Houzz Tour: A New-Build Family Home in London Gets a Makeover
A blandly luxe interior has been cleverly redesigned, so the rooms now reflect this property’s exciting architecture
Architect-designed and surrounded by ancient woodland, this contemporary home was snapped up by a young family who loved its size, location and the villagey London neighbourhood it belonged to. They were not, however, so keen on its interior. Designed by developers, the house sported a neutral, luxury look that didn’t reflect its minimal, exciting architecture and high ceilings.
“The owners wanted something more laid-back, relaxed and modern,” says Olga Alexeeva, who redesigned the property. She tweaked the layout and replaced the off-the-peg look with a scheme that feels contemporary but also personal, designed to suit the owners’ sociable lifestyle. “The architecture is very simple, with straight, slim lines, but we needed to add a cosy feeling and really rich textures to suit family life and bring the outside in,” she explains.
“The owners wanted something more laid-back, relaxed and modern,” says Olga Alexeeva, who redesigned the property. She tweaked the layout and replaced the off-the-peg look with a scheme that feels contemporary but also personal, designed to suit the owners’ sociable lifestyle. “The architecture is very simple, with straight, slim lines, but we needed to add a cosy feeling and really rich textures to suit family life and bring the outside in,” she explains.
Designer Olga Alexeeva was called in to give the interior a contemporary makeover, to complement the property’s exciting architecture and reflect its owners’ interests and lifestyle.
The layout was basically sound, but Alexeeva fine-tuned some details to make best use of the space. The living room was tweaked to create a large seating area with a corner sofa and a separate reading spot. “Adding a fireplace was also key to create a cosy feel,” she says. “Structurally, there was no way to add a real one, so we put in a bioethanol design. It was the only way it could be done.”
The layout was basically sound, but Alexeeva fine-tuned some details to make best use of the space. The living room was tweaked to create a large seating area with a corner sofa and a separate reading spot. “Adding a fireplace was also key to create a cosy feel,” she says. “Structurally, there was no way to add a real one, so we put in a bioethanol design. It was the only way it could be done.”
Another crucial change was to replace the grey floor tiles that were laid throughout the living area. “They were very cold and dark,” says Alexeeva, who swapped them for wide, engineered oak boards laid over underfloor heating.
The flexible dining space includes a table that’s suitable for family meal times, but can extend to seat a party of 10 when friends or family visit.
The house gets plenty of light thanks to its large windows and spotlights fitted throughout, but Alexeeva supplemented these with a mix of ceiling, wall and floor lights, which zone the space and create a more intimate atmosphere. The beautiful round pendant lights over the table were handmade in the Philippines.
Pelle chairs, Zeitraum. Pendant lights, Kenneth Cobonpue at Hive. Aise dining table, Treku.
Want to layer your lighting? See how to mix different light sources for an ambient feel
The flexible dining space includes a table that’s suitable for family meal times, but can extend to seat a party of 10 when friends or family visit.
The house gets plenty of light thanks to its large windows and spotlights fitted throughout, but Alexeeva supplemented these with a mix of ceiling, wall and floor lights, which zone the space and create a more intimate atmosphere. The beautiful round pendant lights over the table were handmade in the Philippines.
Pelle chairs, Zeitraum. Pendant lights, Kenneth Cobonpue at Hive. Aise dining table, Treku.
Want to layer your lighting? See how to mix different light sources for an ambient feel
“The kitchen was already installed,” says Alexeeva. “We wanted to work with what was here, if we could, so we preserved it.”
Bar stools, Norr11.
Bar stools, Norr11.
A black laminate with a sawn wood effect had been used in the kitchen. “I chose a dining table in a similar real wood to continue this look,” says Alexeeva. The worktop is a white composite stone, which helps lift the dark scheme.
Each room has large, floor-to-ceiling windows. “The views are just fantastic, looking over woodland with ancient oak trees. It’s thrilling! So I wanted to use lots of natural materials to reflect this,” says Alexeeva. “Inviting nature into the scheme was crucial.”
Clarissa armchair, Moroso. Pink Nido chair, Sancal. Pebble side table, Joined + Jointed. Floor lamp, Matthew Hilton for De La Espada, available at Heal’s. Hemp rug, Armadillo & Co.
Clarissa armchair, Moroso. Pink Nido chair, Sancal. Pebble side table, Joined + Jointed. Floor lamp, Matthew Hilton for De La Espada, available at Heal’s. Hemp rug, Armadillo & Co.
“Plants make the whole house come alive and contribute to that relaxed, inside-outside feel,” says Alexeeva, who included greenery throughout the property. In the living room, a specially built shelf supports a row of Sansevieria trifasciata in burgundy pots. “The owners travel a great deal, so we used smart containers to keep each plant watered while they’re away,” she says.
For a bespoke touch, some pieces in the house have been upholstered in fabric specifically chosen to complement the scheme. The corner sofa is from Scandinavian design team Norr11, and is covered in Kvadrat fabric.
Alexeeva sourced the table from Canada. “Finding the right-sized table in a simple and clean style was one of my main challenges,” she says. “I didn’t want to introduce metal in here. It had to be wood, to keep it all natural.”
Grass Roots collection wallpaper, Phillip Jeffries.
Tired of standard shelving? Check out these smart ideas for living room storage
For a bespoke touch, some pieces in the house have been upholstered in fabric specifically chosen to complement the scheme. The corner sofa is from Scandinavian design team Norr11, and is covered in Kvadrat fabric.
Alexeeva sourced the table from Canada. “Finding the right-sized table in a simple and clean style was one of my main challenges,” she says. “I didn’t want to introduce metal in here. It had to be wood, to keep it all natural.”
Grass Roots collection wallpaper, Phillip Jeffries.
Tired of standard shelving? Check out these smart ideas for living room storage
“We worked with the owners to find artworks they loved from independent galleries around the world,” says Alexeeva. “Each piece was delivered to our workshop, so we could design frames to perfectly suit the interior.”
The statement armchair in the reading corner of the living room can be positioned to enjoy the view. The floor lamp was chosen for its slim silhouette, which doesn’t draw attention away from the striking artwork by Canadian artist Sandra Lamb. The lamp’s narrow, pleated shade mirrors the washed linen curtains.
Curtains and sheers, Prêt À Vivre.
The statement armchair in the reading corner of the living room can be positioned to enjoy the view. The floor lamp was chosen for its slim silhouette, which doesn’t draw attention away from the striking artwork by Canadian artist Sandra Lamb. The lamp’s narrow, pleated shade mirrors the washed linen curtains.
Curtains and sheers, Prêt À Vivre.
The living room’s scheme of warm wood and raspberry tones is reflected in this contemporary console.
Section console, Dare Studio. Mirror, Joined + Jointed.
Section console, Dare Studio. Mirror, Joined + Jointed.
To squeeze more value from the TV room, Alexeeva added a sofa bed to the space, so it can double as a guest room. “I had it made bespoke,” she says. “The room is only about 3m wide and this three-seater almost fills it, but it’s designed so that only two of the seats pull down to create the bed, while the third works as a bedside table.”
Sofa bed, Sofa & More.
Sofa bed, Sofa & More.
Alexeeva replaced the conventional door to the TV/guest room with a sliding pocket one. “That room is really small,” she explains. “A normal door obscured the TV screen when it was open!”
All the rugs in the house were sourced from an Australian company. “They really fit the style of the house,” says Alexeeva. “They’re made from natural hemp, which blends with the floor, but adds texture, too.”
Rug, Armadillo & Co. Iona Cheval mirror, Pinch Design.
All the rugs in the house were sourced from an Australian company. “They really fit the style of the house,” says Alexeeva. “They’re made from natural hemp, which blends with the floor, but adds texture, too.”
Rug, Armadillo & Co. Iona Cheval mirror, Pinch Design.
Creating an interior that complemented the contemporary architecture of this house was a top priority. This is brilliantly demonstrated in the guest bathroom, where black ironwork references the property’s window frames. “We teamed it with Béton Ciré on the walls, a form of fine plaster made in France,” says Alexeeva.
Alexeeva converted a cloakroom to create the guest bathroom, installing a shower that’s hidden behind a bespoke glass and iron partition, which was made in Italy. Any guests staying overnight in the TV room can use this space.
In the three en suite bathrooms, natural wood features on the floors, vanity units and decorative panels, bringing in warmth and creating a sense of continuity. Here, useful storage is concealed beneath the basin and behind the mirrors.
All three en suite bathrooms originally featured only showers, so another change Alexeeva made was to redesign one of them to include a tub for child-friendly bath times.
“The main bedroom is almost like a self-contained section of the house,” explains Alexeeva. “It even has its own terrace, so when guests come to visit, they can enjoy the whole house, but the owners can come here for privacy.”
Many of the rooms include a feature wall of textural or patterned wallpaper. In the main bedroom, the natural grass wallpaper brings rich colour and texture.
The natural colour scheme adds a cosy feel and creates that inside-outside connection. “We used very earthy shades,” says Alexeeva.
The bright mustard colour of the bed’s piping is complemented by the vibrant velvet sofa, and all the tones are balanced by the pale walls and floor.
Wall covered in Havana 3152 wallpaper, Braided Walls collection, Phillip Jeffries.
The bright mustard colour of the bed’s piping is complemented by the vibrant velvet sofa, and all the tones are balanced by the pale walls and floor.
Wall covered in Havana 3152 wallpaper, Braided Walls collection, Phillip Jeffries.
In addition to the bed and sofa, the main bedroom also contains a neat study space. “The owners have everything they need here,” says Alexeeva. “There are amazing views over the garden, too, and space to work from home.”
Sofa, Arketipo. Desk, De La Espada.
Sofa, Arketipo. Desk, De La Espada.
“We tweaked the clean, modern look in here by adding 1950s side tables by Osvaldo Borsani, which we found at a London vintage fair,” says Alexeeva.
The master en suite features a bespoke basin unit. “I designed it to be slimmer than a standard one,” say Alexeeva, who had it made by an Italian manufacturer. It has a Corian top and is just 40cm deep. “It’s wide enough for two people to use, and has all the functionality of a more generous design,” explains Alexeeva. The walls are in Béton Ciré plaster, in a soft, pale shade.
“The whole colour scheme in this house is quite pastoral,” says Alexeeva. “I’ve used rich colours, but they’re washed out and toned down, to create a relaxing feel.” In the guest bedroom, shades of light blue, salmon and green combine, while the beautiful woodland wallpaper reflects the real trees outside. “I was looking for ideas and saw this paper at Decorex last year,” says Alexeeva. “I thought it was just perfect!”
Skog collection wallpaper, Sandberg.
Skog collection wallpaper, Sandberg.
The slim dressing table in the guest bedroom is Alexeeva’s favourite piece of furniture in the house. “It’s discontinued now,” she says. “I had to call the factory direct to try to track one down. They then called all their suppliers around the world and I got the last one out there! It’s very slim, but has storage, too.”
Dressing table, Arco.
Dressing table, Arco.
In the child’s bedroom, Alexeeva chose a look that won’t date. “It’s not childish,” she says. “It’s a simple scheme with an accent wall of paper featuring an oversized image of flowers. It has really beautiful colours and looks as if it’s printed on canvas. People want to touch it when they come in!”
Wallpaper, Mr Perswall. Mix Drawer chest of drawers, House Doctor, available from nunido. Day bed, Ikea. Kimi table and stools, all Great Little Trading Company. Bambi chair, Elements Optimal.
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Wallpaper, Mr Perswall. Mix Drawer chest of drawers, House Doctor, available from nunido. Day bed, Ikea. Kimi table and stools, all Great Little Trading Company. Bambi chair, Elements Optimal.
Overrun by toys? Here’s how to tackle kids’ clutter
Dusky rose curtains complement the wallpaper, while simple furniture with clean lines completes the room, creating an elegant scheme that’s unexpected and not remotely babyish.
Curtains, Prêt À Vivre.
What do you love about this stylish, contemporary family home? Add your thoughts in the Comments below.
Curtains, Prêt À Vivre.
What do you love about this stylish, contemporary family home? Add your thoughts in the Comments below.
Who lives here A couple with one child
Location Hampstead, London
Property A newly built, architect-designed home
Size 3 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms
Interior designer Olga Alexeeva of Black & Milk Interior Design
Photos by Philip Durrant
The house was originally designed by award-winning practice Claridge Architects and sits within a generous garden on a private development in Hampstead, London. Kebony, a sustainable alternative to tropical hardwood, has been used extensively in the build.