WHITE Christmas
Ideal Home UK|January 2025
EMMA AND ANT'S ELEGANT HOME MAY BE ALL SERENE SHADES OF CREAM AND WHITE, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN IT'S NOT MADE FOR FESTIVE FAMILY FUN
WHITE Christmas

Living room

'The travertine table was a worthwhile investment - I fall in love with it again every day when I sit here in the mornings."

BUY THE KEY PIECES

Try the Beige octagonal table, £1,494, Pamono. Wishbone chairs, £524 each, Aram. Baubles, from a selection, Heavenly Homes & Gardens. Sofa (left), reupholstered by Edwards Upholstery in a Bute Fabrics material

Emma and Ant found out they were expecting Otto, their first son who is now aged seven, the day they exchanged on the house and nearly pulled out. The house had a 1970s vibe but not in a good way when they bought it, so they embarked on a top-to-toe refurbishment, replacing windows, flooring and period features, as well as adding a kitchen extension and reconfiguring the upstairs to create a family bathroom and en suite.

WHERE WERE YOU LIVING BEFORE?

"We were previously living more centrally in the city, but by moving out a bit, we've gained masses of extra space and the benefit of a large country style garden full of pear trees. I'm so glad we didn't pull out of the sale despite the chaos of a renovation with a newborn."

HOW DID YOU MANAGE THE WORK?

'We had hoped the house would be habitable before Otto's birth, but he was five months old when we finally moved back in, albeit without a kitchen or half the extension yet built. We had a makeshift kitchen in what is now the playroom and I used the garage as a design studio warehouse for my brand Binibamba (binibamba.​com), which I had set up at the same time."

WHAT IS YOUR DECORATING STYLE?

I'm a sucker for a neutral... probably beige and white together. It may sound boring, but I love it. When creating the decorating scheme, there were lots of moodboards and magazine tear sheets, and I did a lot of Instagram browsing. The rabbit hole was deep, plus there were endless trips around showrooms."

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