Houzz Tour: This Victorian Family Home Sparkles With Colour
A vibrant townhouse packed with period features gets beautifully dressed up for the festive season
Anna Tobin
8 December 2017
Houzz UK Contributor. I am an experienced lifestyle journalist, interior stylist and editor. I regularly contribute to all the UK glossies and the national press and international press and I run www.dontcrampourstyle.com, the blog for people who live in homes that they've physically outgrown. Follow me on Twitter @theannatobin or contact me via www.annatobin.co.uk
Houzz UK Contributor. I am an experienced lifestyle journalist, interior stylist... More
Decorated with rich velvets and vivid colours, interior designer Emma Green’s Victorian townhouse in south London is always particularly beautiful at Christmastime. When she and her husband bought the house, however, it looked very different.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Interior designer Emma Green, her husband and their two children
Location: South London
Size: Three bedrooms, two bathrooms
At first, the house “was all yellow walls and blue carpets,” Green says. “We pulled up the carpets downstairs to reveal the beautiful original floorboards underneath, which we stained. Then we recarpeted upstairs and painted the whole place. A new kitchen was next, which we then went on to update with new fronts, and finally we converted the loft.”
Who lives here: Interior designer Emma Green, her husband and their two children
Location: South London
Size: Three bedrooms, two bathrooms
At first, the house “was all yellow walls and blue carpets,” Green says. “We pulled up the carpets downstairs to reveal the beautiful original floorboards underneath, which we stained. Then we recarpeted upstairs and painted the whole place. A new kitchen was next, which we then went on to update with new fronts, and finally we converted the loft.”
Green kept the existing footprint of the house and restored its period features, including the Victorian doors, cornices and floorboards. She bought the mirror while on vacation in France and made the light shade with a vintage chandelier surrounded by silk.
Wall paint: Slate, Paint and Paper Library; light shade: Emma Green Design
Wall paint: Slate, Paint and Paper Library; light shade: Emma Green Design
At Christmas, a large tree always sits alongside a roaring fire. “We all love this time of year,” Green says. “We get started on the tree and fill it with baubles that match the colour scheme. The purple balls are then hung from the lights; I put a couple of little gold trees on the mantelpiece, which we cover with fairy lights; and then there are always a few candles around too,” she says. “I also wrap a garland around the stair banisters and add a few seasonal touches to the children’s rooms.”
Since the living room faces the street, the windows are covered with two-tier shutters so that during the day the family can enjoy both privacy and light.
Sofa and footstool: custom
Sofa and footstool: custom
Green wanted this room to feel warm and sumptuous, which is why she chose the rich velvet fabric for the sofa. “I like purple velvet – it looks very luxurious, and it works well with turquoise, which is my favourite colour,” she says.
In the dining room, Green had the cherrywood dining table stained to match the floorboards and French-polished. She surrounded it with a mix of Philippe Starck-designed Victoria Ghost chairs and vintage chairs that she had painted and upholstered to match the turquoise-and-purple colour scheme.
Victoria Ghost chairs: Kartell
Victoria Ghost chairs: Kartell
In the kitchen, Green replaced a small window with patio doors to pull in more light and connect to the garden. She also swapped the traditional cabinet fronts for glossy taupe doors for a contemporary feel.
Cabinet fronts: Euromobil
Cabinet fronts: Euromobil
“I went for open shelving instead of boxy wall units in the kitchen, as it makes an interesting focal point,” says Green, pictured here with one of her children. “And filling the shelves with glasses adds a little extra sparkle to the room.”
Converting the loft allowed Green to create a hotel-style master bedroom suite, with a dressing room leading into an ensuite bathroom.
“I designed the super-king-size bed with a high, buttoned, black-velvet headboard to be the focal point,” Green says. “It’s so large, it had to be winched up through the window.” Pillows and throws add to the room’s boutique hotel vibe.
“I designed the super-king-size bed with a high, buttoned, black-velvet headboard to be the focal point,” Green says. “It’s so large, it had to be winched up through the window.” Pillows and throws add to the room’s boutique hotel vibe.
Glossy lacquered closets in the dressing area, which link the bedroom to the bathroom, help to bounce light around. The large oval bathtub at the end of the dressing room contributes to the feel of an inner sanctuary.
Green chose square porcelain floor tiles that are about 23½ inches (60 centimetres) across to make the bathroom look bigger.
Bathtub: Victoria Plum; floor tiles: Surface Tiles
Green chose square porcelain floor tiles that are about 23½ inches (60 centimetres) across to make the bathroom look bigger.
Bathtub: Victoria Plum; floor tiles: Surface Tiles
Turquoise accents in this vibrant children’s room link its colour palette to the rest of the house.
Green paint: Paint the Town Green; window blind fabric: Designers Guild
Green paint: Paint the Town Green; window blind fabric: Designers Guild
A mural cut from vintage wallpaper adds detail to the nursery’s pink scheme.
Mural: Inke
Mural: Inke
With no built-in storage in the nursery, Green looked for armoires that are both fun and functional, and these Amsterdam House designs hit the spot. “They add a little bit of fun and colour, and they actually hold quite a lot of stuff too,” she says.
Armoires: Cuckooland
Armoires: Cuckooland
Front door paint: Down Pipe, Farrow & Ball
Tell us
Does your home look particularly lovely at Christmas? Let us know how you dress it up and show us your photos in the Comments below.
Tell us
Does your home look particularly lovely at Christmas? Let us know how you dress it up and show us your photos in the Comments below.
What are you working on?
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Thank you for your lovely comments and Happy New Year wishes.
You are right about this kitchen. Its been top of my own to-do-list for years, as its now 18 years old! A little bit of a 'busman's holiday' but I will get round to it soon, and post lots of pictures!
Regards,
Emma
Love this post, You can certainly tell it’s full of love, I particularly like the couch colour it is so rich and really makes a statement, I would never have thought a navy rug would go with the purple couch, but it looks great. The kids rooms are lovely too, the wardrobes are cute and unique. I really like the open shelves in the kitchen, I have to agree they look better than boxey overheads. So nice to see all the character remain in this truely amazing family home.