My Houzz: Lighthearted Brightness for a British Victorian
Gray London days are no match for the skylights, light finishes and upbeat charm of this renovated family home
Nine outdated, self-contained rooms for rent once made up the floor plan of this 1918 Victorian in North London. But Monique and Trevor Alexander saw past the mustard-colored carpets, red painted brick and a boarded-up staircase and transformed the space by stripping away the drab elements to reveal its stunning original features. After a year of patient renovations, including a rear extension with skylights and a brand-new kitchen, the result is a charming scoop of modern atop gorgeous traditional architecture.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Monique and Trevor Alexander, with their 2 young daughters
Location: Muswell Hill, London
Size: 320 square meters (3,444 square feet); 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, home office
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Monique and Trevor Alexander, with their 2 young daughters
Location: Muswell Hill, London
Size: 320 square meters (3,444 square feet); 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, home office
This Knoll dining room table and chairs were the starting point for the design style and color palette in the kitchen.
Though the kitchen comes off as a well-thought-out execution of sleek style, the design process was much more off the cuff. With a newborn baby in tow, Monique selected the flooring, fixtures, fittings and finishes in just one week. "Luckily, I know what I like,” she says.
The space, which mixes stone tiling, walnut cupboards, granite worktops and white MDF composite cabinets, has become the family's activity hub. “We pretty much live in the kitchen," says Monique. "Sometimes from the time Trevor comes home until the time we go to bed, we have only been in the kitchen! We do art in here with the children; we eat, cook, socialize — everything.”
Because the kitchen is such a huge part of their lives, the couple's 25,000-pound ($37,897) budget for it went toward state-of-the-art appliances and a high-quality aesthetic. “I had a very clear picture of what I wanted: dark, with marble to match the one-off Italian table we already had,” Monique, shown here, says.
Function was important, too. "I do a lot of cooking, baking and entertaining, so I spent a lot of time researching range ovens. I just had to have a good range. That was my one major splurge,” she says. Her handmade one is from France, by Lacanche.
Function was important, too. "I do a lot of cooking, baking and entertaining, so I spent a lot of time researching range ovens. I just had to have a good range. That was my one major splurge,” she says. Her handmade one is from France, by Lacanche.
The informal dining room also serves as a playroom for the couple's two young daughters.
A formal dining room is just off the kitchen. Aubergine-hued upholstered chairs sit pretty alongside a bespoke wooden table from The Real Wood Company. "We chose how mottled we wanted the wood to be," says Monique.
During the renovations the couple tried to respect the home's original details. "We still wanted it to look like an old Victorian house, so we kept the traditional-style features,” Monique says. They updated the space with contemporary furnishings, including an elegant, custom-designed Rocco Borghese tiered chandelier. Borghese is an Italian chandelier specialist in Crouch End who, notably, furnished the lighting for celeb chef Jamie Oliver's London restaurant.
As with many old homes, structural challenges did arise, despite a building report that told a different story when the Alexanders became the home's fourth owners in 2008. “It was only when we pulled away the rotten boarding that we saw that the house needed extensive underpinning. The dry rot in the living room took a lot of time to get treated,” Monique says.
As with many old homes, structural challenges did arise, despite a building report that told a different story when the Alexanders became the home's fourth owners in 2008. “It was only when we pulled away the rotten boarding that we saw that the house needed extensive underpinning. The dry rot in the living room took a lot of time to get treated,” Monique says.
A simple leather Natuzzi sectional wraps the space beneath three framed butterfly art prints in the living room, which Monique says she uses mainly for entertaining and playdates with other moms and kids. She strives to keep the room, like most of the house, free of clutter. “It stresses me out having things lying around,” she says.
Because the staircase was boarded up when the couple bought the house, they had no idea what they would find.
"We knocked down the boarding to reveal the most beautiful timbers,” she says.
Wall sconces: Rocco Borghese
Wall sconces: Rocco Borghese
Checkerboard floor tiling adds a graphic element to the otherwise stark entryway.
Chandelier: Rocco Borghese
Chandelier: Rocco Borghese
Traditional furnishings and a warm color palette make for a soothing master suite, which is still a work in progress, Monique says.
The master bathroom features stone tiling and walnut cabinetry, much like the kitchen. The spa bath was another major splurge. "I bathe every night," says Monique. "It's my way of regrouping, centering myself after a busy day."
A second-floor guest bedroom has pistachio bed linens and cream furnishings.
The guest bathroom soothes with a walnut vanity, slim-line basin and cream tiling.
The couple's oldest daughter enjoys a sorbet-hued room, with high ceilings, an original fire surround and a fun playhouse.
Her Cinderella carriage bed was a recent gift from her dad. Lilac walls and pale pink tones throughout make for a peaceful retreat for reading books and playing.
The couple's youngest daughter also enjoys original Victorian details, including an ornate fireplace surround and high ceilings.
An upholstered charcoal-colored feeding chair sits beneath expansive windows with Venetian blinds. The room features gorgeous views of Muswell Hill's town church.
Monique, seen here with her two daughters, couldn't be happier about the renovation. "I feel very blessed to live in such a beautiful home," she says.
See more photos of this home
See more photos of this home
The exterior of the house was originally painted red. The couple had to carefully remove the paint to reveal the original brickwork, then enlist a specialist to refill the grout.
Glass patio doors open to the backyard, where the couple hopes to soon redesign the garden with a new fish pond and barbecue area.