A Victorian house in London with artfully layered interiors by Salvesen Graham
Most city houses demand that their interiors are amplified in some way: spaces are frequently enhanced with mirrors, swathes of glass and careful furniture placement to counteract compact dimensions. It is rare that, by contrast, the scale of a home needs to be rationalised for a sense of cosiness and approachability. But in the case of this period property, its interiors needed ‘humanising’ according to designers Nicole Salvesen and Mary Graham, whose eponymous studio was tasked with creating a calming yet dynamic feel in a larger-than-average space.
The early Victorian property, home to Katharine Boddy, her husband Tim and their four children, had been completely reconfigured when they bought it, but its generous spaces, including a vast main bedroom, lacked soul. Having admired her grandmother’s quintessentially British home when she was growing up, which she describes as ‘very 1950s Colefax and Fowler in a West London townhouse’, Katharine knew she wanted a classic interior that didn’t feel too stuffy. ‘I also loved my aunt and uncle’s house in the countryside, so I wanted to combine an informal, colourful sensibility with something more structured,’ she says. ‘Nicole and Mary were able to soften the interior schemes without making them look old-fashioned.’
Form and function are closely aligned in this city home. Furniture is upholstered in hotel-grade fabric to withstand wear and tear and scotch-guarded so that the family’s dog, Amber, can leap on the sofa. Edged sisal rugs and copious painted joinery are a practical touch. Yet woven through these schemes are a number of playful or unexpected additions. The sitting room sofa is upholstered in Guy Goodfellow’s informal ‘Hendrix’ fabric, complemented by a fender finished in pink leopard print. The main bedroom features a fabric wall treatment and a half tester to lend the bed some grandeur, plus a built-in window seat surrounded by books whose spines deliver a hit of colour. ‘The bookcase was an ideal addition given that I am a school librarian,’ says Katharine. ‘It also has the effect of drawing the walls in, for a cosier feel. The room now has the atmosphere of a Georgian country house.’ It is a treatment that shows that not all city homes have to feel urban. ‘London is a vast, mixed metropolis, yet we never lose sight of the fact that it started life as a patchwork of small, loosely conjoined villages,’ says Mary Graham. ‘So a city home does not have to be deeply modern. A house in a green, leafy area like this one will have a very different atmosphere from a Shoreditch loft or a glass-fronted newbuild in the centre of town.’
Throughout, simple devices have had the effect of loosening up these spaces. In the kitchen, part of a generous rear extension, a half-moon upholstered banquette acts as a space divider as well as a cosy dining area. In the garden room, two L-shaped corner sofas with crisp piping form a pleasing symmetry, softened by a floor-to-ceiling bookcase painted in restful green, while in the lower-ground TV room, low-slung pendants and contemporary panelled storage create a cocooning feel. ‘This is our forever home, so it feels smart and grown-up,’ reflects Katharine. ‘However, I was raised in a country house in Yorkshire and so I’ll always have a soft spot for firesides and Agas.’ Delicately poised between neutral and bright, a colour palette comprising duck-egg blues, soft greens and gentle pinks knits together to form a cohesive thread, while soft furniture shapes form natural moments of visual calm, the better to let the eye travel easily from room to room. ‘I love interiors that feel a little imperfect as I’m used to things peeling around the edges,’ Katharine reflects. ‘So in time, the inevitable wear and tear that arises from family life will only add to the patina of these schemes.’
London Interiors by Emma J Page (Lannoo Publishers, £50) is in bookstores nationwide now and is available to buy online.
Simon Brown1/8A pair of matching piped corner sofas adds a pleasing sense of symmetry to this informal living space, which looks onto the garden.
2/8In an updated take on heritage design, classic elements, including the sofa and fender, are given an informal twist.
Simon Brown3/8A colourful abstract from Cricket Fine Art, a mid-century chair and an antique table make for a creative work spot.
4/8A large dining table and chairs from Pinch anchor this wide rear extension.
Simon Brown5/8A semi-circular built-in banquette by Salvesen Graham creates an informal eating area.
Simon Brown6/8This room has been loosely divided into sleeping and sitting zones for a more relaxed feel. Fabric wall treatments and a half tester bed canopy add depth and elegance.
7/8Built-in joinery gracefully frames the view from the window.
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