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Houzz Tour: A Thoughtful New Layout for a Chic Edwardian Semi
A side return extension has made space for storage, boot and utility rooms, a considered kitchen and a joyful playroom
When London-based French interior designer Liana Mkrtchyan was house-hunting, she fell for the elegant architectural details and the grand proportions of the rooms and hallway in this Edwardian semi, now her home. The familiar period features of this very British house reminded her of home, she says.
“With the stone fireplaces, high ceilings and mouldings, I felt I was entering a Haussmann apartment in Paris,” she recalls, “I had some nostalgia.”
But while the bones of the building had won Liana over, the back of the house and the layout needed rethinking in order to make it work better for her and her family.
“With the stone fireplaces, high ceilings and mouldings, I felt I was entering a Haussmann apartment in Paris,” she recalls, “I had some nostalgia.”
But while the bones of the building had won Liana over, the back of the house and the layout needed rethinking in order to make it work better for her and her family.
As part of the project, Liana’s architect created a 1.8m side-return extension, which made the kitchen wide enough to have the island horizontal to the back wall and looking towards the garden.
“I wanted the garden to be the focal point from where you cook, eat and sit,” she says. “This was the starting point for the layout.”
The garden also influenced some of the natural material choices – rough sawn oak for the tall cabinet doors; Nero Assoluto granite worktops, and a Calacatta Borghini honed marble splashback behind the sink.
“The marble took three months to find,” Liana says. “I wanted it to be like a piece of art, another focal point in the room along with the garden. It has very distinct, rusty colouring. It’s a small detail, but it ties everything together.”
The appliances are all concealed, even the oven and microwave, which sit behind pocket doors in the left-hand tall cabinet. Liana included ventilation inside the cabinet as well as above (in the shadow gap at the top), but also leaves the doors open after cooking to boost airflow and keep the appliances working perfectly. The cupboard on the right houses a fridge-freezer.
An induction hob with an integrated extractor sits flush on the island worktop. “It almost disappears when not in use,” Liana says. “At first, the kids asked me, ‘Where’s the kitchen gone?’ and I said, ‘She’ll be back tomorrow, she’s done her job for today.’”
Kitchen, Roundhouse. Hob, Bora. Linear light over island, Muuto.
“I wanted the garden to be the focal point from where you cook, eat and sit,” she says. “This was the starting point for the layout.”
The garden also influenced some of the natural material choices – rough sawn oak for the tall cabinet doors; Nero Assoluto granite worktops, and a Calacatta Borghini honed marble splashback behind the sink.
“The marble took three months to find,” Liana says. “I wanted it to be like a piece of art, another focal point in the room along with the garden. It has very distinct, rusty colouring. It’s a small detail, but it ties everything together.”
The appliances are all concealed, even the oven and microwave, which sit behind pocket doors in the left-hand tall cabinet. Liana included ventilation inside the cabinet as well as above (in the shadow gap at the top), but also leaves the doors open after cooking to boost airflow and keep the appliances working perfectly. The cupboard on the right houses a fridge-freezer.
An induction hob with an integrated extractor sits flush on the island worktop. “It almost disappears when not in use,” Liana says. “At first, the kids asked me, ‘Where’s the kitchen gone?’ and I said, ‘She’ll be back tomorrow, she’s done her job for today.’”
Kitchen, Roundhouse. Hob, Bora. Linear light over island, Muuto.
The little window here was Liana’s idea. “If you want to quickly ventilate a room while you’re cooking and don’t want to open the patio doors, there’s no better way to get fresh air in,” she says.
The idea was also prompted by the cost of having openable skylights. “I nearly fell off my chair!” she laughs.
There are pull-out bins at the end of the run, shelves under the sink and a dishwasher on the right.
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The idea was also prompted by the cost of having openable skylights. “I nearly fell off my chair!” she laughs.
There are pull-out bins at the end of the run, shelves under the sink and a dishwasher on the right.
Find reviewed architects and interior designers in your area on Houzz.
Having previously lived in a flat with a small kitchen, Liana says her dream was to have two sinks, one with a boiling- and filtered-water tap for cooking and one for dishes and child hand-washing and craft clean-ups.
They are different colours to blend with their immediate surroundings and have taps in different finishes, but in the same design for continuity.
While the wooden units are premium, the base units were more affordable and are MDF spray-painted deep grey. “This was another way of keeping costs manageable,” Liana says.
They are different colours to blend with their immediate surroundings and have taps in different finishes, but in the same design for continuity.
While the wooden units are premium, the base units were more affordable and are MDF spray-painted deep grey. “This was another way of keeping costs manageable,” Liana says.
The doorway at the back of the room leads to a boot room and a utility area. There’s also a side door to the garden.
A door on the right of the island (out of shot) leads to the hallway and front of the house.
A door on the right of the island (out of shot) leads to the hallway and front of the house.
The wall behind the dining table is a type of microcement that has a textured, plaster-like finish. “The colour worked nicely with the colour scheme of the kitchen. I did it just on one wall,” Liana says. The other walls are painted. “I have lots of artwork and I like to move it all about and be able to patch up,” she says.
The floor is polished concrete. The lines you can see in the finish are movement lines, which help to avoid cracks in the surface.
The floor is polished concrete. The lines you can see in the finish are movement lines, which help to avoid cracks in the surface.
There are three cabinets in this run (from the left): drawers for cooking oils and tea and coffee; pull-out bins, and the dishwasher.
The island contains lots more storage, including cupboards facing outwards for less-used glassware and crockery.
The island contains lots more storage, including cupboards facing outwards for less-used glassware and crockery.
The colour of the sofa was chosen to pick up the natural shades of the woods used for the kitchen cabinets and the walnut table, which Liana has had for years. “The sofa is intentionally quite low – I didn’t want it to block the view of the garden,” she says.
There are just six recessed spotlights in the room. The functional lighting elsewhere includes a linear light over the island, several freestanding pieces, LEDs beneath the shelves, and dimmable wall lights, which illuminate the dining table. “I like using a lot of different types of light in a room to create movement and different heights,” Liana says.
Sofas, Ligne Roset.
There are just six recessed spotlights in the room. The functional lighting elsewhere includes a linear light over the island, several freestanding pieces, LEDs beneath the shelves, and dimmable wall lights, which illuminate the dining table. “I like using a lot of different types of light in a room to create movement and different heights,” Liana says.
Sofas, Ligne Roset.
Behind the marble-covered back wall is the utility room. “I didn’t want to spend too much on this,” Liana says. “The cabinet carcasses are off-the-shelf, but have beautiful plywood fronts, which tie into the playroom [see below]. It was an affordable way to make it custom.”
The room is small but very functional, with each shelf designed for a specific purpose. The top one, for example, is deep, so as to store garden cushions.
The corner separating the laundry appliances from the units on the left was cut out and incorporated into the adjacent playroom, so as to avoid dead space (see floor plan, below). “I avoid corner units wherever I can, as I find there is such a lot of waste, even with the smartest system,” Liana says.
Cabinets, Howden’s.
The room is small but very functional, with each shelf designed for a specific purpose. The top one, for example, is deep, so as to store garden cushions.
The corner separating the laundry appliances from the units on the left was cut out and incorporated into the adjacent playroom, so as to avoid dead space (see floor plan, below). “I avoid corner units wherever I can, as I find there is such a lot of waste, even with the smartest system,” Liana says.
Cabinets, Howden’s.
The cloakroom continues the earthy colour theme. The tiling was technically very complex. “Some tiles are concave, some are convex, and there was a lot of complicated maths – and art – to get it right,” Liana says. “But I love the result – it was worth it.” The walls are done in the same microcement finish as the one in the dining space.
Tiles, Domus. Mirror, Wireworks.
Tiles, Domus. Mirror, Wireworks.
Of all the rooms, it was the living room that most conjured Parisian architectural nostalgia for Liana when she first viewed the house. To ramp up the look, she sourced an antique Louis Philippe mirror in France. “It was a hard job to get it to London,” she recalls. “It’s so heavy, you need three people to move it.”
The room is multifunctional and well-used. “I wanted to avoid having a front room that we only went into twice a year,” she says. “It’s my office, a space for having adult drinks, and our music room – the kids practise piano in here.”
The Purbeck stone fireplace was put in by some previous owners and is not original to the Edwardian house. The sofa was one of Liana’s first-ever designer buys – “but it’s still in perfect condition” – and she’s had the armchair for 15 years.
Red sofas; rug; walnut side table, all Ligne Roset. Pendant light, Petite Friture.
The room is multifunctional and well-used. “I wanted to avoid having a front room that we only went into twice a year,” she says. “It’s my office, a space for having adult drinks, and our music room – the kids practise piano in here.”
The Purbeck stone fireplace was put in by some previous owners and is not original to the Edwardian house. The sofa was one of Liana’s first-ever designer buys – “but it’s still in perfect condition” – and she’s had the armchair for 15 years.
Red sofas; rug; walnut side table, all Ligne Roset. Pendant light, Petite Friture.
The living room was the last to be completed and, by the time Liana came to it, she’d discovered Houzz Pro software and found it really helpful. This is a screenshot of the tools in use – a Houzz Pro Mood Board with a library of products added using the Clipper tool.
“I used it for arranging furniture. It’s great to be on the internet and you can add items on the spot. It’s a nice interface.”
“I used it for arranging furniture. It’s great to be on the internet and you can add items on the spot. It’s a nice interface.”
Liana and the architects only added 11 sq m to the ground floor, but the extra space allowed this far more functional floor plan.
You can see in the floor plan above how the ground floor spaces fit together. This opening leads to the boot room and side door; to the left is the utility room. The yellow room is the children’s playroom.
The bright colours suit the room well; it functions as a playroom, TV room, library and homework space. “It’s used a lot,” Liana says. “My philosophy is that you need to use existing space before you take more from the garden.”
Walls and ceiling painted in Babouche; doorway painted in Lulworth Blue, both Farrow & Ball. Arch painted in a custom mix, Dulux.
Walls and ceiling painted in Babouche; doorway painted in Lulworth Blue, both Farrow & Ball. Arch painted in a custom mix, Dulux.
In the old layout, what is now the playroom was a dark kitchen. Liana added a window so there’s now one either side of where the cooker used to be.
Aside from the change of use, there was another significant finding. “The biggest surprise of the renovation came when the builders knocked down this low false ceiling, which was less than 2.4m, and we ended up with a height of 3.5m, which gives an impression of space and feels so much bigger,” Liana says.
Aside from the change of use, there was another significant finding. “The biggest surprise of the renovation came when the builders knocked down this low false ceiling, which was less than 2.4m, and we ended up with a height of 3.5m, which gives an impression of space and feels so much bigger,” Liana says.
The colour palette was inspired by a pendant light Liana had had for some time. “We knew whatever we did it would be dark, so we went bold and chose yellow,” she says.
The high ceiling and original mouldings in the hallway also wowed Liana when she first saw the house. An old West Elm console and another heavy antique French mirror that Liana already had work perfectly in here. She created coat and shoe storage under the staircase.
The balustrade has been sanded to its original finish and re-oiled. “We gave a lot of love to the original features and tried to bring them back to their original glory,” Liana says.
Walls below dado painted in Ammonite; walls above dado painted in All White, both Farrow & Ball.
The balustrade has been sanded to its original finish and re-oiled. “We gave a lot of love to the original features and tried to bring them back to their original glory,” Liana says.
Walls below dado painted in Ammonite; walls above dado painted in All White, both Farrow & Ball.
Liana and her husband’s bedroom is large and there was space to create a walk-in wardrobe behind the bed. “I was keen to have the bed facing these nice windows. We’re fortunate that, outside, it’s just greenery.”
Walls painted in Setting Plaster, Farrow & Ball. Engineered oak plank flooring, Trunk Floor.
Walls painted in Setting Plaster, Farrow & Ball. Engineered oak plank flooring, Trunk Floor.
Liana describes the bedroom pre-renovation as “quite neglected”.
The bed has now been turned 90 degrees and the oak headboard divides it from the newly created walk-in wardrobe (see the floor plan, below). It’s split into two finishes, one smooth oak veneer sheeting and one fluted solid wood. Each has a slightly different finish to create different shades (the fluted section has had more layers of stain applied to darken it).
This plan shows the first floor before and after the layout changes. You can see the newly carved-out walk-in wardrobe.
Behind the bed, the wardrobe is reasonably spacious, but looks enormous thanks to the eye-tricking mirror at the end.
“The old en suite bathroom was functional, but there wasn’t much storage,” Liana says. “There was a beautiful cast-iron bath in it, which now lives in my garden as a very fancy container.”
She opted to use the space it took up to incorporate a double vanity unit. The layout, otherwise, barely changed to keep costs down.
She opted to use the space it took up to incorporate a double vanity unit. The layout, otherwise, barely changed to keep costs down.
The new en suite was designed around the original curved wall, with the vanity unit being made bespoke to work with it. “It was a bit of a headache, but I love it,” Liana says. “I believe that whatever can be preserved in the way of original features, should be.”
The under-basin drawers are fronted in the same fluted oak finish as the walk-in wardrobe. The worktop is practical Corian and the zellige tiles add textural interest. The mirrors conceal spacious cabinets with sockets inside. The tapware is an aged brass finish. “I like the patina,” Liana says.
Wall lights, Tala. Tiles, Mosaic Factory. Walls and ceiling painted in Setting Plaster, Farrow & Ball.
The under-basin drawers are fronted in the same fluted oak finish as the walk-in wardrobe. The worktop is practical Corian and the zellige tiles add textural interest. The mirrors conceal spacious cabinets with sockets inside. The tapware is an aged brass finish. “I like the patina,” Liana says.
Wall lights, Tala. Tiles, Mosaic Factory. Walls and ceiling painted in Setting Plaster, Farrow & Ball.
A few steps up from the en suite are the children’s bedrooms. This, the biggest bedroom in the house, is the daughter’s room. “I love daybeds for kids. They become a sofa during the day and they have an enclosure around them that makes them very cosy,” Liana says.
There’s also space beneath the daybed where bulky gymnastics equipment is stored – this hobby is also why the room retains lots of empty floor space, so she can practise. “You have to fulfil the client brief,” Liana laughs.
The rooms were done on a budget and are deliberately minimal, so they can evolve over time.
Walls painted in Wimborne White, Farrow & Ball. Daybed, Habitat. Sofa-bed, Made.com. Desk, Ikea. La Voliere Birdcage pendant lamp by Mathieu Challieres, available at Beaumonde.
There’s also space beneath the daybed where bulky gymnastics equipment is stored – this hobby is also why the room retains lots of empty floor space, so she can practise. “You have to fulfil the client brief,” Liana laughs.
The rooms were done on a budget and are deliberately minimal, so they can evolve over time.
Walls painted in Wimborne White, Farrow & Ball. Daybed, Habitat. Sofa-bed, Made.com. Desk, Ikea. La Voliere Birdcage pendant lamp by Mathieu Challieres, available at Beaumonde.
The stone fireplace was relocated from the rear reception room after that space became the kitchen. There had been no surround in here before, just the chimney breast. The back of it is made from reclaimed bricks from the demolished wall downstairs.
This is the son’s bedroom. “It’s smaller, but with a beautiful view,” Liana says. There’s also a daybed in here, and an old armchair has been reupholstered.
Liana made this lampshade using an Ikea shade and birds from Etsy. “When you don’t have enough for the same designer lampshade, you budget,” she says. “A lot of stuff around the house is recycled and reused.”
Desk, Ikea. Desk chair, Stokke.
Liana made this lampshade using an Ikea shade and birds from Etsy. “When you don’t have enough for the same designer lampshade, you budget,” she says. “A lot of stuff around the house is recycled and reused.”
Desk, Ikea. Desk chair, Stokke.
This is the family bathroom, on the same floor as the children’s bedrooms. “It’s a lovely room and we kept the layout pretty much the same,” Liana says.
How do Liana and her family feel about the house now? “We really love the new layout,” she says. “The house works so much harder for us: all of it is well utilised and there’s an intuitive flow from one place to another. Life just feels easier – it’s as simple as that.”
Wall lights, Tala. Zellige tiles, Mosaic Factory. Porcelain floor tiles, Minoli.
Tell us…
What’s your favourite area in this beautifully updated Edwardian home? Let us know in the Comments.
How do Liana and her family feel about the house now? “We really love the new layout,” she says. “The house works so much harder for us: all of it is well utilised and there’s an intuitive flow from one place to another. Life just feels easier – it’s as simple as that.”
Wall lights, Tala. Zellige tiles, Mosaic Factory. Porcelain floor tiles, Minoli.
Tell us…
What’s your favourite area in this beautifully updated Edwardian home? Let us know in the Comments.
Who lives here? Interior designer Liana Mkrtchyan, her husband, and their two children, aged 8 and 5
Location Dulwich, south-east London
Property An Edwardian semi-detached house
Size Five bedrooms and three bathrooms
Designer Liana Mkrtchyan of LMK Studio
Architect Delve Architects
Project year 2023
Contractor Lama Build
Photos by Chris Snook
“When we got the house, it had a very traditional layout, with separate reception rooms and a dark kitchen in the middle,” Liana says. “I wanted to improve the flow.”
At the heart of the project was a rethinking of the kitchen, which had previously had little connection to the garden and no space for the family and their friends to hang out.
Liana also designed in new utility and boot room spaces close to the kitchen, plus additional storage wherever she could fit it in. “We have kids, so that was important,” she says.
Upstairs, the work was mainly aesthetic, with some new bespoke storage in the mix.