A light-filled Victorian cottage in south London with a beautiful oasis of a garden

From the outside, it is a fairly straightforward two-bedroom Victorian cottage. What is less expected – and a total delight to a graphic designer who favours a straight line – is the contemporary beamed extension at the rear, which accommodates an open-plan living, dining and kitchen area and functions as the beating heart of the space. ‘It felt amazing to have discovered somewhere that balanced the old and new so well,’ says Connie. ‘I love how the house opens up from the relatively small proportions at the front to this light and airy space at the back.’

The view at the back, framed through bifold doors and three huge picture windows that punctuate the extension, is equally unexpected: a wonderfully wild, jungle-like garden that rises up around the house and feels far removed from south London. ‘It’s such an oasis,’ Connie says. The previous owner – architect David Money – had built the garden up so that you look directly onto the plants rather than down to them. ‘It’s like looking at a painting,’ Connie says. ‘I love watching our friends' faces when they visit, because the garden just immediately relaxes them.’ Connie’s studio, occupying the rear room on the ground floor of the original Victorian footprint, also looks out onto the garden. ‘It’s such a good place to work and even in the depths of winter, I end up having the window or door open so that I can hear the sound of water in the pond, which the previous owner cleverly put in.’

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With the bones all in place, Connie and Tom have taken a gentle approach to decorating, allowing the house to slowly evolve and combining carboot and eBay finds with design classics. A wall of Vitsoe shelving in Connie’s studio was a fairly recent investment: ‘I’d wanted them ever since I’d been introduced them while I was working for design consultancy dn&co,’ she explains. ‘I love how they can be used in so many different ways.’ In the open-plan living, dining and kitchen area, Hans Wegner’s ‘Wishbone’ chairs encircle Eero Saarinen’s ‘Tulip’ table, while relaxed seating is provided in the form of a sofa from Muuto. ‘There were some pieces that we decided to really invest in, because we want them to outlive us,’ explains Connie, pointing out the Ilse Crawford bed in their bedroom too. The kitchen is Tom’s domain, with streamlined units made from stained birch plywood and extending from floor to ceiling in places to maximise the storage space available. Tom’s cooking space extends into the garden too where an outdoor kitchen it kitted out with his beloved Big Green Egg.

The seating area opens onto the dining space.

Owen Gale

'We’ve got to know the house just like I’d get to know a client,’ explains Connie. ‘It’s about asking questions and getting to really understand the ins and outs – in this case, how the light flows and how we want to use the space.’ As such, they have made a few changes since they moved in: the front room on the ground floor has been transformed from what Connie described as a ‘rather ghostly spare bedroom’ into a snug-like space, with a log burner and squishy sofa. ‘We decided to change it in lockdown when we were both just craving somewhere that was cosy and comforting,’ says Connie. Upstairs, they have also added a sedum roof over the extension, which now provides a green view from the guest bedroom. ‘The foxes live up there during the winter, which keeps Gelert on his toes,’ Connie says laughing.

Although the couple are both drawn to the clean lines of minimalism, Connie admits that she is also a collector. ‘We’re always bringing pebbles and shells back from our travels in Scotland,’ says Connie, referring to the cabin that they have on the west coast of Scotland. ‘I love that mix of knick-knacks with art and design pieces,’ she explains, gesturing to her Vitsoe shelves, which feature an artful array of found pieces, books and, one of her prized possessions, a Finn Juhl ‘Turning Tray’.

The windows look out onto the back garden, which was built up by the previous owner, the architect David Money.

Owen Gale

Artworks are dotted throughout the house – especially in the hallway, which is chock-full – and many of them have been collected on the couple’s travels, including a seascape by artist Mimi Robson who is represented by North Coast Asylum in Cornwall (one of Connie’s clients) and a dramatic coastal scene by Shetland-based artist Ruth Brownlee (a present from Tom to Connie). Another piece, by the local artist Judith MacLachlan, came from their honeymoon in Scotland: it was hanging on the wall of The Black Shed, one of the places they were staying in Skye and they asked to buy it. ‘So much of what we have on our walls is to do with crashing waves and the sea,’ Connie explains. ‘I guess it’s our way of bringing a little wildness to London.’

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