A Victorian villa that is a satisfying contrast of modern innovation and old world charm
For Tom Morris, writing and interior design are disciplines cut from the same cloth. ‘It’s that idea of telling a story,’ says Tom, who branched into interiors in 2018 after years of writing for the likes of AD and Monocle, where he spent three years as the design editor. It was a transition that happened by accident: a friend asked for help choosing furniture and a steady stream of projects followed. ‘My approach to interiors is rooted in what I’ve learnt through writing,’ explains Tom, who now works under the business name, Morrisstudio. ‘It’s about getting to know the client in the way I would an interviewee and tying the threads together.’
In this case, the blank page that faced Tom was a handsome double-fronted Victorian villa in London Fields. The owners – an advertising director and her husband, who works in renewable energy – had already called on Harry Kay, of London and Cumbria-based architecture firm Built Works, to overhaul the four-floor space. ‘It had charm and generously proportioned rooms, but it was just a shell,’ recalls Tom, who joined the project a year after the architects, in June 2019. ‘It felt like a huge job, because it meant starting from scratch.’ Thankfully, the owners were full of faith, having come across Tom during his Monocle days. ‘We wanted someone with fresh ideas and a taste that would help our own evolve,’ explains the owner, who was more than convinced of Tom’s ability after seeing pictures of his own flat in the Barbican.
For them, the house needed to offer the best of both worlds: a space that was completely energy efficient but retained the charm of a Victorian building. As such, cutting-edge technology is integrated throughout – everything from a heat-recovery system to high-performance foam insulation. Harry expanded the ground floor at the back and side, adding an impressive brick and glass extension to the rear that now accommodates a light-filled dining area leading to an open-plan kitchen and library. On the other side of the house, a drawing room runs the depth of the original footprint and leads on to another, smaller side extension, which plays host to a study and – much to the husband’s delight – a golf simulator room. Space was carved out in the existing basement for a utility room and loo, while five bedrooms are spread across the upper two floors. On the first floor, an extension at the back accommodates a bathroom, while a former spare room became a large dressing room for the main bedroom.
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With the space reconfigured, Tom could get to work enhancing the house’s charm. ‘We wanted to counteract the modernity of the technology and new architecture by bringing in hand-crafted elements and the natural world,’ explains Tom, gesturing to a large Victorian dresser in the dining area, which offers a satisfying contrast with the extension. William Morris’s ‘Blackthorn’ wallpaper in the first-floor bathroom serves a similar purpose, softening the clean lines of the extension, while paying homage to the house’s age. ‘It makes it feel as though the outside is flooding in,’ says Tom, who used another Morris pattern, ‘Marigold’, on the landing.
Like all good stories, Tom has deftly woven together various narratives. He responded with gusto to the owners’ request to incorporate lots of wood, wrapping the walls of the library in oak bookshelves, which he designed in conjunction with Harry at Built Works. Then there is the palette of blues and browns, which reflects the owners’ love of the British coast and sets the tone for the entire house. In the drawing room, it finds form through walls in Edward Bulmer Natural Paint’s ‘Aerial Tint’, while in the study, it is in the blue floor tiles and slubby brown walls. ‘The sea is everywhere in this house,’ says the owner, whose shell collection, thanks to Tom, now proudly sits in a frame above the drawing room chimneypiece. A pair of ultramarine-painted wardrobes in the spare room may be an optimistic take on the British sea but, as Tom explains, ‘These elements of colour add to the interest.’ Elsewhere, there are splashes of red: the vintage Bruno Rey dining chairs, for instance, which were inspired by the pair of rowan trees outside the house. ‘Tom influenced us when it came to choosing colours beyond the safe and neutral,’ the owner explains.
The fact the owners were upsizing from a small house gave the designer licence to buy new pieces and turn to a healthy address book of craftspeople and dealers. Tom – whose third book New Wave Clay celebrated his love of ceramics – took a lot of joy in helping the owners start a craft collection. A flatweave rug from Swedish studio Märta Måås-Fjetterström, now in the dressing room, is a particular highlight, as is the ceramic mobile by sculptor Daniel Reynolds that enlivens a corner of the drawing room. Glass specialist Annahita Hessami created strikingly abstract panels for the internal doors between the dining area and hallway, while the incredible three-metre-long, stained-oak dining table was a bespoke commission from furniture maker Matthew Cox. ‘I’m resistant to ever getting too period, so I often throw in something mid-century or Seventies,’ explains Tom, whose deep knowledge of 20th-century and contemporary design is reflected throughout the house, in everything from a Robin and Lucienne Day sideboard to the iconic ‘Beehive’ pendant light by Artek.
The kitchen, kitted out with Plain English units, is a little more traditional, with a cooker niche lined with bespoke Delft tiles by Douglas Watson, which feature musicians – a nod to the husband’s extensive record collection. One wall of the kitchen was reserved for the owners’ print collection, while larger artworks – a mix of inherited pieces and works accumulated from one of the owner’s time in the art world – take centre stage in the drawing room and hallway. As much as Tom has given three-dimensional form to the owners’ stories, he delights in creating conversations between pieces, too. On the first floor, in the main bedroom and dressing room – a spectacular space, painted a cosseting green – it is between an elongated paper lantern by Barber Osgerby and a brass disco light. ‘I love the dialogue between the shapes,’ explains Tom.
The owners, who had a daughter during the project and have another child on the way, are understandably thrilled with the house. ‘We’re just glad we worked with Tom when we did, as we suspect he will be busy for the next few decades.’
Tom Morris: morrisstudio.co.uk | Built Works: built.works
Paul Massey1/13Contemporary additions by Built Works sit in harmony with the original architecture.
Paul Massey2/13In the rear extension, a bespoke table by Matthew Cox is teamed with vintage Bruno Rey chairs and an antique dresser.
Paul Massey3/13Plain English units are painted in Farrow & Ball’s ‘Duck Green.’
Paul Massey4/13The splashback tiles are from Douglas Watson Studio.
Paul Massey5/13A sofa by Tom covered in Jab Anstoetz cord and a table from Massproductions stand on a rug from Larusi.
Paul Massey6/13The Yngve Ekström chair complements oak joinery designed by Tom with Harry Kay at Built Works
Paul Massey7/13Walls in Edward Bulmer Natural Paint’s ‘Aerial Tint’ set a calm tone. The mobile was commissioned from sculptor Daniel Reynolds. The ‘Leggera’ chairs are by Gio Ponti, and the rise-and-fall pendant is another Fifties piece by Gino Sarfatti.
Paul Massey8/13Above the fireplace, a framed collection of shells is flanked by candlesticks by Pierre Forsell for Skultuna. The sofa is upholstered in C&C Milano’s ‘Miguel’ in raspberry.
Paul Massey9/13Morris & Co’s ‘Blackthorn’ wallpaper counteracts the contemporary architectural elements of the extension, while a bath from Aston Matthews adds further colour.
Paul Massey10/13Existing wardrobes were extended and painted in Farrow & Ball’s ‘Ultra Marine Blue’, which complements the red fireplace tiles from Mosaic Factory.
Paul Massey11/13Curtains in Fanny Shorter’s ‘Birds & Beasts’ linen transform the bay window into a play area. The walls are in Farrow & Ball’s ‘Setting Plaster.’
Paul Massey12/13A bathroom leads off a corridor with walls in Morris & Co’s ‘Marigold’.
Paul Massey13/13Walls in Little Greene’s ‘Olive Colour’ set off the rich blues of a chair in antique Dutch cloth from Howe London and a Melin Tregwynt blanket on the bed, under which is a Turkish cicim kilim rug from Francesca Gentilli. Displayed in the fireplace is an ash vessel by Anthony Bryant and, on the mantel, an abstract painting by Giovanni Mattio. The Seventies brass light by Florian Schulz was chosen to add interest to the room
