STANDING TALL Contemporary design touches ensure a three-storey Georgian villa feel like a 21st-century home
A sensitive renovation of a Georgian villa balances well-loved antiques with contemporary design touches
House-hunting inevitably comes with a few obstacles, but Kate Ledlie and her husband Alistair knew they had their work cut out when they spotted their perfect London home - from the other side of the world. ‘We’d moved to Sydney for four years for Alistair’s work, but with the intention of coming back to London,’ Kate remembers. She knew south London well and had always admired this particular house, so when a ‘For Sale’ sign went up, Kate’s mother tipped her off. ‘We told the agent we were very interested, but then had to wait until the next school holiday before we could fly back and view it,’ she says.
Luckily, Kate had an expert on the ground in London to begin negotiations, in the form of designer Ruth Campbell of Campbell
Cadey. ‘Ruth is a good friend, so she knew what we were looking for and sent us loads of photos, both before and after we’d seen it,’ Kate says.
The couple knew they wanted to refurbish some of the rooms, particularly the kitchen and bathrooms. As the house is Grade II listed, any changes were more about playing to the house’s architectural strengths than altering its character. It now works well for family life, with a kitchen-diner and playroom on the lower ground floor and a double sitting room (plus a study and loo/wet room) on the upper ground floor. Their two daughters have bedrooms on the top floor, while the main bedroom and their son’s bedroom are on the first floor.
Kate concedes that doing a long-distance refurbishment has its pros and cons. ‘In some ways, it was fairly stress-free because we
‘Our aesthetic is to combine older pieces with more contemporary touches, so it feels like a 21st-century home’
didn’t have to endure the dust and chaos, but it was hard not being able to see the work in the house progress,’ she says.
However, Ruth kept the couple updated all the way, even sending tile samples to Australia by express courier, so decisions could be made swiftly. It was an advantage that Ruth had helped Kate and Alistair reconfigure their previous London home: ‘She knew our style and understood this wasn’t just another renovation project – it was about creating a family home for the long term,’ Kate says.
That air of longevity runs through all the spaces of this home, aided by a selection of well-chosen antiques and the odd family heirloom. ‘My ethos is that it’s better to buy for the long term, rather than constantly having to replace things, so a lot of our furniture made the trip out to Australia with us and then back again,’ Kate says. This also meant that when the family finally moved into their London property, it immediately felt homely and familiar.
During their time living in Australia, Kate managed to soak up plenty of interiors inspiration. ‘We rented several homes while we were over there, so I had lots of opportunities to try out different ideas, as well as seeing gorgeous homes belonging to friends,’ she says.
Kate’s career in fashion communications has also sparked her imagination. ‘I’ve been lucky enough to visit some beautiful houses for fashion shoots, including one designed by British interior designer Robert Kime and another by American architect and interior designer Daniel Romualdez – very different but equally inspiring.’ Kate is also
an avid reader of interiors magazines: ‘I think you can look at other people’s style but then create your own version,’ she adds.
To balance her antique and vintage pieces, Kate went for a sleek and modern Italian kitchen by Valcucine, with tempered glass worktops. ‘Our aesthetic is to combine older pieces, be it an Arts & Crafts chair or a 1950s lamp, with more contemporary touches,’ she explains. ‘This is an old house, so that needs to be respected, but at the same time we wanted to make our home work for us and feel that it’s in the 21st century.’
The interior design of this late-Georgian home also has an eye on the future. ‘We avoided children’s rooms that were overly cute, as they’d be outgrown really quickly,’ Kate says. So when eldest daughter Alexa asked for pink in her bedroom, Kate opted for fabrics in a soft blush shade that won’t date. Likewise, the functional desk has storage and can be adapted when she’s ready to replace teddy bears with teenage paraphernalia.
With Ruth on hand to project-manage Kate and Alistair’s refurbishment, interesting design details have been included at every turn. Bespoke shelving in the living room carefully replicates the fluting and decorative roses that run around the window frames. And when Ruth discovered the original doorway into the kitchen, she reworked the staircase area in a thoughtful way, creating a small vestibule with shelving and an internal window.
By dovetailing old and new, the redesign of this Georgian villa works for Kate and Alistair’s family right now, but will also stand the test of time. FOR STORE DETAILS SEE WHERE TO BUY PAGE
‘This wasn’t just another renovation project – it was about creating a family home for the long term’