summer house

Milly O’Sullivan’s period terrace has a year-round holiday vibe going on courtesy of its centrepiece conservatory

- Jenny Tucker

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THE OWNER

Milly O’Sullivan, a fashion commercial director.

THE PROPERTY

A Victorian terraced house in north-west London. The lower ground floor has an open-plan kitchen and den and a WC. The raised ground floor has a living room and conservatory, and on the first floor there is the master bedroom and bathroom. On the second floor there is a WC, a guest bedroom and dressing room. Finally, on the third floor there is another guest bedroom and bathroom.

I reached the point where I thought enough is enough,’ laughs Milly O’Sullivan. ‘It’s time to give this house some attention!’ And so a substantial makeover was put into place and this much-loved Victorian terrace in north-west London was reincarnated as the stylish home it is today.

Even though Milly dabbled with making the odd improvement over the years, she lived in this house for more than a decade before deciding to give it some serious design TLC. A busy career in fashion, which took her abroad, meant she often left her home in the hands of friends and family to house-sit. ‘I was living a transient lifestyle,’ Milly says. ‘And so there was no time for interiors shopping. I’d come back from places like the Middle East with knick-knacks and rugs, but it was all a mishmash of styles and thrown together. After the renovation, I ended up keeping about 15 per cent of my original stuff. It was a strict edit.’