My Houzz: Salvaged Materials, Antiques and Plants in Every Room
A London jewelry and ceramics designer artfully blends eclectic elements in her family’s light-filled 2-story addition
Amy Anderson had always intended to build on to the back of her Victorian-era home, but it took 15 years of planning and saving before the project got off the ground. By then she was married, and by the time the designs were approved, she was pregnant with twins. The substantial yet subtle two-story addition has given the family twice its original living space — plenty of room for growing children and a fascinating cornucopia of plants and antiques.
Anderson’s collection of antiques and plants is a fascinating alternative to the standard contents of a living room. “When we moved in, everything felt quite cold and we were both trying to decide what artwork to put on the walls,” she says. “Then I gradually started putting up plants instead of pictures. Now the front room is our jungle.”
The drawn-out building project gave Anderson a chance to reassess the pieces she has on display. “We had very little access to our stuff while the building work was being done and we found we quite liked it,” she says. “Unless we were really excited to see something again, we just got rid of it. It was brilliant. Now we don’t have that visual clutter of books that you’ve read or pictures that you don’t notice anymore because they’ve been there for so long.”
The drawn-out building project gave Anderson a chance to reassess the pieces she has on display. “We had very little access to our stuff while the building work was being done and we found we quite liked it,” she says. “Unless we were really excited to see something again, we just got rid of it. It was brilliant. Now we don’t have that visual clutter of books that you’ve read or pictures that you don’t notice anymore because they’ve been there for so long.”
The unique kitchen, also on the ground floor, is full of character. “I got really sick of looking at standard kitchens,” Anderson says. “Matthew and I really wanted wood and something that was handmade. The outside is all reclaimed wood that our builder put together into panels. And I found the handles on eBay.”
The floorboards are also reclaimed and the counters are concrete. “They were Matthew’s idea,” Anderson says. “I wasn’t convinced at first, but when we saw samples I fell in love with the concrete.”
Wall paint: Off-Black, Farrow & Ball; counters: Mortise Concrete
The floorboards are also reclaimed and the counters are concrete. “They were Matthew’s idea,” Anderson says. “I wasn’t convinced at first, but when we saw samples I fell in love with the concrete.”
Wall paint: Off-Black, Farrow & Ball; counters: Mortise Concrete
A white ceiling lifts the dark walls and cabinetry in the kitchen. Even the dining table is used to display plants. “I’m plant-obsessed,” Anderson says. “I like displaying them in a whole bunch of different pots. I was thinking of designing some hanging planters because I’ve not seen many that I like.”
Talia dining chairs: Habitat
Talia dining chairs: Habitat
There was some debate about the best location for the kitchen, which starts in the original part of the house and extends out into the new part (beyond the refrigerator). “Everyone told us to put our kitchen downstairs, but we use it so much we wanted it to be where there was a tall ceiling and loads of light,” Anderson says. “We’re really happy with the way we use it.” Open shelving and a farmhouse sink add to the rustic look.
Anderson found the antique doors that the builder used to create a spacious pantry in the dining area, which is part of the addition. “I’ve always loved big antique doors,” she says. Beyond the glass doors, which Anderson designed, is a terrace.
The stairs just outside the kitchen lead down to the second living room, which was created as part of the two-story addition.
The new living room includes several custom features, such as the doors and the cross-lattice ceiling, which gives the impression of exposed beams. “We wanted the ceiling to be quite high down here, and this design makes it feel so much taller,” Anderson says.
Door and wall paint: Hardwick White, Farrow & Ball
Door and wall paint: Hardwick White, Farrow & Ball
The downstairs living room was designed with the children in mind. “It’s the room that we get messy in and it’s where all the toys are,” Anderson says. “If we’ve had a big day and we can’t be bothered to tidy up the toys, that’s fine.”
Both the walls and floors here are made from reclaimed materials sourced by Anderson from salvage yards. “We wanted everything in the extension to be as sympathetic to the existing house as possible,” she says. “I really love the fact that you can’t tell in this house where the new extension starts.”
Sofa: Loaf
Both the walls and floors here are made from reclaimed materials sourced by Anderson from salvage yards. “We wanted everything in the extension to be as sympathetic to the existing house as possible,” she says. “I really love the fact that you can’t tell in this house where the new extension starts.”
Sofa: Loaf
A huge antique mirror bounces light around the master bedroom, which is also part of the extension and home to plenty of plants and antiques. “The rocking horse never had a head, so we put a plant pot there instead,” Anderson says.
Vintage textiles adorn the bed in the couple’s room. The headboard was made using old grain sacks. “I go to a lot of markets and fairs and pick up bits along the way,” Anderson says.
Wall paint: Lamp Room Gray, Farrow & Ball
Wall paint: Lamp Room Gray, Farrow & Ball
A handy storage chest (known as the Mini Beast) is similar to the one in the living room. The new bathroom (off to the left and part of the addition) has concrete floor tiles in two shades of gray that Anderson designed herself.
There are two skylights in the new bathroom, including one directly over the freestanding tub. “Kew Gardens was a big influence in terms of plants, but also the amazing greenhouses there,” Anderson says.
Bathtub: C.P. Hart
Bathtub: C.P. Hart
Anderson brought the ornate mirror frame in the new bathroom back from Morocco many years ago. It’s now used to display some of her jewelry creations.
Even the spiral staircase attached to the addition is a vintage find. “I sourced it through eBay and was so lucky because it fit like a dream. We had matching railings made for the roof terrace above,” Anderson says.
Railings: Leighton Ironcraft
Railings: Leighton Ironcraft
The twins have inherited their mother’s love of plants and have plenty of them in their room.
“When Matthew and I go to nurseries, we normally let them choose something,” Anderson says. “They really like having them, and plants are such a calming thing to have around. They’re great for air purity too.”
“When Matthew and I go to nurseries, we normally let them choose something,” Anderson says. “They really like having them, and plants are such a calming thing to have around. They’re great for air purity too.”
It’s easy to access the yard from both the upper and lower levels of the addition. “We’re lucky enough to still have a good-sized garden, even after the extension,” Anderson says. “At the moment, Matthew is building a shed, then a treehouse. We want to make the outside space as much a part of our living area as the inside space.”
Your turn: Have you used reclaimed materials in your building project? Tell us about it and post a picture in the Comments.
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
Your turn: Have you used reclaimed materials in your building project? Tell us about it and post a picture in the Comments.
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Jewelry and ceramist Amy Anderson of Comfort Station; her husband, Matthew; and their 5-year-old twins and cat
Location: Dalston district of London
Size: Three bedrooms, two bathrooms
Contractor: Nat Ellis of Orsman Construction
Building projects always seem to take longer than planned, but this two-story addition took almost two years instead of the expected six months. “There were so many delays that in the end we took over the project management, working directly with the builder,” Anderson says. “It was much easier and quicker once we started working directly with him. He was absolutely brilliant and worked with us to realize what we wanted to do.”
Anderson and her husband turned what had been a two-bedroom, one-bathroom flat into a three-bedroom, two-bathroom space with an extra living room to boot. Part of the original space, the airy living room, shown above and below, is on the ground floor.
“This is meant to be our haven, with lots of plants and glass things, like my bell jars,” Anderson says. “The kids’ big toys are all downstairs in our living room in the extension.”
The metal chairs are antiques, bought at markets on separate occasions. “It was just luck that they go together,” Anderson says. The storage chest was found at the Newark International Antiques and Collectors Fair. “We keep everything in there. It’s called the Beast. Everyone should have one!”