The renovation of this terrace combines rural and urban styles with great success
A considered blend of country chic and contemporary cool makes the most of Lucinda Bullock-webster’s terrace
With a love of both the city and the countryside, it’s no surprise that interior designer Lucinda Bullock-webster combined rural and urban styles when she renovated her south London home. Having lived in Windsor and Buckinghamshire before relocating to London four years ago, she’s had plenty of time to hone her style, which she describes as ‘classic, comfortable and authentic’.
She shares this home with husband James and children Evie, nine, Pandora, seven, and Wolfie, four. ‘We were looking for more space as our family expanded and I’d had my eye on the terraces on this street, because they are slightly taller and wider than the surrounding houses,’ she says.
Though the property had plenty of potential, there were tweaks to be made to improve its layout. The couple used online architects Resi to help them achieve a simple side extension at the rear to widen the kitchen and introduce more light. A sleek, contemporary picture window incorporating a deep padded inset seat is the star of the show. ‘It’s great because it provides additional seating without an armchair
FAVOURITE ROOM ‘The new kitchen has changed our lives. Weekends are nicer – we can sit round the table for hours and keep an eye on the children while they play’
taking up extra room,’ she says. ‘I also had it made just high enough so that our dog, Treacle, can’t jump onto it.’
The contrast between the simple, functional kitchen cabinetry and the mellow, lived-in dining area, with its rise-and-fall pendant and colourful artwork, encapsulates the ease with which Lucinda blends contemporary and rustic. The sitting room has a classic feel, with its pediment-topped bookcases, heirloom artwork, wall scones and original fireplaces, yet sisal flooring, a travertine table and over-scaled round mirrors add a contemporising note. ‘I naturally veer towards the traditional country look,’ says Lucinda, ‘and I enjoy the challenge of making that work in a busy urban home. For me, that means quite a simple treatment, with flashes of colour and pattern.’
Those flashes lend this home a sense of easy gracefulness. ‘We’ve used quite a lot of green, from the cushions in the kitchen to the colour of the cloakroom walls,’ says Lucinda. ‘I find it a grounding tone that works so well with other hues.’ Other creative touches include painting the inside of the bookshelves in the sitting room in an off-black. ‘It adds
instant depth and moodiness, plus it’s a great way of helping the TV to blend into the background.’
Throughout, pops of pattern add dynamism, from the trailing ivy wall lights in the kitchen to the pink pineapple studded wallpaper in Pandora’s room or the softly patterned curved upholstered headboard in the couple’s bedroom, above which hangs a series of woven African baskets. ‘I like designs that are playful, such as the Kit Kemp Rick-rack fabric used in Evie’s bedroom,’ says Lucinda. ‘They are the kind of patterns that work so well for both adults and children.’
Despite its pulled together look, Lucinda says that she and James have different tastes, and so perhaps the biggest challenge during the renovation was finding middle ground. That meant a bit of trial and error, such as having to send back a contemporary dining table that proved too large for the space and replacing it with an antique, curved oak piece that both of them loved. ‘It’s turned out to be probably our favourite piece in the house,’ reflects Lucinda. ‘These schemes have come together organically, which is perhaps the best way to turn a house into a home.’
INSPIRATION ‘I like The Newt in Somerset for its eye-catching interiors’