GEORGIAN TERRACE
All is calm in Solenne and Simon’s harmonious home, where French style meets English design under the roof of an elegant period terrace
Anglo-french traditions are joyfully shared in a home that celebrates minimalist, artisan-led design
it is no wonder the elegant façade of this Georgian terrace in north London drew Solenne de la Fouchardière, co-partner at furniture and lighting company Ochre, and her husband Simon Lee with its grace. Located on a charming, tree-lined road, the four-storey house retains its period features, including the original cobbled pavement at the front. There’s even an attractive gastro-pub on the corner. ‘Living here, it feels like you’re almost walking into the countryside,’ says Solenne. ‘You feel calmer just coming home.’
This calm prevails on the inside, too. Here, the style pendulum swings away from anything eclectic, instead towards spare minimalism and artisanal design. Nothing is too fluffy, nor is it too grand. ‘Our design is elevated yet hopefully still homely,’ explains Solenne. ‘My daughter wishes we had cream-coloured carpets everywhere but we ripped them all out. I just don’t like carpets, they are a big ocean of colour.’
In the basement laundry-cum-winter party room, a pendant with an illuminated glass orb is the first thing you see as you walk down the stairs. ‘I love its monastic feel,’ Solenne says. ‘The room has a low ceiling, so it grounds the space perfectly and was a starting point for the design in this room.’ The pendant hangs above an old Spanish table that the couple picked up on Île de Ré, complemented by a Technics turntable for extra conviviality when friends are round. The space comes into its own at Christmas, when Solenne dresses it simply with the glow of candlelight and festive greenery. ‘We had an amazing Christmas one year with both my and Simon’s parents. It was the best of the Franco-anglo holiday traditions.’
The palette is muted in putty greys and denim blues, determined by the chalky stucco applied to the bedroom chimney breast and the limed pine floors. ‘I’m drawn to the blue end of the spectrum – blues, greys and a bit of pink,’ says Solenne. ‘I love green but I’m not that brave and black is a bit boring.’
On the top f loor, the master bedroom is the brightest space, previously two bedrooms turned into one suite. ‘We opened up the fireplace and removed the plaster,’ says Solenne. ‘The builder was desperately trying to replaster it but I was like no, no, no. We exposed the bricks and got an Italian artist to apply a bit of polished plaster, finished with olive oil on top for a slightly satin feel.’
From achieving the perfect height line for the two-tone stripe on the kitchen walls to sourcing the vintage Parisian cobbles that were transported to the kitchen one at a time, as the sacks wouldn’t fit through the front door, the couple’s approach to decoration is time-consuming, as well as moneyconsuming, admits Solenne. ‘I probably spent £100 on sample pots alone to get the kitchen walls right,’ she says, laughing. The idea for this came from a picture of a French kitchen Solenne saw years ago and has always wanted to recreate. ‘It works well in a tall room,’ she says. ‘The painted-on skirting is also a clever trick. It’s how they cope with uneven floors. It cheats the eye.’
‘In hindsight, the cobbles are not great for shoes as they are so uneven,’ she continues, ‘but they are really warm with the underfloor heating and give so much texture. It feels very us.’ These cobbles extend beyond the kitchen into the courtyard garden – a real bistro vibe à la Français.
“I like simple, raw and true materials - all the slightly bare stuff”