Houzz Tour: Two Flats Become One Striking Victorian Home
Turned back into a house, extended, and given a dramatic colour scheme, this Victorian semi is fit for 21st century life
Like many period properties in London, this Victorian house had been divided into two self-contained flats at some point in its history. Turning it back into one family home meant removing partitioning, extending and refurbishing, all while respecting the house’s original character. It’s proof that, when it comes to homes, two into one can go – and, on this occasion, with stunning results.
The house was extended to the side, but the architects chose not to connect the side extension directly to the rear reception room. “It would have meant losing a direct aspect from one of the principal rooms,” Bianca says. “What would have been deep and dark has been made bright and airy.”
The side return area was large enough for a path to be left alongside the extension.
The side return area was large enough for a path to be left alongside the extension.
Originally separate, the front and rear living spaces have now been opened up to one another. “The owners wanted the dual aspect and the spaces to be connected, but also to be able to close them off,” Bianca says. The deep threshold conceals pocket doors.
The rear reception room leads out into the hallway. Original features, such as the dado and picture rails, had survived the conversion of the house into two flats. Even the banister is original – it had been encased during the time when the property was split into two.
New encaustic tiles were laid to echo the look the hallway would have had when the house was built. In grey tones, they complement the colour palette chosen for the revamped home.
The front door is original, although new ironmongery was fitted. A cupboard in panelled Victorian style was built alongside it to conceal the meters.
Floor tiles, Mosaic del Sur. Console table, Swoon Editions.
The front door is original, although new ironmongery was fitted. A cupboard in panelled Victorian style was built alongside it to conceal the meters.
Floor tiles, Mosaic del Sur. Console table, Swoon Editions.
The layout flips the conventional arrangement of having the front reception room as a formal space. Here, it’s a playroom, and the door from the hallway into the space was blocked up.
“It creates more of a nook, and you get extra wall against which to place furniture,” Bianca explains.
Revamping your space? Read reviews of painters and decorators in your area.
“It creates more of a nook, and you get extra wall against which to place furniture,” Bianca explains.
Revamping your space? Read reviews of painters and decorators in your area.
It was important to include ample shelving in the playroom. “We came up with the idea of a wall of storage you walk through,” Bianca says.
The joinery also created a simple way to incorporate the pocket doors, which close the rooms off from one another when required.
The joinery also created a simple way to incorporate the pocket doors, which close the rooms off from one another when required.
A cloakroom was added under the stairs and given a glamorous finish with wallpaper and brass fittings.
Palm Jungle wallpaper, Cole & Son.
Palm Jungle wallpaper, Cole & Son.
The extension offers a view back towards the original house, via the courtyard, through steel-framed glazing that echoes the rear reception room’s French windows.
Bespoke dining table, RCC Furniture. CH24 Wishbone dining chairs, available at Skandium. Vertigo pendant light, Petite Friture.
Bespoke dining table, RCC Furniture. CH24 Wishbone dining chairs, available at Skandium. Vertigo pendant light, Petite Friture.
A pocket door from the kitchen extension leads back into the hallway.
Bar stools, French Connection.
Bar stools, French Connection.
The glazing forms a corner to the courtyard, bringing daylight to the interior of the new extension.
Reclaimed London stock brick was used for the wall of the extension behind the dining table. “The owners liked the texture, and it looks as if it’s always been there,” Bianca says. “It also softens the reflected light from the roof light and glazing.”
The bench by the wall was made bespoke for the room.
Browse dining tables in the Houzz Shop.
The bench by the wall was made bespoke for the room.
Browse dining tables in the Houzz Shop.
Sliding doors were fitted to the rear of the extension. “They keep all the framing slender and crisp, and maximise the views,” Bianca says. “Because of the width of the opening, they’re ample.”
The extension is big enough for the owners to have a super-wide island. The generous proportions also allow them to share the space with friends. “They like to have people in the kitchen with them,” Bianca says.
Tongue-and-groove-style doors were chosen for the cabinetry, creating a modern take on a traditional kitchen. The worktop is quartz with a vein that makes it look like marble. It has a deep upstand, creating a ledge wide enough to hold items needed when cooking.
Rotpunkt kitchen cabinetry in Midnight Blue, Kitchen Revolutions.
Rotpunkt kitchen cabinetry in Midnight Blue, Kitchen Revolutions.
Zinc clads the exterior of the extension. “It gives a seamless finish to the roof and walls, and shows the difference between old and new, but it’s complementary,” Bianca says.
Polished concrete flooring was laid inside the kitchen-diner, with granite paving that’s a slightly darker on the garden side of the flush threshold. Beyond the patio is a brick-paved dining terrace where the owners can take advantage of the sunshine.
Upstairs, the owners decided to create a master suite at the back of the house. Two small former bedrooms were turned into a bedroom plus walk-in wardrobe – which is behind the partition seen here. The layout means the wardrobe isn’t visible from the bedroom, but it still gets light from the side window.
“We also opened up the ceiling to the rafters to give added loftiness,” Bianca says. “It makes a big difference when you have a reduced footprint.”
Walls painted in Pigeon, Farrow & Ball.
“We also opened up the ceiling to the rafters to give added loftiness,” Bianca says. “It makes a big difference when you have a reduced footprint.”
Walls painted in Pigeon, Farrow & Ball.
A separate toilet and bathroom were knocked through to form one room with two windows, making space for a freestanding bath, a separate shower enclosure and double basins.
The vanity unit is made from reclaimed scaffold boards. “Everything else is crisp and modern, so it adds a more tactile surface,” Bianca says.
Vero basins, Duravit. Mike Pro taps, Crosswater. Black hexagon floor tiles, Original Style.
The vanity unit is made from reclaimed scaffold boards. “Everything else is crisp and modern, so it adds a more tactile surface,” Bianca says.
Vero basins, Duravit. Mike Pro taps, Crosswater. Black hexagon floor tiles, Original Style.
Herringbone tiles add texture to the wall behind the bath, while both the window wall and the ceiling are dramatic in deep colours.
Wall painted in Down Pipe; ceiling painted in Off-Black, both Farrow & Ball. Petite Millbrook bath, The Cast Iron Bath Company. Marble herringbone tiles, Mandarin Stone.
Wall painted in Down Pipe; ceiling painted in Off-Black, both Farrow & Ball. Petite Millbrook bath, The Cast Iron Bath Company. Marble herringbone tiles, Mandarin Stone.
The landing area leads to the master bedroom at the back of the house, with the bathroom on the right. “The ceiling was opened up and we introduced a rooflight to drop light into the corridor,” Bianca says. “It’s made a real difference.”
The former master bedroom at the front of the house is now a room for one of the children.
Walls painted in Down Pipe, Farrow & Ball.
Walls painted in Down Pipe, Farrow & Ball.
The proportions of the room allowed plenty of storage to be fitted in, and new joinery takes up an entire wall.
In the older child’s bedroom, a wall of joinery with a built-in seat and toy drawers below was constructed, making use of the original chimney breast.
The built-in storage has a spray-lacquered finish, but the seat is made from birch ply to create a more tactile and warm-to-the-touch surface. Leather pulls were added to the doors and drawers alongside.
Loop handles, Superfront.
Loop handles, Superfront.
Colour was used to create a distinction between the sleeping area and the play space, so the former is snug and the latter brighter.
“There’s a paint line between the darker colour and the lighter colour on the ceiling at the extent of the bed,” Bianca says. “It was a feat for the decorator to get a perfectly straight line!”
Walls painted in Oval Room Blue (behind bunk bed) and Ammonite, both Farrow & Ball. Linus bunk bed, Made.com.
Tell us…
What do you like about this striking combination of old and new? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
“There’s a paint line between the darker colour and the lighter colour on the ceiling at the extent of the bed,” Bianca says. “It was a feat for the decorator to get a perfectly straight line!”
Walls painted in Oval Room Blue (behind bunk bed) and Ammonite, both Farrow & Ball. Linus bunk bed, Made.com.
Tell us…
What do you like about this striking combination of old and new? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
Who lives here? A couple and their two sons
Location West Dulwich, London
Property A Victorian semi
Size Four bedrooms and one bathroom
Architect Bianca Valido Leach of Mimodo Architects
Interior designer Small Fry + Chips
Photos by Emanuelis Stasaitis
The rear reception room of this semi-detached house has been transformed into a striking living space. “The opening would have been original, with French doors to the rear garden,” architect Bianca Valido Leach says. Now, steel-framed doors look out onto a small courtyard, with the new extension seen beyond.
Walls painted in Inchyra Blue, Farrow & Ball. Footstool, City Cows. Rug, Heal’s. Molecular pendant light, House Doctor. Snowdrop sofa, Sofa.com. Max large wood TV stand, Habitat.