Houzz Tour: A Converted Victorian Dairy With a Magical Courtyard
Designers give this former London dairy and ice cream factory new purpose as a serene family home with leafy views
When interior designer Beth Dadswell and her husband first saw the Victorian dairy that would eventually become their London home, it was damp, dangerous and inhabited by foxes. Despite the collapsed roof and broken glass, however, the couple could immediately see the structure’s potential. “I was really excited when I saw the huge open courtyard at the front of the building. It also had incredible steel girders that were covered in jasmine. It was like an industrial, urban version of Miss Havisham’s house,” says Dadswell, referring to the character in Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations.
She quickly drew up a floor plan that would bring the dairy back to life and asked an architect friend, Takero Shimazaki, to help with the planning application.
She quickly drew up a floor plan that would bring the dairy back to life and asked an architect friend, Takero Shimazaki, to help with the planning application.
Before: Here’s the derelict building that inspired the couple’s renovation plans.
“The site is surrounded by neighboring gardens on every boundary,” Dadswell says, “so we didn’t want to encroach on anyone’s privacy by adding windows that would overlook them. Our low-key approach was well-received by our relieved neighbors, and we got planning permission fairly quickly.”
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“The site is surrounded by neighboring gardens on every boundary,” Dadswell says, “so we didn’t want to encroach on anyone’s privacy by adding windows that would overlook them. Our low-key approach was well-received by our relieved neighbors, and we got planning permission fairly quickly.”
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Steel-framed glass doors from Fabco Sanctuary connect the living area to the courtyard, in keeping with the industrial feel of the building. “These were not the most energy-efficient option, so we had to overcompensate by adding a lot of insulation elsewhere, but they really are beautiful,” Dadswell says.
The walls are covered with a standard gypsum plaster and sealed with varnish. “They give the space a warm glow and feel quite Mediterranean,” she says, “particularly in the summer, when all the doors and windows are open.”
The micro-cement floor from Polished Concrete Co. is a more economical alternative to polished concrete. “I was keen to avoid anything that looked too cold and hard, so I chose a finish that had a warm tone and that worked well with the warmth of the plaster,” she says.
Cabinet paint: Mole’s Breath, Farrow & Ball
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The walls are covered with a standard gypsum plaster and sealed with varnish. “They give the space a warm glow and feel quite Mediterranean,” she says, “particularly in the summer, when all the doors and windows are open.”
The micro-cement floor from Polished Concrete Co. is a more economical alternative to polished concrete. “I was keen to avoid anything that looked too cold and hard, so I chose a finish that had a warm tone and that worked well with the warmth of the plaster,” she says.
Cabinet paint: Mole’s Breath, Farrow & Ball
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Dadswell designed plenty of well-integrated storage for the house.
“The coat, shoe and bag storage unit behind the sofa is tall enough to separate the front door from the living space, but not so tall that it blocks the view,” she says.
“The coat, shoe and bag storage unit behind the sofa is tall enough to separate the front door from the living space, but not so tall that it blocks the view,” she says.
A low storage unit in front of the sofa runs between the kitchen and the glass doors. “It’s the perfect height to put a TV on top, and it’s filled with art books,” Dadswell says.
She made sure that the storage didn’t feel too heavy by including areas where they could display their art, ceramics and plants.
MKW Surfaces made the unit’s Belgian limestone top.
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She made sure that the storage didn’t feel too heavy by including areas where they could display their art, ceramics and plants.
MKW Surfaces made the unit’s Belgian limestone top.
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“We wanted the kitchen and dining area to be the hub,” Dadswell says. “So the logical thing to do was to position a large dining table in the middle and build units around the perimeter of the room. This has kept the space feeling very open.”
She hired a trusted carpenter to make the MDF kitchen cabinets. “We spent a lot of time together getting the proportions and details right,” she says.
The cross-braced ceiling beams had been covered with a foot-thick layer of cork by a previous owner. “It was to keep the space really cold, as it had been used as an ice cream factory,” Dadswell says. “I wanted the space to feel light, so I decided to paint all of the ceilings throughout in a soft off-white.”
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She hired a trusted carpenter to make the MDF kitchen cabinets. “We spent a lot of time together getting the proportions and details right,” she says.
The cross-braced ceiling beams had been covered with a foot-thick layer of cork by a previous owner. “It was to keep the space really cold, as it had been used as an ice cream factory,” Dadswell says. “I wanted the space to feel light, so I decided to paint all of the ceilings throughout in a soft off-white.”
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For the walls, Dadswell chose handmade Moroccan tiles from Mosaic del Sur that have a patchwork effect due to the variation of each tile. “They reflect the light beautifully but are quite difficult to lay,” she says.
“I found the vintage shell pendant in a local antiques warehouse at the beginning of the build,” she adds. “It somehow survived nine months of being moved from rental house to building site — although I did spend a few hours reattaching shells once it was finally hung.”
Kitchen cabinet paint: Mole’s Breath, Farrow & Ball
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“I found the vintage shell pendant in a local antiques warehouse at the beginning of the build,” she adds. “It somehow survived nine months of being moved from rental house to building site — although I did spend a few hours reattaching shells once it was finally hung.”
Kitchen cabinet paint: Mole’s Breath, Farrow & Ball
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Two reeded-glass sliding doors on metal runners (not pictured) separate the kitchen from a den area. “They let light through from both ends of the house and create beautiful shadows at night,” Dadswell says.
This area doubles as a guest bedroom. Dadswell asked her upholsterer to attach arms to the bed (not shown) so that it also could be used as a daybed to snuggle up on and watch films.
“Most of the time, it’s used as a music room, though, as the piano’s in here,” she says.
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This area doubles as a guest bedroom. Dadswell asked her upholsterer to attach arms to the bed (not shown) so that it also could be used as a daybed to snuggle up on and watch films.
“Most of the time, it’s used as a music room, though, as the piano’s in here,” she says.
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The staircase was designed to take up as little space as possible while still complying with building regulations in terms of tread depth and riser height.
“I wanted the space underneath to be useful, so there are two hidden doors that conceal the underfloor heating controls and the electrical fuse box,” Dadswell says.
The simple powder-coated steel balustrade ties in with the windows and doors.
“I wanted the space underneath to be useful, so there are two hidden doors that conceal the underfloor heating controls and the electrical fuse box,” Dadswell says.
The simple powder-coated steel balustrade ties in with the windows and doors.
The den leads to Dadswell’s office at the rear of the house. She made the most of the rear courtyard view by placing the desk directly in front of the window, and the large skylight above makes the space even brighter. “It’s a really lovely, inspiring place to work,” she says.
Dadswell planned out the storage carefully in this room. Tall cabinets behind the desk house her collection of tiles, paint samples, and stone and fabric swatches. She displays her client inspiration boards above the low storage unit, which holds files, product catalogs and styling items.
Dadswell planned out the storage carefully in this room. Tall cabinets behind the desk house her collection of tiles, paint samples, and stone and fabric swatches. She displays her client inspiration boards above the low storage unit, which holds files, product catalogs and styling items.
Dadswell used a mostly gray-and-pink color palette throughout the house. In the master bedroom, green pillows reference the plants elsewhere.
“I wanted to reduce the palette as much as possible, and to use finishes that would get better over time and not need constant touching up,” she says.
“I wanted to reduce the palette as much as possible, and to use finishes that would get better over time and not need constant touching up,” she says.
In the bathroom, Dadswell used the same tiles as in the kitchen. She paired them with floor tiles and countertops in a dark limestone.
The sloped roof made the bathroom feel snug, but by positioning the Duravit toilet and the sink along one wall, she could fit in a large shower and plenty of storage along the other side.
“We’d found an old chemistry lab sink at an antiques fair before the work started,” Dadswell says. “As this is small but very deep, it gave us more worktop space.”
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The sloped roof made the bathroom feel snug, but by positioning the Duravit toilet and the sink along one wall, she could fit in a large shower and plenty of storage along the other side.
“We’d found an old chemistry lab sink at an antiques fair before the work started,” Dadswell says. “As this is small but very deep, it gave us more worktop space.”
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In her son’s bedroom, Dadswell designed a row of storage units along the back wall. His clothes are hidden behind the sliding doors on both sides, while his books, toys and games are displayed on shelves in between.
Dadswell prefers wall lights and lamps to overhead pendants, and the same black wall lights feature throughout the house. “They create a lovely gentle light,” she says.
Dadswell prefers wall lights and lamps to overhead pendants, and the same black wall lights feature throughout the house. “They create a lovely gentle light,” she says.
At the end of the upstairs landing is a shower room that’s used by Dadswell’s son. “It’s [13 feet] high at the tallest point, with a skylight above, so it’s quite an amazing space to shower in,” she says.
Since the landing doesn’t have any natural light, Dadswell had a glass panel installed above the door to borrow light from the shower room. “It also allows you to see the exposed rafters from the landing, which is interesting, particularly when it’s lit at night,” she says.
Most of the interior doors in the house are space-saving pocket doors that disappear into the wall when open.
Door paint: Setting Plaster, Farrow & Ball; flooring: oak aged parquet, The Natural Wood Flooring Co.
Since the landing doesn’t have any natural light, Dadswell had a glass panel installed above the door to borrow light from the shower room. “It also allows you to see the exposed rafters from the landing, which is interesting, particularly when it’s lit at night,” she says.
Most of the interior doors in the house are space-saving pocket doors that disappear into the wall when open.
Door paint: Setting Plaster, Farrow & Ball; flooring: oak aged parquet, The Natural Wood Flooring Co.
The couple kept the original scuffed-up concrete base in the front courtyard to retain its industrial feel. They also created a long dining bench with poured concrete.
“These doors were originally on the front of the dairy,” Dadswell says. “We restored them and installed reeded glass.” They’re now used to screen off the parking space behind, which is then separated from the street with black metal shutter gates.
“These doors were originally on the front of the dairy,” Dadswell says. “We restored them and installed reeded glass.” They’re now used to screen off the parking space behind, which is then separated from the street with black metal shutter gates.
“We painted all of the moldy and previously painted brick walls in [Farrow & Ball’s] Mole’s Breath to unify the space,” she says. “That color now flows through the house and out into the courtyard, which helps to blur the boundaries between inside and out.”
“We also planted trees and plants in huge black oil drums to create height,” Dadswell says. “We constructed privacy screens out of rusted metal that we positioned on top of the brick walls, then planted climbers to work their way up the metal girders to create drama.
“We all feel so comfortable here,” she says. “We’re a short walk from the [main] street, but all you can hear in the courtyard are birds singing. It’s really special, and we feel very lucky that we stumbled across it before the developers knocked it down.”
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“We all feel so comfortable here,” she says. “We’re a short walk from the [main] street, but all you can hear in the courtyard are birds singing. It’s really special, and we feel very lucky that we stumbled across it before the developers knocked it down.”
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House at a Glance
Who lives here: Interior designer Beth Dadswell with her husband and son
Location: London
Size: Three bedrooms, two bathrooms
Designers: Takero Shimazaki (architecture) and Beth Dadswell of Imperfect Interiors (interiors)
“We didn’t want to overdevelop the site and lose the magical courtyard at the front,” Dadswell says. “So we simply added a modest, single-story, glass-fronted extension to the front of the existing building [seen here], removed the collapsing flat roof at the back, and opened up the area to include a small courtyard at the rear [not shown].”