RECIPE FOR SUCCESS

The home of cookery writer Skye McAlpine and her husband Anthony has all the ingredients for a very merry Christmas

- FIONA MCCARTHY

SITTING ROOM A vintage Fornasetti fridge makes cocktail hour all the more stylish. Walls in Setting Plaster estate emulsion, £49.50 for 2.5ltr, Farrow & Ball. For a similar flatweave rug, try Robert Stephenson. Bespoke velvet ottoman, Coryndon Cabinet Makers. Mantelpiece greenery, Milli Proust

DINING AREA An antique glass-fronted dresser displays Skye’s favourite plates, glasses, jugs and bowls, collected since she was at university. 8ft Nordmann fir candlelight clear LED tree, £1,019, Balsam Hill. Floral arrangements, Milli Proust. Dresser lined with Baies in Rose Et Vert wallpaper, €150 a roll, Antoinette Poisson. Antique French table, Lorfords

DESIGN TIP ‘Freestanding storage is much less expensive than built-in cupboards and gives you the flexibility to change the way a room works whenever you want’

HOME TRUTHS

THE PROPERTY Victorian terrace

LOCATION Southwest London

ROOMS Sitting room, kitchen-diner, study, four bedrooms, three bathrooms

PURCHASED 2019

PREVIOUS PROPERTY ‘We lived nearby in a two-bed flat before moving here,’ says Skye.

KITCHEN The two shades of yellow were inspired by a kitchen in a rental property in Venice, which the family likes to visit, and they make the space dynamic. Woodwork in Dayroom Yellow and Citron estate eggshell, both £28 for 0.75ltr, Farrow & Ball. Traditional range cooker, price on request, Lacanche

HALLWAY A beautiful hand-painted mural provides a lavish welcome. Bespoke wall design, Alasdair Peebles