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Houzz Tour: A Period Family Home is Gently Brought Back to Life
This beautiful conservation-area Victorian house has been both restored and revitalised from a dishevelled state
When Seán McAlister of Pencil and Brick first saw this tall London terrace, it was in a state of dereliction. “It was already in the process of being gutted and was damp and rotten – but a real diamond in the rough,” he says. “It has good bones.” Seán and the team reconfigured the internal layout and added a basement and a loft to the building, as well as a statement pink external staircase.
The owners wanted a sociable family home that also had “pockets of privacy” and an understated feeling of luxury, but was “bold and cool, with splashes of fun”. “They liked the idea that it would feel like a five-star hotel, beautiful and comfortable,” Seán adds.
The owners wanted a sociable family home that also had “pockets of privacy” and an understated feeling of luxury, but was “bold and cool, with splashes of fun”. “They liked the idea that it would feel like a five-star hotel, beautiful and comfortable,” Seán adds.
“The rear of the house faces east, so you get the morning sun in here,” Seán says of the new kitchen-diner. “The breakfast bar is at this end to get the early light and there’s more floor area here to play with – the other side is the business end.
“The owners loved the soft look of natural wood,” he says of the fluted island. Bare, pale timber, ribbed textures and understated luxury are themes repeated throughout the house. The lovely pale, wide floorboards are Douglas fir.
The cupboard on top of the worktop is used as one of two pantry cupboards.
Bespoke kitchen, Blakes of London. Douglas Classic 350mm planks, Dinesen.
Find architects and interior designers in your area on Houzz.
“The owners loved the soft look of natural wood,” he says of the fluted island. Bare, pale timber, ribbed textures and understated luxury are themes repeated throughout the house. The lovely pale, wide floorboards are Douglas fir.
The cupboard on top of the worktop is used as one of two pantry cupboards.
Bespoke kitchen, Blakes of London. Douglas Classic 350mm planks, Dinesen.
Find architects and interior designers in your area on Houzz.
The freestanding dark cupboard on the right is also used for dry food storage.
Seán fitted a new sash window in the dining area (to the right) to replicate what was in the same spot before. There also used to be a small door here that led to the main steps down to the garden.
The door and steps have been removed, giving more wall space internally in the dining zone and creating space for the expansion of what was previously a very small and unliveable basement area below.
“The owners had us come back more than a year after completion to do some further design work, including integrating a new banquette [here],” Seán says. “It shows how much they liked the design and working with us.”
This particular project didn’t come to Seán through Houzz, though a good number do, he says. “Lots of people have clicked on one of our images on Houzz, or they’ve used the button on our profile to send a question through Houzz, or we’ve been matched with them via the Project Match tool.”
So don’t forget – if you’re looking for the right pro for your project, try the Houzz Professionals Directory.
Slim-framed doors, IQ Glass.
Seán fitted a new sash window in the dining area (to the right) to replicate what was in the same spot before. There also used to be a small door here that led to the main steps down to the garden.
The door and steps have been removed, giving more wall space internally in the dining zone and creating space for the expansion of what was previously a very small and unliveable basement area below.
“The owners had us come back more than a year after completion to do some further design work, including integrating a new banquette [here],” Seán says. “It shows how much they liked the design and working with us.”
This particular project didn’t come to Seán through Houzz, though a good number do, he says. “Lots of people have clicked on one of our images on Houzz, or they’ve used the button on our profile to send a question through Houzz, or we’ve been matched with them via the Project Match tool.”
So don’t forget – if you’re looking for the right pro for your project, try the Houzz Professionals Directory.
Slim-framed doors, IQ Glass.
The entrance hall pre-renovation gives an inkling of what a state of disrepair the house was in.
The doorway you can see here remains (see below), albeit in a tidied up state. It now gives access to the new basement area.
This wall has been part-demolished to allow views directly to the back of the house from the front door. A new cloakroom has also been put in the spot adjacent to the stairway down.
The doorway you can see here remains (see below), albeit in a tidied up state. It now gives access to the new basement area.
This wall has been part-demolished to allow views directly to the back of the house from the front door. A new cloakroom has also been put in the spot adjacent to the stairway down.
The new opening ahead pulls light and a garden vista into the hallway. You can see the cleaner opening down to the basement and the new cloakroom on the right.
The swooping mahogany, swan-necked handrail is the just-seen original, but has been beautifully restored. The spindles, however, were replaced with metal rods.
On the left is a new entrance into the living room, fitted with pocket doors. Details such as the dado rail are all new; the team put in lots of work to bring back features that would have been there originally.
The swooping mahogany, swan-necked handrail is the just-seen original, but has been beautifully restored. The spindles, however, were replaced with metal rods.
On the left is a new entrance into the living room, fitted with pocket doors. Details such as the dado rail are all new; the team put in lots of work to bring back features that would have been there originally.
The airy, elegant living room blends into the kitchen (that cabinetry behind the arch is in part of it).
The architectural details in here were all recreated as faithfully as possible to what would have been in place originally. “There really wasn’t any detail to retain in most of the house, nevermind to restore,” Seán says.
The architectural details in here were all recreated as faithfully as possible to what would have been in place originally. “There really wasn’t any detail to retain in most of the house, nevermind to restore,” Seán says.
A plan of the ground floor shows how the living room is part-open to the L-shaped kitchen-diner. You can also see how the cloakroom has been slotted in behind the stairs to the basement.
This before shot of the back of the house gives a sense of how much work was needed.
All the windows were replaced with double-glazed wooden sashes to improve the building’s thermal envelope.
The biggest change by far, though, is the expansion of the basement level, which now features a kitchenette/living space and a bedroom with en suite. In this before image, you can see the small doorway at the bottom that led into the original basement.
“There was a shallow space down here, which you find in almost every Victorian building,” Seán explains. “It had small stairs up to the garden [just out of sight here] and we expanded on this. There was significant digging and structural work.”
All the windows were replaced with double-glazed wooden sashes to improve the building’s thermal envelope.
The biggest change by far, though, is the expansion of the basement level, which now features a kitchenette/living space and a bedroom with en suite. In this before image, you can see the small doorway at the bottom that led into the original basement.
“There was a shallow space down here, which you find in almost every Victorian building,” Seán explains. “It had small stairs up to the garden [just out of sight here] and we expanded on this. There was significant digging and structural work.”
This after picture shows how effective the new terraces are and how well connected the whole space now feels.
The standout feature here is the pink steel staircase. “This comes back to the brief of understated luxury with a splash of fun,” Seán says. “The owners loved the stairs and spent many hours with us picking the perfect colour.”
The brickwork above the doors echoes the ribbed woodwork inside as well as the balustrade.
The standout feature here is the pink steel staircase. “This comes back to the brief of understated luxury with a splash of fun,” Seán says. “The owners loved the stairs and spent many hours with us picking the perfect colour.”
The brickwork above the doors echoes the ribbed woodwork inside as well as the balustrade.
Another strong design detail is the boardmarked grey concrete. “It’s a work of art right down to the grain of the board-marking and the position, pigment and orientation of the boards,” Seán says. “This is what’s called ‘visual grade concrete’ and the work is all done by hand – it’s a bit like making a cake. The art is removing the boards without ripping off the texture.”
The second terrace, a few wooden steps below the pink staircase, is attached to the newly expanded basement.
Seán likes the composition of different textures in this view. It shows how his team resolved the conundrum of transition between the lower and upper exterior levels.
There is a concrete retaining wall, needed after the digging here, but this is almost completely hidden by the timber planters you can see at the top.
Seán likes the composition of different textures in this view. It shows how his team resolved the conundrum of transition between the lower and upper exterior levels.
There is a concrete retaining wall, needed after the digging here, but this is almost completely hidden by the timber planters you can see at the top.
The light-filled basement is newly kitted out with a kitchen and living space. Exposed rafters help to define the kitchen area and the Scandi feel and light tones boost the sense of brightness.
Terrazzo worktop, Diespeker.
Terrazzo worktop, Diespeker.
The basement en suite makes this floor a perfect self-contained place for guests to stay.
From the basement hallway, stairs lead up to the opening previously highlighted in the upstairs entrance hall.
The doorway on the left, which is at the front of the house, is used as an informal way in and out and is often used by the family. The neat little coat and shoe tidy was made bespoke by a joiner. “The owners really needed more spillover storage on this floor,” Seán says.
The doorway on the left, which is at the front of the house, is used as an informal way in and out and is often used by the family. The neat little coat and shoe tidy was made bespoke by a joiner. “The owners really needed more spillover storage on this floor,” Seán says.
These black-framed back doors in the basement hallway open to the garden.
At the bottom of the stairs, the joiner added an extra bit of secret storage that doubles as a place to perch and take off footwear. “It’s a good space for things like garden cushions and blankets,” Seán says. There’s more storage behind the doors under the stairs, too.
The vertical slats forming the staircase wall were designed to let as much light flow through as possible. “This is a nice architectural piece,” Seán says of the staircase, pointing out the shadow gap between the tongue-and-groove panelling and the treads and risers.
At the bottom of the stairs, the joiner added an extra bit of secret storage that doubles as a place to perch and take off footwear. “It’s a good space for things like garden cushions and blankets,” Seán says. There’s more storage behind the doors under the stairs, too.
The vertical slats forming the staircase wall were designed to let as much light flow through as possible. “This is a nice architectural piece,” Seán says of the staircase, pointing out the shadow gap between the tongue-and-groove panelling and the treads and risers.
The main bedroom is on the first floor. The colours in here tie in beautifully with those on the floors below, giving the home a calming visual flow.
“This bedroom and en suite were a real priority for the owners,” Seán explains.
“This bedroom and en suite were a real priority for the owners,” Seán explains.
The sleek en suite bathroom has the hotel feel the owners were after.
It includes a luxurious double vanity unit with reeded fronts and brass detailing around the doors. The worktop and splashback are composite stone. It’s a bespoke creation by interior designer Anna Hewitson.
The mirror above is, in fact, a recessed cabinet.
The mirror above is, in fact, a recessed cabinet.
Upstairs on the second floor, a cheery child’s bedroom features bespoke bunk beds, also designed by Anna.
Lower walls painted in Babouche, Farrow & Ball.
Lower walls painted in Babouche, Farrow & Ball.
On the same floor, the “kids’ bathroom” continues the vibrant colour theme, and features a luscious orangey-red bespoke vanity unit.
White and gold octagonal floor tiles, Bert & May. Vanity unit painted in RAL 3028, Ham Interiors.
White and gold octagonal floor tiles, Bert & May. Vanity unit painted in RAL 3028, Ham Interiors.
The room also contains a marble-topped bath and a generous walk-in shower.
Gelato Rose Gloss wall tiles, Mandarin Stone.
Gelato Rose Gloss wall tiles, Mandarin Stone.
One of the bedrooms is used as a home office.
You can see from this before picture of the entrance to the house and the front door just how much work was needed to restore it overall.
The exterior also required work. The front pathway needed redoing completely. “It was fun to produce the layout, which was a contemporary take on the historic entrance tiling of the neighbourhood,” Seán says.
And how do the owners feel about their ‘new’ old house? “The kitchen is their pride and they love how it flows with the living space at one end and the terrace doors at the other,” Seán says. “They told me they absolutely love living in it.”
Tiles, Original Style.
Tell us…
What’s your favourite feature in this renovation? Let us know in the Comments.
And how do the owners feel about their ‘new’ old house? “The kitchen is their pride and they love how it flows with the living space at one end and the terrace doors at the other,” Seán says. “They told me they absolutely love living in it.”
Tiles, Original Style.
Tell us…
What’s your favourite feature in this renovation? Let us know in the Comments.
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Who lives here? A young family with three small children
Location Islington, north London
Property A three-storey Victorian terrace with a basement in a conservation area
Size Five bedrooms and four bathrooms
Architectural design Seán McAlister of Pencil and Brick
Contractor Tobias West
Interior designer Anna Hewitson Design
Project year 2021
As the house had been stripped, it was very much a blank canvas to work with in terms of the internal configuration.
The footprint on this ground floor level wasn’t changed, but several structural and external alterations, as well as the expansion of the basement floor, have helped to revitalise the space.
The slim-framed doors you can see on the right replaced the Victorian originals, which were rotten. These flood the new kitchen with light and open onto a new terrace.