Houzz Tour: A Victorian School in London Gets a New Lease of Life
On the top floor of a converted school, this apartment now rocks a fresh scheme that makes the most of its lofty dimensions
A strong espresso helps to perk us up on groggy days, and Camilla Leech from Trunk Creative delivered the equivalent, in interior design terms, to this East London apartment. ‘It was very tired when I first saw it,’ she says. ‘It had an awful kitchen stuffed into the corner of the main living space and the flooring was a rubbish orange laminate.’
It was clear the apartment, on the sixth floor of a converted Victorian school, needed a wake-up call and Camilla chose a crisp white palette to immediately refresh the space. An ingenious new coat of specialist paint transformed the flooring and a proper, cheffy kitchen was installed in what had been a junk room, to suit its hotel-owner client.
Working to a tight budget, it took six weeks for the transformation to take place, and now the loft is a fresh, ordered space; its 5m-high walls a snowy backdrop to pops of bright colour and classic furniture.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here A hotel owner
Designer Camilla Leech of Trunk Creative
Location East London
Size 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom
It was clear the apartment, on the sixth floor of a converted Victorian school, needed a wake-up call and Camilla chose a crisp white palette to immediately refresh the space. An ingenious new coat of specialist paint transformed the flooring and a proper, cheffy kitchen was installed in what had been a junk room, to suit its hotel-owner client.
Working to a tight budget, it took six weeks for the transformation to take place, and now the loft is a fresh, ordered space; its 5m-high walls a snowy backdrop to pops of bright colour and classic furniture.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here A hotel owner
Designer Camilla Leech of Trunk Creative
Location East London
Size 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom
A huge section of wall alongside the dining area is covered with the Bookworm shelf system, designed by Ron Arad for Kartell. ‘You just fix it up any which way you like, to suit the space,’ says Camilla.
Bookworm shelf system, Ron Arad for Kartell.
Bookworm shelf system, Ron Arad for Kartell.
The apartment’s owner is involved in the hotel business and a keen cook, so recipe books line the shelves and make a feature on the kitchen worktops. Humorous animal egg cups add a decorative note.
The walls were messy when Camilla first saw this apartment, with some parts rendered and others sporting exposed brick. ‘The owner was quite keen to leave the rougher brickwork on the upper part of the walls exposed,’ explains Camilla, ‘but it would have brought a lot of brown tones into the space.’
Instead, all the brickwork has been painted white to create a fresh backdrop. ‘There is plenty of colour elsewhere, on pieces like the Jielde lamp and the Picasso cushions,’ adds Camilla. The chair with patchwork upholstery is from Squint.
Lamp, Jielde. Chair, Squint.
Instead, all the brickwork has been painted white to create a fresh backdrop. ‘There is plenty of colour elsewhere, on pieces like the Jielde lamp and the Picasso cushions,’ adds Camilla. The chair with patchwork upholstery is from Squint.
Lamp, Jielde. Chair, Squint.
This Victorian school house was converted into flats some decades ago, with an upper floor created to one side of the lofty living area. ‘We added the window, to bring light into the guest room,’ explains Camilla. The space below, which had been a junk room, is now the kitchen.
‘We were working to a tight budget,’ says Camilla, ‘so were not able to lay new flooring.’ As the apartment is at the top of the building, there were also restrictions in place about what flooring could be laid here, to prevent noise pollution.
So Camilla came up with a clever and inexpensive solution, rubbing down the existing laminate flooring to create a key and then treating it with a specialist industrial floor paint – the kind you might use in a garage – which produces a slightly rubbery feel.
‘The owner didn’t want ordinary floor paint and, besides, that would have worn off and produced a distressed finish, which he wasn’t keen on,’ says Camilla. ‘This was a good solution and we used it everywhere except the bathroom.’
So Camilla came up with a clever and inexpensive solution, rubbing down the existing laminate flooring to create a key and then treating it with a specialist industrial floor paint – the kind you might use in a garage – which produces a slightly rubbery feel.
‘The owner didn’t want ordinary floor paint and, besides, that would have worn off and produced a distressed finish, which he wasn’t keen on,’ says Camilla. ‘This was a good solution and we used it everywhere except the bathroom.’
Bright artwork helps to punctuate the tall white walls, but the internal window to the guest room has a black frame for some bite and contrast. ‘I sourced the radiators from Bisque,’ says Camilla of the chunky designs that sit beneath the windows. ‘They were quite expensive, but I felt it was important to have radiators with a quality feel and to create a feature against the huge white walls that draws the eye.’
Radiator, Bisque.
Check out more great radiators
Radiator, Bisque.
Check out more great radiators
The kitchen has a professional feel, thanks to its stainless steel worktops and units, but was put together on a budget. ‘The cupboards are from Ikea,’ says Camilla, ‘and we had the worktop made at a place that manufactures kitchens for schools. It was very economical, but you would never guess.’
Cupboards, Ikea.
Cupboards, Ikea.
The apartment’s owner loves to cook and entertain, so he sourced a professional range cooker, which is the centrepiece of the kitchen.
A private roof terrace provides space for alfresco entertaining. There is room for a barbecue, and potted herbs grow here, ready to be used in the kitchen.
The wardrobe in the master bedroom was made bespoke and beautifully fits the space. ‘We used the same mix of white walls and grey painted floor in here,’ says Camilla. ‘It’s all it needed.’
A neat little desk is tucked in the bay window of the master bedroom. Sitting at the top of the building, six floors up, the apartment has lovely views over London. The mirrored doors on the wardrobe help the simple white room feel twice as big.
Read more about dressing a bay window
Read more about dressing a bay window
The apartment’s owner had used metro tiles in the hotel restaurants he owns, so he was keen to incorporate them here. ‘The bath was not particularly expensive,’ says Camilla, ‘but because it’s boxed in with a tiled surround, you can’t tell.’ She also sourced inexpensive metro tiles. ‘They were pretty much the cheapest I could find, but they look great,’ she says.
TELL US…
What do you like about this apartment? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
TELL US…
What do you like about this apartment? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
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