‘I love georgian
houses,’ says Nick Leith-smith. ‘The proportions of the rooms, high ceilings, big windows…’ And when Nick and his wife Susana were hunting for their first home in 2011, ‘Georgian’ was non-negotiable. No wonder, then, that this period gem in a quiet south London conservation area, with mature garden and original features, set pulses racing. ‘As soon as I walked in, I thought, “This is the house!”’ says Nick. ‘I loved how it was set out and immediately saw how we were going to live in it.’
Nick’s trained eye – he runs a successful architecture and design practice – also instantly gleaned what it would take to update the place. ‘It was incredibly tired,’ he says. ‘The previous owner was an art dealer, so there was lots of fantastic art around, which distracted from what was wrong. I spotted it, but my wife maybe didn’t realise how much work would be involved.’ Completion day came as a shock, then. ‘She got here first to find the carpet hopping with moths!’ he says. ‘I arrived ten minutes later with a bottle of champagne, ready to celebrate and found her in tears.’
Today, the house is a joyful home for the couple and their young children, and it wears its history with panache. Think Rio carnival staged in Jane Austen’s house... You’re close. A flamingo print perches on an original Georgian fireplace and cushion covers in zingy Brazilian fabric (Susana is half Brazilian, half Portuguese) brighten up the elegant living room. Elsewhere are plates adorned with macaws, lush plants, gold pineapple side tables and design classic chairs boasting their original, vivid upholstery. ‘We love fashion, art and contrasting colour,’ says Nick, ‘and we wanted the house to reflect this.’
Before the zingy fabrics and vintage one-offs could rev up the rooms, though, the house had to be refurbished. ‘The starting point was to enhance the Georgian shell – the cornicing, fireplaces and shutters,’ says Nick. ‘We then had fun mixing in some Seventies retro style and mid-century design.’ Nick reinstated a lot of original features, especially on the upper two floors, but couldn’t make any radical structural changes because the house is listed. ‘We managed to tweak the first floor to create a proper bathroom,’ he says, ‘but we had to get permission to move the door by 500mm!’