Tour a smart Victorian home in London with a spacious glass extension

Having a crystal clear vision of what they wanted didn’t make it any easier for these owners to find the right house. ‘We were looking for a project – a property to renovate - one that was a cut above the standard terraces with small gardens that were mostly on offer.'

'But we spent almost three years looking at hundreds of houses before this four bedroom Victorian property came up.’

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The house needed absolutely everything doing, and we thought it was overpriced. ‘It had also been on the market for quite a while. But then there was a price reduction, we made an offer and it was ours!’

Exterior

The previous owners had lived here for nearly 40 years, and it was a jumble of small rooms and odd bolt-on features from the 70s and 80s. After speaking with a number of local firms, the owners commissioned Oli Lambert of Lambert & Sons to help with the project.

He was proactive and was great at helping to follow through on ideas and keeping to the timeline and budget.

Hallway

The house was stripped back to its structural bones, while taking care to restore and retain any original Victorian features that could be preserved, such as the marble fireplace in the main sitting room and the elegant proportions of the hallway.

Open-plan living room

The lower ground floor layout was completely reconfigured to create an open plan living area and spacious kitchen/diner, housed in a glazed extension.

‘We wanted a large space for entertaining as it’s something we love to do. The large glass doors and a skylight make it such a light filled space.’

Many of the floors were replaced with new parquet from Natural Wood Company.

Office

Clever use of space also allowed for an office area to be created under the stairs on the lower ground floor.

Kitchen

Simple shaker-style cabinetry painted in shades of blue lend a relaxed, classic look for the kitchen. Stunning natural wood flooring was also a key feature of the rebuild.

‘The floors from Natural Wood Floor Company are traditional yet fresh and I opted for larger pieces of wood to give the style a more modern take,’ says the owner.

Choosing a paint palette to flow throughout the whole house turned out to be one of the hardest parts of the project. ‘I got it wrong - twice - and then decided to keep things light, with classic blues and neutrals,’ says the owner.

Girl’s bedroom

However an excpetion was made for their daughter’s room, where Farrow & Ball’s Calamine Pink walls together with a range of colouful accessories create a playful look.

Bathroom

The simple painted Shaker style of the kitchen extends to the bathroom, where a double vanity unit provides plenty of storage for cosmetics and cleaning products.

Ready for another? Have a wander through this 400-year-old thatched cottage in the Cornwall countryside

‘We all love this house because it’s a true reflection of us as a family, having designed and styled it ourselves,’ says the owner. ‘It’s totally lived up to my expectations.’