NATURALLY elegant

A MIX OF EARTHY TONES AND NATURAL WOOD FINISHES WERE USED IN ALI AND ALEX POGGIALE'S STYLISH HOME TO CREATE A CALM AND EYE-CATCHING INTERIOR

- EMILY PECK

HOME NOTES

WHO LIVES HERE? 

Ali and her husband Alex Poggiale, who are both solicitors, live here with their baby boy.

THE PROPERTY 

A three-story, five-bedroom detached Edwardian townhouse in southwest London, built circa 1890.

With their first child on the way, Ali and Alex Poggiale worked closely with a designer to modernise this period townhouse and create an elegant, family-friendly space that retains much of its original charm.

WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO THIS PROPERTY? 

‘We’d been living in a flat in north London, but were keen to move to a leafier family-friendly location. We wanted a detached house with a garden. This double-fronted townhouse instantly impressed us with its period features, lateral space, high ceilings and great layout. The house had been renovated seven years before we bought it, so it was in good condition but we naturally wanted to redecorate to make it feel like home.’

DID YOU HAVE ANY PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE OF RENOVATING? 

‘We had a loft extension carried out in our old home, but the improvements for this place were much more intensive. We moved in during the last six weeks of the works and our baby was born a few months after we moved in, so it was a race to get everything finished. We commissioned designer Pia Pelkonen of Pia Design (piadesign.co.uk) to help with the renovations as we admired her approach of retaining and refurbishing while adding new décor. We wanted her expert input as we didn’t have time to commit to the project ourselves.’