An elegant house in north London by up-and-coming designer Rachel Aisling Walker
Many people approach a designer based on pictures of their work in magazines or on Instagram, but for someone to choose a designer after a real encounter with an interior they have created is praise indeed.
Such was the case for interior designer Rachel Aisling Walker, who was contacted by the husband and wife owners of this north London Victorian house after they had visited two houses she had created for their friends. ‘They liked the way these spaces had a warmth and the way that I mix styles, periods and provenances through antiques,’ recalls Rachel, who began working on the project in 2023. This is her third solo project since launching her studio Raw Interiors in 2021 after six years as a senior designer at Rose Uniacke. The clients didn’t come to her with a huge bank of reference images for this project, giving her licence to establish the mood and palette. ‘They basically said do your thing, which was incredibly freeing,’ explains Rachel. The only stipulation was that it was to mainly be a redecoration project rather than anything that would necessitate major structural changes. ‘They had a young family and wanted to get in quickly,’ explains Rachel, who was given six months to work her magic.
Thankfully for her, the bones of the house were already good. ‘The owners had spent so long looking for the right place and the layout is absolutely lovely,’ explains Rachel, referring to the fact that it has unusually good lateral space for a townhouse, with a central staircase snaking through its four floors. Unlike many Victorian houses, there isn’t a basement and you enter at ground level into a lobby that leads into an open-plan kitchen-dining area. ‘Basement kitchens always feel so disconnected from the rest of the house, but here the flow is so nice,’ explains Rachel. The first floor plays host to a sitting room and television room, while five bedrooms (one is now used as a study) are spread over the upper two floors. ‘It’s the perfect family home, because there is a good connection between the floors, but a degree of separation,’ explains the designer. It’s also the ideal house for entertaining, with spaces that are large enough for parties but also perfect when it’s just the family at home.
Equally pleasing were the additions that had been made in the 1970s by once owner, Max Fordham, the pioneering environmental designer and engineer. He had removed the steps up to what would have been a portico entrance, instead creating a ground floor entrance and adding a soaring steel-framed conservatory above, which the owners now use for parties. The kitchen had been fitted with Douglas Fir quarter-sawn block flooring, while he’d also removed many walls throughout to create a more informal environment. Thanks to him, the kitchen-dining area is now one expansive space, running the depth of the house. One of Rachel’s only changes made to the fabric of the building was to reinstate the walls that had been removed on the first floor to create a separate drawing room and family room. ‘It just felt too open, so we added double doors to each room,’ explains Rachel. ‘It’s nice for the owners to be able to go in here in the evening and shut the doors.’
In the efforts of expediency, Rachel didn’t touch the bathrooms and gave the kitchen a light-touch makeover, just repainting the cabinets and walls. ‘We actually painted over the existing tiles and it’s created this lovely matt effect,’ Rachel explains. The clients made clear that they didn’t want a minimal white kitchen, which Rachel answered by painting the units in a delicious aubergine tone that was mixed bespoke on site until they landed on the perfect tone. The Douglas Fir floor remained in all of its weathered glory, while the pine floors on the upper three floors were sanded, bleached and finished in a white oil to create a cleaner, calmer look.
Establishing a palette was key to creating the right atmosphere. ‘I love earthy warm colours and the clients were very much on the same page,’ explains Rachel, who has peppered the house with ochres, rusty reds and muddy greens. These are often set against warm white walls, which lend the interior a depth and elegance – from the walls of the kitchen that are painted in Little Greene’s ‘Clay-Mid’, a colour that continues up through the stairway, to the main bedroom in Rose Uniacke’s ‘Champagne’. ‘I grew up in Italy and am obsessed with those warm whites,’ she adds. ‘I very rarely go down a white-grey route, because it just feels a bit too cold for me.’ A room that feels quite the opposite – and one of the few to be in a strong colour – is the top floor guest bedroom, painted in a dark toffee colour that was again mixed specially on site. ‘We wanted to embrace that cosy feeling,’ explains Rachel. ‘What’s wonderful is how it just so happens to tie in perfectly with a pair of sketches that the clients already owned that are in burgundy-rust toned frames.’
While Rachel hates the idea of a sparse, minimal interior, her interiors have an air of restraint, achieved through a thoughtful combination of antiques and bespoke pieces. In the drawing room, it’s a pair of sofas in a mustard corduroy and a green velvet from Rachel’s soon-to-be-launched upholstery collection, which sit serenely alongside a pair of 1940s armchairs and an 1820 Swedish mahogany chest of drawers from Dorian Caffott Antiques. ‘That chest of drawers is one of my absolute favourites, because it has the most beautiful tones,’ says Rachel. She excels at getting the mix just right, such as the 18th century gilded forged iron and tôleware sconces on the wall – sourced from Guy Tobin, one of her favourite dealers who she in fact worked with at Rose Uniacke – that somehow echo the shapes of the bespoke Sussy Cazalet wall hanging on the adjacent wall. ‘I went to her show at Tristram Hoare and knew the client would love those rusty tones,’ says Rachel. ‘This felt like a beautiful way to fill a big wall.’
Rachel’s mission to make the house a ‘haven’ really comes into its own in the main bedroom, where a refined four poster bed, draped in Italian linen from Gayle Warwick, takes centre stage. The room is flooded with light from three windows, so Rachel kept the palette soft and layered the space with textiles that filter the light beautifully. ‘We wanted the room to have a really ethereal, romantic feel to it,’ explains Rachel. Before moving here the owners had been living in a small terraced house in east London, so their excitement for coming here was palpable. ‘It felt like a real upgrade and they were so enthusiastic the whole way through the project,’ recalls Rachel. It’s not hard to see why.
Jasper Fry1/13The open-plan kitchen-dining area is painted in Little Greene's ‘Mid-Clay. A 1950s oak refectory table, sourced from Philip Thomas antiques via The Decorative Fair, is surrounded by Colombo Sanguineti chairs – 2 ’Campanino' ones and 8 ‘Ramba’ designs. ‘The owners had always loved the ’Campanino' chairs so it was lovely to find a way to incorporate them,' explains Rachel. Above the table hangs the ‘Anders’ pendant by Pinch.
Jasper Fry2/13The steel-framed conservatory was added in the 1970s by environmental designer and engineer Max Fordham. The 19th century Swedish bockbord table was sourced from Sauce Ldn, as were the 18th century occassional chairs and the 1960s solid elm bench.
Jasper Fry3/13The existing quarry tiles informed the palette and the green paint on the units and walls was mixed bespoke on site.
Jasper Fry4/13The hallway walls are painted in Little Greene's ‘Clay-Mid’, which is complimented by a sisal ‘Bengal’ runner from Sinclair Till.
Jasper Fry5/13In the serene main bedroom, the walls are painted in Rose Uniacke's ‘Champagne’, which picks up the softness of the bed curtains, which are made up from ‘Italian Linen' in Siena Ivory from Gayle Warwick. A 1880 Swedish mahogany chest with brass mounts looks particularly beautiful alongside the softly coloured walls. The headboard is uphsoltered in ‘Petit Bouts’ from Toyinne Sellars.
Jasper Fry6/13The curtains on the three windows are made from ‘Crayon’ in champagne from Isle Mill.
Jasper Fry7/13A Tracey Emin gouache – which already belonged to the client – hangs above the fireplace.
Jasper Fry8/13In the children's room, the walls and ceiling are papered in Colefax & Fowler's ‘Fernwood’ wallpaper in leaf green. ‘I love how putting wallpaper on the ceiling really envelops the space,’ says Rachel. The curtains were made from some end-of-roll organic cotton that Rachel found in The Cloth Shop, while the ceiling lamp is from Ferm Living. Adorable toy baskets already belonged to the client.
Jasper Fry9/13Up on the top floor, Rachel decided to use two single beds rather than a king bed, which was tricky to position due to the chimney breast. The walls are painted in a rich toffee tone that was mixed bespoke on site. The glazed stoneware lamp by Primavera is from the 1930s and was sourced from Guy Tobin; it sits on a Georgian two-drawer side table from Ron Green.
Jasper Fry10/13The twin beds feature Melin Tregwynt Welsh blankets in rust and topaz.
Jasper Fry11/13The walls of the spare bedroom are painted in Little Greene's ‘Stock Mid’, which along with curtains made from ‘Kelly’ by Ulster Weavers, creates a soothing space. The milking stool and early 20th century French surrealist painting were both sourced from Sauce Ldn. A sculptural cane 1950s pendant illuminates the space and was sourced from Quindry.
Jasper Fry12/13The Art Deco mahogany side table was sourced from Dorian Caffot Antiques.
Jasper Fry13/13
