Festive fancy

Aysha and Ali’s extended Edwardian home is a stylish backdrop to a sociable family Christmas

- ELLEN FINCH

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The owners Aysha Rahman, a full-time mum (@aysha_interiors), her husband, Ali, VP at an IT firm, and their children Taseen, 17, Ilyas, 14, and Zahir, eight

The property A four-bed Edwardian terrace in north London

Project cost £228,000

As big fans of home transformation shows like Grand Designs, Aysha and her husband Ali were keen to do something different when it came to extending their Edwardian family home. It had been 13 years since they’d moved in, and they’d focused on making the house liveable for them and their three children. But the house – particularly the kitchen – was far from ideal for the way they live. ‘It was a galley layout, with steps leading up to a morning room,’ says Aysha. ‘The space was really awkward and cold. We’re a big family, and when we’re all together everyone wants to hang out in the kitchen. We wanted a space where we could all socialise.’

The couple were initially drawn to the house for its period details, but bought it knowing they’d need to do something to the back of the property. ‘We wanted an extension with character and architectural detail, not a boring square,’ says Aysha. They found architect James of Model Projects through recommendations by neighbours: ‘James understood what we wanted and took our ideas on board.’