the textured Moroccan zellige tiles on the splashback.”
Zellige tiles, Mosaic del Sur.
“The timber was rotten, so we replaced them with new wooden ones,” Beth says. “We added brass fittings and tied them in by using brass handles on the kitchen cabinets.”
The white walls make the space light and fresh, but the couple also wanted the room to complement the period feel of the house and to feel warm, rather than clinical.
“The brass fittings and dark-stained wooden floor help with this,” Beth says, “as do the textured Moroccan zellige tiles on the splashback.”
Zellige tiles, Mosaic del Sur.
In the hallway, Beth’s team stripped and stained the floorboards and painted the walls fresh white. “We kept the walls fairly neutral in most parts of the house to provide a backdrop for the couple’s collection of artwork,” Beth explains.
To bring some soft colour into the hallway, she complemented the sisal stair runner with a similar rug trimmed in a heather tone.
Bespoke sisal rug, The Natural Rug Store. Wheat wool stair runner, Alternative Flooring. Walls painted in Brilliant White, Dulux.
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To bring some soft colour into the hallway, she complemented the sisal stair runner with a similar rug trimmed in a heather tone.
Bespoke sisal rug, The Natural Rug Store. Wheat wool stair runner, Alternative Flooring. Walls painted in Brilliant White, Dulux.
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On the first floor, the stairs lead straight into a piano room and study, with French windows opening out onto a sunny terrace.
“It’s a beautiful room with views of the terrace and garden,” Beth says. “There’s a small desk opposite the piano and the owners’ vintage French rug covers the floor.”
“It’s a beautiful room with views of the terrace and garden,” Beth says. “There’s a small desk opposite the piano and the owners’ vintage French rug covers the floor.”
The first floor is also home to a living room and dining room, separated by double doors. “The owners were unsure of how they wanted to use these two spaces, but we decided to create a formal dining room at this end for when guests come round,” Beth says. “The challenge was tying the two rooms together.”
The design team laid sisal rugs in both rooms, and reinstated ceiling roses on both ceilings to capture the grand feel of the original building.
They also had the floorboards stripped and stained throughout, added a pair of mirrors above the fireplaces, and fitted matching metal chandeliers in each space.
Browse through a selection of rugs in the Houzz Shop
The design team laid sisal rugs in both rooms, and reinstated ceiling roses on both ceilings to capture the grand feel of the original building.
They also had the floorboards stripped and stained throughout, added a pair of mirrors above the fireplaces, and fitted matching metal chandeliers in each space.
Browse through a selection of rugs in the Houzz Shop
The owners had already painted the walls in this room dark, which Beth thought worked well. The antique dining table is surrounded by chairs with white covers.
“The owner loves this vintage French look, and these covers complement the white covers on the living room sofas,” Beth says.
“The owner loves this vintage French look, and these covers complement the white covers on the living room sofas,” Beth says.
In the adjoining living room, three sofas give the space a cosy feel. “As they’re not very deep, they work well in the room,” Beth says. “So we bought loose covers, which match the ones on the dining chairs.”
The soft walls showcase a couple of bright prints. “The owner already had one, but I encouraged her to get another to create symmetry,” Beth says.
More colour and texture has been introduced with velvet and kilim cushions.
“We replaced a big ottoman in the middle of the room with a glass and brass coffee table,” Beth says. “It feels lighter in the small space.”
Sofas, Ikea. Sisal rugs, French Connection. Chandeliers, Brabin & Fitz. Coffee table, La Redoute. Wall painted in Elephant’s Breath, Farrow & Ball.
See 10 more times cushions made a living room
The soft walls showcase a couple of bright prints. “The owner already had one, but I encouraged her to get another to create symmetry,” Beth says.
More colour and texture has been introduced with velvet and kilim cushions.
“We replaced a big ottoman in the middle of the room with a glass and brass coffee table,” Beth says. “It feels lighter in the small space.”
Sofas, Ikea. Sisal rugs, French Connection. Chandeliers, Brabin & Fitz. Coffee table, La Redoute. Wall painted in Elephant’s Breath, Farrow & Ball.
See 10 more times cushions made a living room
Below each of the bright prints, Beth placed a pair of Swedish Gustavian chests. She also found some wall sconces for above the fireplace to match those in the dining room.
Antique Gustavian chests of drawers, Stenvall Interiors. Wall lights; vintage tube posters, all eBay.
Antique Gustavian chests of drawers, Stenvall Interiors. Wall lights; vintage tube posters, all eBay.
In the large master bedroom, the owner had already hung white curtains at the windows, and Beth added soft hues elsewhere to create a snug, inviting retreat.
“We had a new bedhead made for the huge American bed, which really made a difference,” Beth says. “We also put a bench at the end of the bed to make it feel grander.”
The armchair was turned into a reading spot with the addition of a brass floor lamp.
Walls painted in Elephant’s Breath, Farrow & Ball. Reading lamp, French Connection.
“We had a new bedhead made for the huge American bed, which really made a difference,” Beth says. “We also put a bench at the end of the bed to make it feel grander.”
The armchair was turned into a reading spot with the addition of a brass floor lamp.
Walls painted in Elephant’s Breath, Farrow & Ball. Reading lamp, French Connection.
Beth pulled out colours from the owners’ vintage rug and added a pink velvet throw and cushions, as well as peach and gold tones in the form of accessories and flowers.
Beside the bed are two vintage-style chests of drawers, a couple of vintage mirrors and some brass bedside lamps.
Bedside tables, Swoon. Brass lamps, Pooky. Velvet cushions, Cox & Cox.
Beside the bed are two vintage-style chests of drawers, a couple of vintage mirrors and some brass bedside lamps.
Bedside tables, Swoon. Brass lamps, Pooky. Velvet cushions, Cox & Cox.
The en suite bathroom was more or less finished before Beth was brought on board, so she simply added a sisal rug to make it cosier. “The colours and style in here set the tone for the bedroom,” Beth says.
Floor tiles, Alhambra Tiles. Pendant light, eBay.
Floor tiles, Alhambra Tiles. Pendant light, eBay.
The couple’s youngest son sleeps on the top floor in this cosy bedroom. “It was originally blue, but it felt a little cold, so we painted it white,” Beth explains. “I designed a floor-to-ceiling storage unit with a built-in bedside table and display area for all his Lego.”
The windows in here were refurbished, as were others throughout the house. “The previous owners had fitted casement windows,” Beth says, “so we worked closely with the local council to make sure we replaced them with the correct sash ones.”
Tell us…
What’s your favourite area in this Georgian family house? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
The windows in here were refurbished, as were others throughout the house. “The previous owners had fitted casement windows,” Beth says, “so we worked closely with the local council to make sure we replaced them with the correct sash ones.”
Tell us…
What’s your favourite area in this Georgian family house? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
Who lives here An American couple with three boys
Location South London
Property A Georgian townhouse
Size Four bedrooms and two bathrooms, plus a cloakroom
Designer Beth Dadswell of Imperfect Interiors
Photos by Chris Snook
The kitchen needed to be a comfortable space for the family, so Beth created a couple of areas where they could all gather. The peninsula unit has wide storage drawers along one side, leaving room for bar stools on the other.
“It made a big difference, as it added storage, an extra worksurface, and somewhere for the boys to perch at breakfast time,” she says.
Beth had to work around the column in the middle of the room, as removing it would have increased the budget significantly. So she designed the peninsula around the structure, and it now forms a stop at the end of the breakfast bar.
A joiner constructed a cosy and practical bench seat with plenty of space for everyone. Beth covered the seat cushions in an olive green brushed cotton and added grey velvet and embroidered scatter cushions.
Kitchen units, SDS London. Misty Carrera worktops, Caesarstone. Walls painted in Strong White, Farrow & Ball.