Timeless desıgn
Meticulously planned interiors and a classic style that focuses on comfort and character ensure that this renovated London townhouse is unique, welcoming and ageless
Georgina Guy and her husband John had been thinking of swapping their lovely but narrow home for a more spacious, family-orientated environment when a chance call from a local estate agent triggered a fast and reactive chain of events. A quick initial viewing of a Victorian house in Parsons Green, London, led to an immediate offer to buy and a request to Georgina’s sister, interior designer Lucinda Sanford, for her help to create a dream home for the couple and their son Charlie, aged eight. Instead of following the London norm for open-plan living, Georgina and John were keen to rework a traditional layout and design bespoke spaces to meet their changing needs. We asked Georgina to tell us more about her home.
What attracted you to the house initially?
The house is in an area we love and near to my son’s school. It had been in the same family since the Sixties, so it was the perfect, undeveloped blank canvas.
Why did you decide to work with your sister, interior designer Lucinda Sanford?
Lucinda is an established interior designer and I knew that I needed her vision to bring the house back to life. She is edgier than me and I trusted her knowledge and experience implicitly. She also knows me better than anyone, so understands how I think and how we work as a family. She secured all the planning permissions,
architectural services and oversaw the build and interiors. It gave me and John huge peace of mind.
What was the design brief?
We rented for a year while the house was gutted and reworked. We wanted to extend it, introduce more light and create distinctive room spaces and levels for us all. We partitioned off the previously open drawing room, decreasing its size by a quarter, to create a capacious lobby area that links the kitchen and drawing room, while also enabling storage space. We love entertaining and wanted this area to flow, unlike the basement kitchen in our old home. We excavated down to create a playroom, master guest suite and utility, and introduced steel windows that link the basement and kitchen above. I love that there is such connectivity between key living spaces. The first floor was designed as a grown-up retreat, with a master bedroom, bathroom and dressing room, and the mezzanine and extended second floor are home to Charlie’s room, the family bathroom, plus another two bedrooms and an en-suite shower room.
Can you tell us more about your vision for the interior? Our old house was painted in varying shades of taupe. I wanted this home to feel lighter, with touches of blues as a consistent undertone. Lucinda was great at encouraging me to mix fabrics, textures and patterns, and has combined heirloom antiques with old favourites and new finds. Her attention to detail on layout, bespoke cabinetry, light fittings and finishes has created a space that now feels very intuitive.