Houzz Tour: A Victorian Villa is Restored to its Former Glory
Classic designs, lush materials and a spacious new kitchen turned a former clutch of converted flats into one elegant family home
Luisa Rollenhagen
22 April 2015
Houzz Contributor. I am a passionate traveler, writer, reader, and debater. My previous haunts have included Buenos Aires, Berlin, New York, and now London. All of these places have introduced me to varied and unique styles of architecture, design, and a certain cultural standard of living, all of which I try to include in my daily work.
I've studied English Literature and Journalism at NYU in New York, and am now continuing to burrow myself into books at Kings College London. I have a socially unfortunate obsession with literature, film, and the newest shiny gadgets. I will nerd out over vintage typewriters and 3-D printers.
Houzz Contributor. I am a passionate traveler, writer, reader, and debater. My previous... More
Comfortably housing a family of seven is always going to be a challenge, and particularly in an urban Victorian property previously converted into flats. However, designer Eleanor Weaver was determined to create a cohesive home that encouraged large gatherings while still allowing each family member to carve out a space of their own.
‘We wanted to have enough bedrooms to accommodate everyone,’ says Eleanor, ‘as well as play areas for the younger children and living spaces for the teenagers. There also needed to be private areas for the parents.’ The result is a generous space for a large family, with a big kitchen-diner forming the hub of the home.
‘We wanted to have enough bedrooms to accommodate everyone,’ says Eleanor, ‘as well as play areas for the younger children and living spaces for the teenagers. There also needed to be private areas for the parents.’ The result is a generous space for a large family, with a big kitchen-diner forming the hub of the home.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here A professional couple and their five children
Location Clapham, southwest London
Designer Eleanor Weaver of Cochrane Design
Size 6 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms
Initially, the property was divided into multiple flats. ‘One of the first things we had to do was a “de-conversion” to turn it back into a full house,’ Eleanor says. This involved digging out the basement and extending the back of the house, as well as reconfiguring the internal layout.
Since many of the walls had to be knocked down, the cornicing in some rooms had to be replaced, and the entire ground floor was fitted with new oak floorboards. Eleanor also replaced all of the fireplaces in the property. ‘Because the house was split into flats, there was no uniformity,’ she explains.
Fireplace, Chesney’s. Chandelier, India Jane. Walls painted in Hague Blue, Farrow & Ball.
Who lives here A professional couple and their five children
Location Clapham, southwest London
Designer Eleanor Weaver of Cochrane Design
Size 6 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms
Initially, the property was divided into multiple flats. ‘One of the first things we had to do was a “de-conversion” to turn it back into a full house,’ Eleanor says. This involved digging out the basement and extending the back of the house, as well as reconfiguring the internal layout.
Since many of the walls had to be knocked down, the cornicing in some rooms had to be replaced, and the entire ground floor was fitted with new oak floorboards. Eleanor also replaced all of the fireplaces in the property. ‘Because the house was split into flats, there was no uniformity,’ she explains.
Fireplace, Chesney’s. Chandelier, India Jane. Walls painted in Hague Blue, Farrow & Ball.
On the ground floor, one of the first rooms to catch the eye is this rich blue study. ‘The clients wanted a room that had a heritage feel to it,’ Eleanor says. ‘The deep blue of the walls also works really well with the rich leather upholstery in here.’ The room’s elegant original cornicing and panelled doors complete the look.
A row of bespoke cabinets lines one wall, painted in the same deep blue as the walls. Eleanor says she strove to create a restful and elegant library atmosphere to encourage work and reflection. It’s no wonder this room is used as the couple’s home office.
Learn how to feel productive when working from home
A row of bespoke cabinets lines one wall, painted in the same deep blue as the walls. Eleanor says she strove to create a restful and elegant library atmosphere to encourage work and reflection. It’s no wonder this room is used as the couple’s home office.
Learn how to feel productive when working from home
‘That’s the designated adult area,’ Eleanor says of the formal living room – in which not all is as it seems. The large regal mirror above the fireplace is in fact a TV that has a reflective surface when it’s turned off.
Eleanor fitted classic chandeliers throughout the house, but gave them a personal touch by covering the chains in ruched silk. ‘It’s a warmer look than having an exposed chain,’ she explains.
The panelling throughout the home looks original, but all of it is a carefully crafted imitation, streamlined across the entire property.
Fireplace, Chesney’s. Sofa and ottoman, Cochrane Design.
Eleanor fitted classic chandeliers throughout the house, but gave them a personal touch by covering the chains in ruched silk. ‘It’s a warmer look than having an exposed chain,’ she explains.
The panelling throughout the home looks original, but all of it is a carefully crafted imitation, streamlined across the entire property.
Fireplace, Chesney’s. Sofa and ottoman, Cochrane Design.
Both the living room and study have elegant panelled double doors.
Thick silk curtains in the same grey as the furniture were made bespoke. Eleanor also added plantation shutters. ‘These rooms are at street level, so you don’t want people looking in,’ she says. However, she designed them as half – or café – shutters, so light still floods in.
The kitchen-diner, which was designed to be the heart of the home, is housed in the building’s new rear extension. Eleanor’s brief emphasised the importance of creating a kitchen space where everyone in the family could come together and hang out – hence the extra-large breakfast bar, which is some 6m long. ‘The island was definitely the main feature,’ she says. It’s designed out of dark sapele wood and features thick carved legs. ‘They are based on a horse’s leg,’ Eleanor adds, ‘strong but still elegant.’
Three oversized pendant lights ensure the island receives plenty of targeted lighting. Large skylights in the roof further enhance the natural light in the space.
Pendant lights, John Lewis.
Explore 9 ways to light your kitchen island
Three oversized pendant lights ensure the island receives plenty of targeted lighting. Large skylights in the roof further enhance the natural light in the space.
Pendant lights, John Lewis.
Explore 9 ways to light your kitchen island
Eleanor gave the kitchen a classic look with Shaker-style cabinetry and a calm, pale colour. The cupboards reach right up to the more than 3m-high ceiling. ‘They maximise the space and emphasise the ceiling height,’ she says.
A slender ladder, imported from the US, allows the homeowners to reach even the loftiest cupboards.
Cupboards painted in Light Blue, Farrow & Ball.
A slender ladder, imported from the US, allows the homeowners to reach even the loftiest cupboards.
Cupboards painted in Light Blue, Farrow & Ball.
In order to further maximise storage, Eleanor integrated a bespoke oak pantry, which even features an additional granite worktop inside.
‘The family keeps items such as the toaster and coffee machine in there, so the small appliances aren’t sitting out on the worktop full time,’ she says.
‘The family keeps items such as the toaster and coffee machine in there, so the small appliances aren’t sitting out on the worktop full time,’ she says.
The open-plan kitchen looks out onto the family living room, where plush blue velvet sofas create a relaxed atmosphere. ‘This is the main living area where the kids hang out,’ Eleanor says.
Cushion, William Yeoward. Sofa, Cochrane Design.
Cushion, William Yeoward. Sofa, Cochrane Design.
The formal dining table had been in the owners’ possession for many years. But while the table and powder-blue chairs make an impressive picture, Eleanor says the family mostly use the kitchen island for their daily meals.
Chairs, Berrydesign.
Chairs, Berrydesign.
Bifold doors leading out to a patio create an indoor/outdoor mood, and also maximise the amount of natural light flooding into the living area.
When doing the extension, Eleanor and her team had to ensure they complied with strict regulations. ‘The house is actually in a conservation area, so all the external work had to be sympathetic to the original building,’ she says. In order to build the extension, they used reclaimed London stock brick that matches the rest of the home’s exterior and corresponds to the period of the property.
When doing the extension, Eleanor and her team had to ensure they complied with strict regulations. ‘The house is actually in a conservation area, so all the external work had to be sympathetic to the original building,’ she says. In order to build the extension, they used reclaimed London stock brick that matches the rest of the home’s exterior and corresponds to the period of the property.
The master bedroom on the first floor also features a dressing room and en-suite bathroom. The bed is another bespoke creation, as are the headboard, chaise longue and bedside tables. The headboard has been upholstered in silk and the bed and chaise are upholstered in velvet for a sumptuous mood.
Bed linen, Yves Delorme. Velvet, Warwick.
Bed linen, Yves Delorme. Velvet, Warwick.
In one of the younger boys’ rooms, Eleanor decided to create a playful space that would also serve its occupant once he got older. A comic book print and a wall sticker with the boy’s name on it are bright and fun touches, while the bespoke Union Jack armchair is a play on his name. Additional storage under the bed ensures toys are kept tidy and easily accessible.
In another of the children’s rooms, Eleanor added a climbing wall at the child’s request. ‘It adds a little bit of fun,’ she says.
TELL US…
What do you think of this spacious family home? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
TELL US…
What do you think of this spacious family home? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
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I love the whole place. The only thing I didn't like was the climbing wall. I'd be in there all the time yelling at the kid, "Don't scuff the walls, don't scuff the walls!"
Clearly they weren't too concerned about scuffing the walls or they'd never have built the climbing wall in the first place! And hooray for that. Kids will climb plenty of things higher and more dangerous than that--that girl is barely 3 feet off the ground. (Also, they can hurt themselves doing anything--my husband gashed his skull as a toddler by jumping off a coffee table.)
Love the house, anyway. I'd love to know how many square feet (or meters) it is. It must be pretty huge if in addition to 6BR/5BA they also have a library/office and two living rooms, plus that enormous eat-in kitchen.
Had to laugh at how many people seemed upset at the idea of parents allowing their kids to climb without constant supervision...how did we survive growing up before now? My youngest was a climber, and a wall like that would have kept him in safer bounds than what he got up on his own. He was able to traverse the entire lower floor of our house without ever touching the floor; visitors were often disconcerted to see a six year old dangling from doorways and clinging to window trim by his fingertips.
Whenever I start talking about what it was like in "the olden days" I always think of Monty Python's skit about the Four Yorkshiremen, and say "LUXURY" to myself: