By the time the owners of this Victorian home in London called interior designer Josie Leawood, they had been living in the house for about eight years. “It was a perfectly habitable place, but quite old,” says Leawood. “They didn’t do anything to it, because they knew they wanted to do a full renovation at some point.”
The house had already been extended at the rear to create a kitchen, but it was quite narrow. A wall between two public rooms was demolished, leaving a dark and under-used living space in the center of the house. The owners wanted these structural issues resolved and created a usable cellar by digging out an old basement. They also needed more storage, especially for coats and shoes – they have three children – and a bathroom downstairs.
“The brief was for a modern, comfortable and homely scheme, harmonious with the original Victorian architecture,” says Leawood. They weren’t afraid of color or pattern so we had a lot of fun creating this design.” Read on to see the beautiful results of this year-long project.
