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Houzz Tour: An Edwardian Family Home is Totally Transformed
Dated, fussy rooms now look fresh and modern thanks to stylish and affordable refurb ideas
When a house has a definite (but dated) ‘look’ already in place, it can be hard to envisage it any other way. However, with a series of cost-effective decorating tricks and ideas, interior designer Vickie Nickolls managed to overhaul every room of this north London home to give it a light, welcoming feel that is a world away from its original state. “As soon as the owners moved in, they had the whole house painted white to give it a clean new look,” explains Nickolls. “Then I came on board to help them achieve the fresh, contemporary feel they were after. Because we were tackling the whole house, we had to be creative with the budget to try and make it stretch as far as possible.”
BEFORE The kitchen, dining and living space was originally two rooms – this sitting room and the kitchen next door. The wall behind the sofa was knocked down to create an open-plan, family-friendly space.
In the kitchen itself, new Shaker-style door fronts were installed and the previously blue oven doors were replaced with new black ones. “This is another fairly inexpensive way to totally change the look of existing items, especially when you are overhauling a whole house,” says Nickolls. The island-cum-breakfast bar helps divide the kitchen and living area in this now light and airy open-plan space.
Oven doors, Rangemaster. Hay Hee bar stools, Nest. Cushions, Oliver Bonas.
Oven doors, Rangemaster. Hay Hee bar stools, Nest. Cushions, Oliver Bonas.
A small, but sytlish, home office area at the end of the new kitchen, dining and living space provides a useful space to work.
Cuba desk, Wayfair. DSW style chair, Cult Furniture.
Cuba desk, Wayfair. DSW style chair, Cult Furniture.
BEFORE The separate living room at the front of the house was bright but dated. This was the room the family wanted done before Christmas, which was only a few weeks after they moved in. The flooring was good, and with a whole house to refurb on a strict budget, this was a bonus.
“The clients needed to get a sofa quickly to get the room ready in time for Christmas, so they bought this simple grey design which we then worked around,” says Nickolls. “We decided on a monochrome theme to tie in the fireplace as there was no time or budget to replace it. We then all added ideas of what we liked to a mood board – for example, the owners were very keen to have a picture ledge like this and had added one to the board.”
Tivoli sofa, Swoon Editions. Poste coffee table, Loaf. Mariko wool rug, Benuta. Alexa floor lamp, Marks & Spencer.
Tivoli sofa, Swoon Editions. Poste coffee table, Loaf. Mariko wool rug, Benuta. Alexa floor lamp, Marks & Spencer.
With the fireplace in the living room staying put, Nickolls looked for ways to make it part of the scheme. “The starburst mirror came from the clients’ previous home. We went through items together that could be reused, and this was gold before so I rubbed it down and painted it black to go with the fireplace,” Nickolls says.
See more ways to use round mirrors
See more ways to use round mirrors
BEFORE The hallway had a dark carpet and balustrade. From this view you can also see, straight ahead, the sitting room that is now part of the open-plan kitchen, dining and living space.
Fresh white paint on the stairs and woodwork, teamed with a pale grey runner on the stairs, have transformed the hallway into a bright entrance. A remnant of the runner had its edges bound by the carpet fitters to make a rug for the hall floor.
Capiz Orb ceiling light, West Elm.
More inspiring hallways on Houzz
Capiz Orb ceiling light, West Elm.
More inspiring hallways on Houzz
The view from the hallway looking into the kitchen, dining and living space. The painted grey doorframe was a late idea. “It was all white, but I felt it needed some extra interest,” says Nickolls. “The grey woodwork frames the space really nicely.”
Woodwork painted in Manor House Gray, Farrow & Ball.
Woodwork painted in Manor House Gray, Farrow & Ball.
BEFORE Upstairs in the main bedroom there was a useful wall of shiny dark wardrobes, but the owners wanted a fresher space.
“The clients chose the bed with the oatmeal linen headboard and originally we were going to keep this room very light,” says Nickolls. “However, it looked a bit wishy-washy so I suggested using dark blue on one wall. They were a bit nervous at first, but they love it now.” Another savvy solution came with the curtains. Nickolls bought three pairs of Ikea cotton curtains and had them sewn together to create a much fuller, luxurious effect.
Wall painted in Tempest, Fired Earth. Bedspread, Cox & Cox. Vilborg curtains, Ikea.
Wall painted in Tempest, Fired Earth. Bedspread, Cox & Cox. Vilborg curtains, Ikea.
For cost reasons, new wardrobes were not an option, so Nickolls had the existing glossy-brown fitted ones sanded down and painted with Farrow & Ball emulsion. Beading was applied to add depth to the expanse of flat, plain wood and to give definition to the doors. New handles were also fitted.
BEFORE In the bathroom the fixtures and fittings were all in good nick.
“We kept as much of the existing bathroom as we could,” Nickolls says. “It was a case of minimum change for maximum effect.” White metro tiles, pale grey walls and new taps freshened up the space, while the side and feet of the roll-top bath were painted dark grey. “We then put down patterned cement floor tiles. They were the most expensive thing in this room, but because it is a small area we wanted it to have impact,” Nickolls explains.
Atlas I floor tiles, Cement Tile Shop.
Atlas I floor tiles, Cement Tile Shop.
New cushions were added to spruce up existing furniture in both the boys’ bedrooms, and here a subtle star theme on one wall and rug adds a stylish edge.
Stars wallpaper, Hibou Home. Freddie Star rug, The Rug Shop.
What do you think of this home makeover? Do you have any Before and After shots of your transformation? Share your thoughts/photos in the Comments section.
Stars wallpaper, Hibou Home. Freddie Star rug, The Rug Shop.
What do you think of this home makeover? Do you have any Before and After shots of your transformation? Share your thoughts/photos in the Comments section.
Who lives here A family of four with two young boys
Location Enfield, north London
Property A semi-detached Edwardian house
Size 4 bedrooms and 1 bathroom
Designer Vickie Nickolls of Interior Therapy
Photos by Olly Gordon
“The clients moved in at the beginning of December and I started two days after that,” explains Nickolls. “Once all the rooms were white, the focus initially was to try and get the living room ready in time for Christmas. The kitchen, dining and living space was actually the last room we tackled, as it needed structural work to knock two rooms together.”
When it came to decorating the open-plan kitchen, dining and living space, the clients wanted a Scandi feel with pastel tones. They already had the blue Smeg fridge, but Nickolls suggested adding pink accents as a warmer alternative to pale blue. An existing sofa was raised higher off the floor by replacing its square black feet with long oak legs. “It’s such a neat idea, and it’s a trick I use lots,” says Nickolls. “Raising the sofa gives it a whole new look, while the oak ties it in with the wood in the rest of the room.”
Sofa legs, Pretty Pegs. Merano pink chair, Swoon Editions. Rug, Cox & Cox.