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Open minds and vision have helped one couple turn an ugly duckling of a house into a beautiful mid-century home
As a child, Francesca Forcolini remembers feeling sorry for her friend who lived up the road from her in a quiet cul-de-sac of late-1960s bungalows. ‘I used to think “poor girl, those houses are so ugly”,’ she says. Francesca grew up in a 1920s mock-Tudor house on the Dulwich Estate in south-east London and, at that time, preferred the period feel.
But tastes change and over the years she’s revised her views. ‘1960s and 1970s homes aren’t always much to look at, but inside they’re lovely, light, rational spaces,’ says Francesca. It also helps that her partner Barry specialises in renovating mid-century properties.
So when Barry found this house in Dulwich – unassuming from the front but Tardis-like within – Francesca came to view it with an open mind. Which was just as well because it had been languishing on the market for two years and was rotting away with condensation. ‘But there was plenty of light, the spaces were great and I thought we could make them even better – turn an ugly duckling into a swan,’ she explains.
The cost of the work required had proved prohibitive for most potential buyers. It needed a specialist like Barry who was able to do the bulk of the renovation himself. He gutted the place and rebuilt it from the floor up, adding insulation and underfloor heating as he went. He also extended the back of the house, transforming a fourth box bedroom into a generously sized office and creating a much bigger living room. Here he cleverly matched the original
African mahogany ceiling with a new cedar section and added a wall of slide-back windows and a poured concrete floor that extends
out into the garden, both of which increase the sense of space.
At the front of the house they extended into an unused courtyard to create a light-filled dining area in the once-small kitchen. This opens via sliding doors onto the green and peaceful entrance courtyard.
The finished house was painted bright white throughout. ‘Colour and interest come from the furniture, art and objects,’ says Francesca.
Barry built many of the practical pieces himself, including the living room shelves and storage as well as the oak-veneered plywood kitchen cabinets. Francesca is lucky to have a family that loves design, so the yellow kitchen chairs and blue Wink easy chair came from her family home, while the Eames lounge chair and ottoman were once her Italian great grandfather’s. ‘The modernist look can be a little impersonal and cold, so I love to mix it with crafts and vibrant prints. Some people are inspired by an empty space but
I feed off pattern and colour,’ she explains.
Now the hard work is over, the family are enjoying their home. ‘Living on one level works really well for us – the girls can scoot and rollerskate in and out, but the bedrooms are zoned off from the living areas to provide some privacy,’ says Francesca. ‘This is a great place for parties and barbecues and even when I’m alone working, there’s such a sense of the outdoors I’m very happy and content.’