Artfully crafted
With big ideas and limited funds, the owners of this once neglected Arts & Crafts house carefully planned its revival
The revival of a neglected Edwardian house
After two years spent working in India, Lulu Watts and husband Nathan were keen to find a family home in the UK that they could really make their own. ‘We moved to Mumbai in 2007 when Nat got a job over there with his company,’ says Lulu. ‘While there, we rented an all-white apartment with lots of marble. It was very much a sanctuary to escape the city’s hustle and bustle.’
Back in Britain, the couple returned to their Notting Hill flat, which had been rented out during their absence, only to discover it was now way too small for them. Lulu had started the textile brand Lulu & Nat while she’d been away and had made the most of her time in India, sourcing Fairtrade textiles, selling wholesale and going to trade shows as well as buying new things for their home back in the UK. ‘We were planning to start a family, which, teamed with my rapidly growing stock for Lulu & Nat and the things we’d bought in India, meant we needed somewhere bigger,’ she says.
They found a huge five-bed house in Highgate that had lino flooring throughout, ugly gas fires, woodchip on the walls, few original features and an upstairs that resembled a series of bedsits, with lots of odd-shaped rooms. ‘We had to use our imagination,’ says Lulu, ‘but luckily Nat, with his job as an interior retail designer, could see how the space could be reconfigured to become a light, airy home with an office for me too.’
It was right at the edge of their budget. ‘We’d bought our flat at the peak of the housing boom, which had since crashed,’ explains Lulu, ‘so we really had to stretch ourselves to afford this place.’ The couple decided to tackle the renovation one stage at a time, starting with the ground floor where bifold doors were added to the kitchen-diner/living room to create a large open-plan area, leaving the front room as an office for Lulu.
When it came to furnishing this new space, limited funds meant Lulu had to be creative. ‘I bought the two sofas, which originally came from SCP, for just £200 from a supplier who was getting rid of them, while the designer ceiling light came from a skip
and had to be glued back together,’ she says. Textiles from her company bring the white scheme to life – cushions, oilcloth and embroideries all add punches of colour. ‘When our daughters Eva and later Zoe came along, this room really came to life,’ says Lulu. ‘It’s great for the family, and as it’s at the back of the house, it’s really quiet too.’
Once they had replenished their savings, the couple tackled the upstairs, reconfiguring the front half of the first floor and removing a Jack-and-Jill bathroom to make way for a nursery, Zoe’s bedroom and a main bedroom with ensuite. At the same time, the loft bedroom and ensuite were redecorated. ‘As we’re situated on a corner plot, we had so many windows to consider,’ says Lulu. ‘It was a real headache when it came to things like the best places to position radiators and storage.’
In each of the bedrooms, Lulu has used her own designs for bedlinen – from tigers and elephants to zigzags – all set against mainly white walls, and has combined treasures from the couple’s time in India with everyday items, from framed cotton sacks to glittery lions on shelves full of crockery. ‘I get bored easily, so I change things around,’ she explains.
Once all the work on the house was finished, the next stage was for Lulu and Nat to renovate the outside space. ‘We had a large garage and very little else,’ says Lulu. ‘As we’re on a steep hill, we had to do some serious terracing. Nat drew up several plans, but we eventually chose to create three main levels including a patio, a grassed area and a new garage, finished with a tropical border against a cedar fence. We now have a lovely urban sanctuary.’
Five years on, the renovation work is finally finished. ‘I’d love to have refurbished the house all at once as doing it over five years has meant that we’ve had to do enormous amounts of careful planning,’ says Lulu. ‘But I feel we’ve made an excellent job of a property that wasn’t initially my dream home. Now it’s a light, practical family-friendly space.’