WORTH THE WAIT
When she decided she couldn’t put off her house renovation any longer, Milly O’sullivan called on experts to make the most of her city home
Patience paid off for the owner of this London terrace when she was finally able to carry out the renovation she had been planning for a decade
Interior designers say it’s often a good idea to live in a new home for a while before doing work, so as to get a feel for the space and how to use it. In Milly O’sullivan’s case, a busy career took her abroad so often that she waited 10 years before embarking on a major renovation. ‘In 2017, I reached the point where I thought, “Enough is enough”,’ she says, laughing. ‘It’s time to give this house some attention.’
Milly cheerfully confesses that her lifestyle was pretty hectic, and this was reflected in her home. ‘My friends and family would come to house sit for me, and there was little time for interiors shopping,’ she explains. ‘I’d come back from places like the Middle East with knickknacks and rugs, but it was all a bit of a mishmash of styles and very much thrown together.’
Revamping a house can be a rather daunting prospect, so Milly decided to enlist the help of an Italian design team – interior designer Federica Gosio and architect Arianna Crosetta – who together run Studio Milo, based in London and Milan. The three women had already met a few
years earlier through a mutual friend and Milly felt confident that they understood what she was about. Her brief to Arianna and Federica was to honour the history of the house by remaining true to its traditional style, while also introducing a more modern slant to the interior.
Overall, the structure of the house was pretty sound, but Milly still had to move out for a year while the work was carried out. Every room had to be redecorated and basics like the plumbing and electrics also had to be updated.
A starting point for the renovation was the upcycling of the glass conservatory, which also set the theme for the decor. ‘It’s a very unique space, but it also has its faults, like being freezing in winter and hot during the summer months,’ says Milly. ‘So we upgraded it: the frames were painted black, the glass was replaced and underfloor heating was installed, along with a new tiled floor.
Milly was keen to keep the original staircase and floorboards but they were badly damaged and the colour of the wood needed changing. ‘It was a horrible orangey colour,’ says Milly. ‘Federica and
Arianna convinced me to have them painted black, but when I walked in one day, I thought, “Oh no, what have I done?”.’ Ultimately, however, Milly didn’t regret her decision. ‘As soon as the bright-coloured furnishings arrived, the dark backdrop really worked,’ she says.
The renovation was also a great opportunity for Milly to edit her furniture and belongings. ‘I ended up keeping about 15 per cent of my stuff,’ she says. ‘It was a very strict edit, but I gave loads away to friends and charity, so I did recycle well.’ Federica and Arianna then meticulously sourced new furniture and accessories, calling on niche designers to reflect Milly’s penchant for bold pattern and texture.
Now that the upgrade of the property is complete, Milly says her favourite part of the house is the conservatory. ‘I sit in here all the time now, because the light is so lovely and
I feel like I am outdoors,’ she says. ‘We had an incredible birthday party here a while ago, with a DJ in the far corner. As the sun went down and the stars came out, it was completely magical.’