ORIGINAL SPIRIT
Laura Higgins gave a dated urban house a modern twist, while still remaining true to its Victorian heritage
A dated London house was given a modern revamp while respecting its Victorian heritage
Laura Higgins and her husband Chris were living in west London when they decided they needed more space for their family. ‘When we found this house it was a 1970s relic in a Victorian shell, with peach-coloured bathrooms and old newspapers behind the walls,’ says Laura. Happily, she was undaunted by the challenge. ‘It was double-fronted, rare for the area, which gave us scope to create great spaces for lateral living.’
Laura initially anticipated a quick turnaround for the project but the planning process was fraught with difficulties and delays. ’It took us three years to get planning approval and do the rebuild,’ says Laura. ‘We rented locally while I managed the project, liaising daily with the builder Ned Fitzpatrick. I often decided things on the hoof, literally drawing new plans on the walls, but it really suited my way of working,’ she says.
BACK TO BASICS
Renovating the house was a major undertaking, as it involved removing the back wall, floors and ceilings, leaving only the original facade intact. A curving central staircase was then installed – ‘it’s the spine of the house,’ says Laura. Major steel reinforcements were added to support the double-height, all-glass extension at the back. On the third floor, the ceiling was lowered to create a roomier top floor and loft space, which now provides an office for Laura and a playroom for daughters, Aveline, nine, and, Eloise, six.
The back extension and lower ground floor have a modern architectural look, yet Laura wanted the upper floors to retain as much of the house’s Victorian feel as possible. ‘I photographed everything, measuring the high skirtings and elegant cornicing, so that where we couldn’t keep the old, the new would be in similar proportion to the original,’ she says.
A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING
Storage was also a key feature of the revamped house. Laura was careful to map out the storage the family would need in each location, to keep the house clutter-free. The existing marble and cast-iron fireplaces were then cleaned and restored, and the old plaster skirting was replicated in wood. ‘These details are the soul of the house,’ says Laura.
As the project neared completion, Laura admits she ‘lost her mojo’. ‘I’d overseen construction, I’d chosen all the colours and most of the furniture, but it had stopped being fun,’ she says. With her 40th birthday celebrations looming she turned to Sophie Elborne and Sophie Coller of design consultants Kitesgrove to push her past the finishing line. ‘It was so nice to have someone to talk to,’ says Laura. ‘They encouraged me to work with designers like Sebastian Cox and challenged my instinct for colour even further.’
The result is a home that’s ideal for entertaining. ‘Upstairs is more of a winter space and in the summer, we throw the doors open to the garden,’ says Laura. ‘We love to host – nothing beats dancing around to our favourite songs with all our best friends.’