RESTORATION GAME
Vibrant blues and standout pattern bring a sense of luxury to a London family home
When Katharine Howard and her husband James first viewed their four-storey townhouse in south London, nine years ago, it bore very little resemblance to the beautiful family home it is today. The property had been let out to students, and was less than inviting, but training their gaze beyond the brown, cigarette-burned carpets and scuffed magnolia walls, the couple envisaged an inviting home that could capitalise on its untouched features and they subsequently put in an offer for the property, which was accepted.
‘The deep cornicing, the lovely tall windows, the marble fireplaces – it was all here,’ says Katharine, a communications consultant for leading interiors brands. Years of working with successful designers have also honed her eye for space. ‘Although the house felt large compared with the flat we previously lived in, we knew there was scope to make it much more family friendly.’
Over the years, structural tweaks have eked out every spare inch of this house. On the top floor, Katharine raised the ‘charming but hobbit-height’ ceiling to create a light-filled bedroom for her daughters, Amelie, five, and Aurelie, three, adjoined by the chic bathroom.
On the lower-ground the footprint was stretched to create the compact study and capacious wardrobe ‘to swallow up boots, games kit and family clutter.’ Everywhere, orange pine floorboards were replaced with silver-pale planks and modern radiators swapped for curvaceous Victorian designs. Whisper-blue walls set the tone in the kitchen where bespoke joinery is offset by striking brass handles. ‘I designed the cupboards to be extra deep so that we had a generous
surface area to cook on,’ says Katharine. ‘I wanted to avoid an island as I like to keep the dining and kitchen area separate.’
Katharine also designed the adjoining snug/dining room, where succulent plants draw the garden inside through wide windows. The hothouse feel is echoed in an overscaled palm print, which Katharine has lavished on the sofa, lamps and curtains. ‘I’ve always been drawn to the opulence and decorativeness of the 1980s, with all those pelmets and layers of decoration,’ she says.
Design and beautiful things captured her imagination early. ‘When I was a teenager I painted my room white with a silver trim – an early stab at modernism,’ she says. Working in the industry means that she has become wary of trends. ‘Although I’m glad that we’re seeing a re-emergence of decorative design, richness and layering,’ she admits, and this is especially evident in the brooding blue tones of the sitting room. ‘I like the way blue feels both dramatic and calm – from a practical perspective it makes the art on the walls stand out.’ Like elsewhere, an easy mix of designer objects and antiques have brought the ‘once insipid’ space to life.
So does working with leading designers wreak havoc with the budget? ‘You bet! I seem to spend my life waiting to be able to afford things,’ says Katharine. ‘My wish list is constantly evolving. I have folders crammed with ideas. I’ll lie awake at night, my head buzzing with colour, texture, patterns. I only wish I could be more restrained, but for me it’s impossible.’