A small Georgian villa in south London doubles in size for a growing family
There comes a point for most of us when we outgrow a house, as more stuff arrives, our requirements change, and families grow. However, what do you do if that happens but you simply can't bear to leave behind the house you're in? Such was the case for the owners of this house in south-east London, who reached out to Golden co-directors Alice Bettington and Ellen Cumber in 2017. They had recently had their first child, and wanted to find a way to make their current house work for a family. The plan didn't work out at that time, and they decided to house hunt for something new instead, but fast forward to 2019 and they came back to Golden, now with another child in tow and a third on the way. Still in the same house, they were keener than ever to find a way to make it suitable for five.
The house is a particularly striking Georgian villa, a rare example of ‘a London house which actually looks bigger from the outside than it does inside,’ Ellen explains. With a lovely hallway, small kitchen, dining room and living room downstairs, and three not-so-generous bedrooms and a family bathroom upstairs, Alice and Ellen had quite the challenge ahead of them. Unfazed, working alongside RVA Architects on the structural design, they settled on digging down into the basement and extending out the back of the house to double its footprint. This rearrangement would add enough space for a generous living area on the ground floor and a new master suite in the basement along with a gym, spare room and snug, and they would have the chance to rationalise the upstairs layout.
From the outside, the house has retained all its charm but inside, it now unfolds like a kaleidoscope of warm, inviting spaces that suit the family's needs while neatly hiding all their stuff. This was all part of the plan – when Golden undertake any project, they start by coming up with a written reference of what they're aiming for; referring back to this throughout the project helps them stay on track. In this instance, the brief was ‘a warm, richly textured space that feels grown up while also being an inviting family home.' Alice adds ‘we had some keywords which were earthy, calm, eclectic, textured, mature, comfortable,’ and this informed the design throughout.
The clients trusted Alice and Ellen's judgment, which was fortunate given that the family moved abroad to an entirely different part of the world for most of the renovation project and decisions were often undertaken over WhatsApp. That move prompted a slight change of decorative direction, as the clients loved their time living in a dry, tropical location so much that they wanted to bring the colours they had been living with back into their London life. These appear in the form of the accent of deep purple in the living room, the sun-faded pink in the hallway and sunset peach in the dressing room, as well as a prevalence of organic materials and baskets.
Alice and Ellen have created such a clever design that at first glance you might never guess a single child lived there, let alone three. The evidence only appears when you start opening the drawers. ‘In terms of keeping the house decluttered,’ says Alice, ‘we really thought about how we could put very practical joinery in as many rooms as possible,’ noting in particular the sitting room with its generous cabinets, along with the gym and studies. Built-in storage was key, and nowhere is this more brilliantly executed than in the (rather enviable) kitchen banquette. Golden added smart, easy to access drawers for quick tidying as well as a final flourish: the armrest opens to reveal a charging drawer for all the family's tech. It's a small but mighty way to allow them to transform the house into a grown up space at the end of a long day.
The entire project was a very happy one with an ever cheerier conclusion: Alice and Ellen are about to start work on the client's country house, 'part of an amazing John Soane-designed coach house' they explain. It's hard to imagine how they will find the time as a team of two, since they are also working on a townhouse in Victoria Park, a Jacobean farmhouse in Surrey and its adjoining cottage, a basement conversion in Bow and many smaller consultations. But as most of their works comes from clients passing them on to friends, or returning with new projects, it's hard to say no.
Golden is a member of The List by House & Garden, our essential directory of design professionals. Visit The List by House & Garden here.
Golden: golden-design.co.uk
RVA: riccardovicarelliarchitects.com
Kensington Leverne1/15The carpet runner is from Peter Page, with wall lights from Jim Lawrence with hessian shades by Munro and Kerr.
Kensington Leverne2/15The bespoke bobbin shelves are by Alfred Newall, painted in ‘Biscuit’ by Farrow and Ball. The vintage rug was from sourced from Etsy.
Kensington Leverne3/15The dining table is the Tuck In Oval Dining Table in Oak from Nix by Nicola Harding with an adjacent wall light from Pinch. The Japanese shade on the light over the table is by Sansho.
Kensington Leverne4/15The vintage dining chairs are upholstered in Lewis and Wood’s Kashmiri fabric.
Kensington Leverne5/15A sofa from David Seyfried has been upholstered in a Canovas Linen. The cushion fabric is by Lake August and the wall light by Visual Comfort.
Kensington Leverne6/15The kitchen features Belgian blue limestone shelves with Devol brackets. A wall light by Porta Romana has been added in a bespoke pink paint finish.
Kensington Leverne7/15Alice and Ellen were totally confident they could use the existing space where the living room and dining room had been squashed together to create a decent kitchen, leaving the former kitchen free for the study and the extension for the living and dining areas. The clients weren't quite certain, but after multiple microscopic changes to dimensions, a sleek design incorporating an island ('everything had to be absolutely millimetre perfect,' Ellen explains, ‘especially the circulation around the island’) and the original fireplace came to life. ‘Luckily we were working with this brilliant joiner who we love,’ Ellen continues, ‘and his attention to detail is second to none. So while it was a challenge, I like to think it was a happy challenge.’
The pendants above the kitchen island are by Felix Lighting. The vintage art above the fireplace was sourced from the Beaux Store.
Kensington Leverne8/15Golden sourced the limestone fireplace surround from English Fireplaces, adding hearth tiles from Emery et Cie.
Kensington Leverne9/15A table lamp by Howe in the study is topped with a lampshade by Munro and Kerr. The rug is by Peter Page.
Kensington Leverne10/15The owner’s vintage “The Times” print, positioned above the fireplace, set the palette for their little boy’s room. The blind and headboard fabrics are by Ottoline.
Kensington Leverne11/15The curtains in the master bedroom were made by KLS Interiors in a Guy Goodfellow fabric, with bedside tables coming from Chelsea Textiles.
Kensington Leverne12/15Double sided curtains in ‘Seaweed’ by Sibyl Colefax and John Fowler, finished with a Schumacher trim, divide the master bedroom from the dressing room. The headboard was designed by Golden and made by Delyth Upholstery in a Rose Cumming fabric.
Kensington Leverne13/15The dressing room is painted in ‘Hari’ by Atelier Ellis and the wall light is by Porta Romana.
Kensington Leverne14/15The bathroom vanity unit, arched mirror and shelves were designed by Golden and constructed by Goodwin and Lowe in cherry timber. The vanity top and bathroom walls, ceiling and shower are finished in microcement, which was hand applied by CMG Interiors. The bathroom taps are by Studio Ore and the zellige tiles by Emery et Cie.
Kensington Leverne15/15All the bathroom fixtures are by Studio Ore.
