‘THIS PALETTE IS SO SOOTHING’
Space and light were a priority for Jannine’s serene renovation
We started off living in this area of north London many years ago but moved down to south London as we could get more for our money there,’ says Jannine. ‘It was lovely, but ultimately a bit quiet for us. On one of our trips back north of the river to see friends, it dawned on us how much we missed our home turf, so we started scouring the market. Emotional purchase
House prices were on the rise and there was very little we could afford, until we found a run-down terrace in need of a major revamp. We loved it, but houses were being snapped up so quickly, I was worried we’d miss out. So I wrote a letter to the owner, explaining how excited we were to return to the area, how I planned to use my skills as a designer to renovate the house, and how passionately we felt about the local community. The next day we had a call from the estate agent letting us know the house was ours for the guide price. I’m so glad there are honourable people like that out there.
Layout swap
As a designer (underthecloth.com) I’m all about creating stylish yet practical looks, so we thought about what we really needed from the house before diving in. The boys were teenagers at the time and definitely needed their own rooms, and Steve works from home a lot so an office for him was crucial. Then, I wanted a simple, elegant bathroom. I could see that the wide landing wasn’t serving a purpose and the space could be better used. We put a bedroom in the loft with a compact shower room, turned the bathroom at the back of the house into Steve’s study, then created a stylish