Houzz Tour: Fresh, Sophisticated Redo Wakes Up a Tired London Flat
Bold color punctuates the contemporary gray and white interior in this redesigned apartment
Even the most ardent color fans can find it tricky to use a palette of strong shades in their homes. This was precisely what interior designer Emma Green discovered when she was asked to refurbish and remodel two floors of this spacious Victorian apartment. “The clients knew they wanted a contemporary style with color,” Green says. “They love color and have a vast collection of brightly colored artwork, but they were afraid to use it.”
Now, after almost four months of work, bland interiors are a thing of the past. The kitchen has become a contemporary, sophisticated gray and white scheme, offset with spirited splashes of vibrant lime green. And a bold burst of color winds its way throughout almost every room in the home.
Now, after almost four months of work, bland interiors are a thing of the past. The kitchen has become a contemporary, sophisticated gray and white scheme, offset with spirited splashes of vibrant lime green. And a bold burst of color winds its way throughout almost every room in the home.
AFTER: The ground-floor kitchen was extended into the side yard, providing an extra 5 feet of space. Large skylights and bifold doors opening onto the garden now flood the space with light.
“The clients wanted off-white, glossy, handleless [cabinets] for a sleek look,” Green says. “The edges are curved and so very child-friendly, while the large-format floor tiles make the space feel even larger and create a seamless look.”
Schüller kitchen: Kitchen Koncepts; floor tile: Surface Tiles
“The clients wanted off-white, glossy, handleless [cabinets] for a sleek look,” Green says. “The edges are curved and so very child-friendly, while the large-format floor tiles make the space feel even larger and create a seamless look.”
Schüller kitchen: Kitchen Koncepts; floor tile: Surface Tiles
“The clients love to entertain and often have extended family staying, with visitors of all ages,” Green says, “so the open-plan [kitchen-dining area] is in constant use.”
Chrome pendant lights over the island unit help illuminate the sink area, which also includes a dishwasher, recycling bin and boiling-water faucet. “The Quooker tap is one of my clients’ favorite things,” Green says.
Little Greene; countertop: Corian; boiling-water faucet: Quooker
Chrome pendant lights over the island unit help illuminate the sink area, which also includes a dishwasher, recycling bin and boiling-water faucet. “The Quooker tap is one of my clients’ favorite things,” Green says.
Little Greene; countertop: Corian; boiling-water faucet: Quooker
“As this section of the room is also used in the evenings for adults, it was important to add a touch of luxury here,” Green says. “Silk pendant lights over the dining table add texture, glamour and a little softness. A taupe-colored vinyl wallpaper offers a neutral yet hard-wearing backdrop, and adds an extra layer of texture and depth to the feature wall.
“The wenge [wood] table is extendable, making it flexible for the clients’ day-to-day needs, and to cater for larger family gatherings,” the designer says. “And color is added with lime-green chairs and vibrant artwork.”
Wallpaper: Vescom; Exteso table: Pedrali; Polo pendant lights: CTO Lighting; framed photographs: Nigel Cooke
“The wenge [wood] table is extendable, making it flexible for the clients’ day-to-day needs, and to cater for larger family gatherings,” the designer says. “And color is added with lime-green chairs and vibrant artwork.”
Wallpaper: Vescom; Exteso table: Pedrali; Polo pendant lights: CTO Lighting; framed photographs: Nigel Cooke
“I created a [custom] reading nook in this corner of the kitchen,” Green says. “It’s the main feature between the door to the hallway on one side, and the door to the living room on the other. It provides masses of storage for the children’s toys and books, with open shelves, concealed cupboards and pullout drawers underneath. The seating is upholstered in hard-wearing lime-green linen, which is good for the kitchen and the children!”
Merati fabric in Lime: Designers Guild; artwork: Willy Rojo
Merati fabric in Lime: Designers Guild; artwork: Willy Rojo
Each cupboard door opens to reveal an interior painted with blackboard paint — perfect for children to show off their creative talents, or for parents to make achievement charts for the little ones.
BEFORE: The living room scheme had been rather bland.
AFTER: The ground-floor living room is painted in a sophisticated gray shade to let the vibrant lime-green flocked mirror, colorful glassware and artwork stand out.
“One of the greatest challenges of the project was persuading the clients to paint their woodwork darker than the walls,” Green says. “I was called over urgently one Saturday morning to reassure them to stick with it until the room was finished so they could see how it all worked together. They ended up loving it.”
The original Victorian wooden flooring was sanded and stained a custom taupe-gray shade to complement the scheme. A cream linen sofa is offset with gray leather chairs with nickel studs and a circular concrete coffee table to make the room feel both smart and luxurious.
The punchy mirror is at once brave and beautiful, and adds personality and spirit to the space. “The clients particularly liked lime green and already had some cushions in this color,” Green says. “I set the mirror against the gray background to make it really stand out.”
Flocked mirror: Thomas & Vines; wall paint: Cornforth White and Pavilion Gray, Farrow & Ball; chairs: The Sofa & Chair Company
“One of the greatest challenges of the project was persuading the clients to paint their woodwork darker than the walls,” Green says. “I was called over urgently one Saturday morning to reassure them to stick with it until the room was finished so they could see how it all worked together. They ended up loving it.”
The original Victorian wooden flooring was sanded and stained a custom taupe-gray shade to complement the scheme. A cream linen sofa is offset with gray leather chairs with nickel studs and a circular concrete coffee table to make the room feel both smart and luxurious.
The punchy mirror is at once brave and beautiful, and adds personality and spirit to the space. “The clients particularly liked lime green and already had some cushions in this color,” Green says. “I set the mirror against the gray background to make it really stand out.”
Flocked mirror: Thomas & Vines; wall paint: Cornforth White and Pavilion Gray, Farrow & Ball; chairs: The Sofa & Chair Company
The plain sofa is livened up with a pile of mismatched pillows that combine vibrant blocks of color, overblown floral prints and smart stripes for a dramatic edge.
Pillows: Designers Guild
Pillows: Designers Guild
Colorful artwork made with recycled candy wrappers by Joanne Tinker sits in the media area of the living room, reflecting the clients’ love of art.
The hallway introduces the overall design concept of the interior — gray tones mixed with vibrant artwork and original fixtures.
“Internal front doors often get neglected, so we painted this one to match the rest of the hallway,” the designer says. “The bespoke radiator cabinet was my design. I wanted something contemporary and linear to tie in with the rest of the cabinetry.”
Flooring: original Victorian tiles; wall paint: Pavilion Gray, Farrow & Ball
“Internal front doors often get neglected, so we painted this one to match the rest of the hallway,” the designer says. “The bespoke radiator cabinet was my design. I wanted something contemporary and linear to tie in with the rest of the cabinetry.”
Flooring: original Victorian tiles; wall paint: Pavilion Gray, Farrow & Ball
A contemporary boy’s bedroom comes to life with a rainbow-colored rug and vibrant window treatments.
“He loves dinosaurs, but we didn’t want the bedroom to be too themed,” Green says. “We used a wallpaper with silver dinosaurs sketched onto it, which adds color to the room but will grow with him and stand the test of time.”
Archie cabin bed: Feather & Black; Hay Pinocchio rug: Nest; shade in Linara in Clementine: Romo; curtains and wallpaper: Harlequin
“He loves dinosaurs, but we didn’t want the bedroom to be too themed,” Green says. “We used a wallpaper with silver dinosaurs sketched onto it, which adds color to the room but will grow with him and stand the test of time.”
Archie cabin bed: Feather & Black; Hay Pinocchio rug: Nest; shade in Linara in Clementine: Romo; curtains and wallpaper: Harlequin
The guest room needed an update, so Green had it painted in soft gray and relocated the mirror from the living room to hang here above the fireplace.
“The roses artwork is a close-up of my client’s wedding bouquet,” the designer says. “We wanted a prominent place for this treasured piece.”
Wall paint: Pearl, Little Greene
“The roses artwork is a close-up of my client’s wedding bouquet,” the designer says. “We wanted a prominent place for this treasured piece.”
Wall paint: Pearl, Little Greene
The huge bed is the star of the luxurious master bedroom, which is part of a loft conversion. This had already been completed when the owners moved in, so not much needed to be changed.
Bed: London Bed Company at Selfridges; wallpaper: Designers Guild
Bed: London Bed Company at Selfridges; wallpaper: Designers Guild
The top-floor master bathroom is used by the grown-ups of the house. It offers a calm, laid-back space that’s perfect for relaxing and winding down.
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Who lives here: A couple and their two young sons and daughter
Location: Battersea, London
Size: Four bedrooms, two bathrooms
Designer: Emma Green Design
BEFORE: “The client was pregnant with her second child at the time, and the baby arrived about a week after completion,” says designer Emma Green, “so we had a very tight and very real deadline.”