ACCENT ON COLOUR
Vibrant hues and eclectic finds give this London terrace its unique character
Having sold their newly renovated flat, Gregory Duke-ambridge, a house-stager and interior designer, and his husband, Nick, who works for a soft drinks company, were encouraged to take on a much larger project in the form of a Victorian terraced house. ‘ We were looking for a place with good proportions,’ explains Gregory, ‘and found this property in Brixton, an area of southwest London that we both like. Even though Nick and I felt that the existing original layout didn’t maximise the space very well, there was great scope to improve and enlarge, including building a loft conversion. It added an extra element of cost, of course, but from an investment point of view, it was a no-brainer.’
Remodelling the new layout included incorporating a double reception on the ground floor, a master suite upstairs, two new bedrooms in the loft conversion and a generous bathroom. On the lower-ground floor, a guest bedroom was set aside at the front, and a large open-plan space created to the rear of the house for a kitchen and dining room with folding doors leading out to the garden.
‘Originally, there was a 1980s extension and a patio to the side of the building that didn’t seem to be used,’ says Gregory. ‘To create
DESIGN TIP ‘It’s your house, so have some fun and don’t take interiors too seriously. And try and be bold with your colour choices, too – nobody likes a bland, boring space’
the new kitchen-diner, we built into the side extension and removed two load-bearing walls, inserting massive steel support beams that required 10 men to lift and position. Not surprisingly, it was at this stage of the renovations that we moved out for six months, staying as guests in various friends’ houses.’
Once the building work was finished, it was important to both Gregory and Nick to stamp their personalities onto the interior. They decided to use an online company and design their own kitchen layout using the website’s step-by-step tools. ‘It was very easy to do, but you do have to be precise with your measurements and triple-check everything before ordering,’ Gregory says. ‘ We forgot to allow for a steel beam that interrupted the run of wall units, but our builders came to the rescue and altered the cabinet to fit.’
Replacing PVC glazing with period-style sash windows was an extra expense, but Gregory believes it was worth doing. ‘ We wanted a modern interior, but to also give a nod to the house’s Victorian roots,’ he explains. ‘ We kept the dividing doors between the two areas of the reception, painting them a rich teal blue and balancing this colour with charcoal-stained engineered wood flooring, which gives the space great character.’ Throughout the
house, Gregory has continued this monochromatic palette, to which he has added layers of colour and texture. ‘If your background is neutral then you can go a bit wild with your accent tones,’ he advises. ‘I love colour and I’m a great believer in having fun with interiors. After all, it’s your home and you’re going to live in it. To make it work visually, I would advise that one main colour should make up 70 per cent of the scheme, a secondary shade 20 per cent, finishing off with an accent highlight of 10 per cent. This is the formula that ensures a design scheme flows well and doesn’t look over-the-top.’ Upcycled furniture used throughout the house gives the interior a stylish, individual feel, mixing different periods and looks. ‘ We personalised our vintage furniture by choosing vibrant designer wallpaper to cover door fronts,’ says Gregory. ‘The black-and-white jungle wallpaper used for the media cabinet in the sitting room, for example, was one of Nick’s finds.’
With the interior and garden space complete, the couple has developed a taste for renovation. ‘But if we did it again, I think we’d go for a smaller job,’ reflects Gregory. ‘That being said, I don’t think it will be long before we try our hand again. We’re not property developers – we simply love transforming interiors.’
LESSON LEARNT ‘Preparation and planning is key in the renovation process’