DINING AREA/BAR A brass cabinet opens up to reveal a bar, complete with a mixing station made from a marble offcut from the kitchen island.
With its beautiful blend of moody saturated pastels and pops of invigorating bright jewel tones, this magnificent double-fronted Victorian villa couldn't lend itself more to Christmas if it tried. A backdrop of luxe textures and enveloping textiles sets the scene, alongside opulent, stroke-me materials and cabinetry. Surprising elements keep it unpredictable: secret doors (hiding the downstairs cloakroom and a staircase to the basement); a brass pop-out bar; plus an indoor winter garden room and a bespoke indoor potting shed. Interest is further woven through the house with a salvaged cast-iron spiral staircase connecting the ground and basement floors, and a melt-in-the-mouth mint-green bathtub in the converted loft bedroom.
It's only really now that the owners can fully enjoy their finished home - last year, Christmas was somewhat subdued, thanks to Covid and they will be pushing out the boat with friends and family. The couple are both busy executives with hectic lives,' says Sophie Chapman of The Vawdrey House, who designed the house, and they wanted a restorative sanctuary where they could retreat and decompress, come home from work and leave their day at the front door.' Sophie and her team came on board when the couple snapped up the house, in a leafy part of southeast London, whilst living in a smaller home on the same street that the practice had also worked on.
This story is from the December 2022 edition of Living Etc UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 2022 edition of Living Etc UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
modern extensions
WITH STRIKING USE OF COLOUR, MATERIALS AND SHAPE, THE LATEST DESIGNS ADD SO MUCH MORE THAN AN EXTRA ROOM
think like a pro
It's not just interior designers who are skilled at picking the perfect palette architects are in on the act, too, and Richard Parr knows just how to get the ideal shade
colour decoded
As with all successful schemes, there's much more going on beneath the surface of this space than first appears -Livingete's colour expert Amy Moorea Wong reveals all
enduring style
B&B Italia has pioneered modern Italian furniture design since 1966 - but its latest collection feels as fresh as ever
TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED
Seventeenth-century origins meet vibrant contemporary design in a cleverly reimagined Amsterdam canal house
ROCK OF AGES
The owners of a Menorcan home have made a stylish yet sustainable retreat using the island's signature stone
FORCE OF NATURE
An unexpected flood into what was already a dark basement flat prompted a new vision, full of light, natural materials and foliage
TOP OF THE WORLD
High above the busy streets of Bangkok, two talented designers have created a tranquil retreat that nods to chic 1970s style and makes the most of the views
A PLACE IN THE SUN
An apartment within a former luxury hotel celebrates - and updates - the style of France's Côte d'Azur
OUTSIDE IN
The design of this modernist bungalow in South Africa was dictated by the trees on the plot and the desire for an indoor-outdoor flow