stylish living
Despite having a large family – and a lively dog – Sophie and Jim’s home exudes elegance and calm, with inspiring design ideas and a healthy dose of comfort
Neat and sleek is how Sophie Klatt describes her style. Sounds impossible with two adults, five children and a dog rubbing along, side by side, in one house. And yet, by some jiggery-pokery design magic, this functional but fabulous home meets the criteria. Its success is down to Sophie’s razor-sharp eye for detail and innate passion for stylish interiors, which she nurtured from a young age by scrutinising the houses section of the local newspaper as soon as it was delivered to her door. ‘Plus my partner Jim doesn’t like mess, so we work hard to keep the chaos under control,’ says Sophie.
Five years ago, the couple were renting a property in Parsons Green. They wanted a large house where they could put down roots and where Jim’s three teenage children could come to stay. ‘When I saw this house, I loved the fact it was spacious and that the layout was more lateral than our previous home,’ says Sophie. ‘A lot of Victorian houses are very up and down, often narrow and dark. But here, we could create an open-plan living space and be together without feeling cramped. I always had a strong idea of the look I wanted to achieve, but I scoured Pinterest for inspiration and had the backing of an interior designer whose input I trust.’
And so the renovation went ahead, with the practicalities of accommodating a burgeoning clan as the starting point. The kitchen-diner and family room became one expansive area. A loft extension was added to create another bedroom and, one by one, every room was given a transformation that would put Cinderella in the shade. ‘It was quite a headache,’ says Sophie, ‘because the process was slow at times. But I’d always dreamed of creating my own home, so there was a huge element of enjoyment and satisfaction too.’
But it takes living with a refurb to learn what works and what doesn’t. ‘I love my en-suite bathroom,’ says Sophie. ‘Along with the kitchen, it’s my favourite area in the house. The kitchen is where we all gather and spend precious time together, while the bathroom is my retreat from everyone and where I go to feel calm. After a day with the children, or working with my fitness clients, a hot bath with Epsom salts is my idea of heaven.’ And yet, after a period of time, it became clear that some rooms had not been such a triumph. ‘The first time we renovated, we didn’t have the babies,’ Sophie says. ‘We needed to rejig the bedrooms and, as the living room was more of a formal space, we rarely used it. I wanted it to be more relaxed, so our stylist searched everywhere for a sofa big enough for all of us. It was important that we were enticed to go in there.’
Sophie did that typical mum-to-be thing and indulged her nesting instincts. A week before Kit was born, the builders put the finishing touches to the second round of improvements. ‘I must admit, I was very keen to see them leave!’ she says.
Ultimately, Sophie has pulled off her dream, creating a stylish home that feels like a family haven. ‘Of course, it’s crazy at times,’ she says. ‘We’ve got teenagers at one end and little ones at the other. There’s always something going on and most weekends, we have the older kids’ friends staying too. You’ll often find me cooking huge piles of food for everyone. And with a family this big, everything else has to be big. So we’ve got supersized saucepans, plates, the table, the sofa… But even though it may sound like a contradiction, this house makes me feel very calm, especially when it’s clean and organised. I know we are very lucky. We have an amazing family and this house enables us to all be together. That simple fact makes me the happiest.’
For more info on Sophie’s work, check out buzz-fitness.co.uk