The redesign of a Victorian terrace house in London is a masterclass in how traditional materials, fabrics and palette are translated for contemporary living …
Photography by Simon Brown
If you travel west along London’s King’s Road (until 1830 it was a private thoroughfare, originally reserved for Charles II’s trips to Kew), you will eventually reach Parsons Green, a residential district dominated by Victorian houses. When in not in Wiltshire from where she runs her business, designer Emma Sims-Hilditch and her husband John (who co-founded the Neptune interiors and garden furniture brand) live in a terraced house in the area, which serves as a showcase for her work.
The house is a series of practical, carefully conceived rooms that enhance the quality of daily life. On the ground floor, the back garden is accessed through the kitchen, and to the side via a family sitting room. The kitchen combines natural wood cabinetry with Carrara marble work surfaces. Emma likes to include as many natural materials as possible in a kitchen: “They help to create a softer look than the industrial style of some kitchens, and they also age beautifully. I use the same approach to decorating a kitchen that I use for any other room. I often hang paintings or a mirror with a distressed finish on the wall behind a stove. They add interest and personality to the space – as, of course, does antique furniture such as cupboards and dressers.”
Ceiling heights were raised throughout the ground floor and an internal wall between the dining and living rooms was replaced by steel-framed glazed doors which mirror those between kitchen and garden, delivering more light and a clean and contemporary “opening up” feeling to the spaces.
Upstairs, bedrooms have en suite bathrooms and are meticulously planned for comfort and functionality. According to Emma, along with a well-positioned bed, the foundation of any successful bedroom is efficient storage. She advises that before planning anything else, it’s essential to calculate what clothing will be in regular use with the rest either given away or consigned to long-term storage – an effective measure if you can apply the discipline. At this stage, it’s also important to assess whether you’ll have additional storage in a dressing room or bathroom, both of which will allow the bedroom to be a restful space devoted solely to sleeping. If you are reconfiguring the layout of the house, remember that if bedrooms are well planned, they don’t have to be large. In some instances you might decide to sacrifice an additional bedroom to create a dressing room. Having planned the position of the bed and storage, the next step is to carefully consider additional elements such as an ottoman, small armchair, and a desk or console that can double as a dressing table.
A tall mirror is also important, not just for dressing but also as a brilliant way to bounce light around the room. If the room is box-like and has no particular architectural features, Emma likes to introduce detail, upgrading cornices, adding deep baseboards and door architraves to achieve the same effect. To further enhance the architectural feel, she often considers adding striking wallpaper as she has in her master bedroom.
Emma’s new book, The Evolution of Home (Rizzoli) focuses on the evolving English interior, and features a series of her selected projects – all different, all quintessentially English. Her pared-back approach is informal – a look that combines the elegant feel of classic English houses with a more contemporary take on the practicalities of daily life. The results are homes that please, that offer natural materials, colour, interesting textiles and where personality, not perfection, resonates.
The small garden is designed with entertaining in mind with a natural wood table, rattan chairs and baskets full of flowers.
This relaxed basement den leads directly to a terrace at the rear of the house. Deep red walls conjure a cosseting feel. The room, which doubles as a home cinema, has a screen that can be lowered from the ceiling, and an overhead sound system.
On the rear wall of the kitchen, panelling of irregular widths creates a relaxed backdrop and the absence of wall-hung cabinets enhances the feeling of space. The space is lit by a skylight. With the steelframed doors open, the kitchen is seamlessly joined to the garden.
One wall of the dining room is devoted to cupboards and shelves so that the space can be used as an occasional home office.
Dedicating a standalone, larder-style cabinet for breakfast items such as plates, bowls, mugs, a kettle, and a coffee maker means if you have to leave in a rush, you have the option of closing the doors rather than leave a mess! Emma advises more drawers than cabinets: “It’s easier to organise drawers and finding things in them is much quicker.” When space allows, an island is a perfect option. A kitchen island has its roots in the “cook’s table,” the workhorse of large Victorian and Edwardian country house kitchens.
In the master bedroom, wallpaper in a colourful, large-scale pattern is offset by neutral fabrics on the headboard, bench, and curtains. This room demonstrates the functional and aesthetic benefits of pelmets; they cover the curtain track, add a touch of sophistication and when properly lined, curtains are thermally efficient.
Adding a contemporary gas or electric fireplace creates a cosy atmosphere. Bedroom lighting requires much more than just a pair of bedside lamps; a variety of light sources is important: downlights for cleaning and packing; decorative lighting such as pendants, wall lights, and table lamps; and bedside mini LED reading lights are invaluable for nighttime reading.
The transformation of this classic Victorian townhouse included the removal of some internal walls and installation of glazed steel screens. A velvet sofa in soft blue is set against a backdrop of neutral shades.
She is the queen of no makeup makeup and even manages to make a smokey eye look subtle. When everyone else was going for heavy contour and laminated eyebrows, she continued to promote enhancing your natural features with simple tricks and smart product placement. If you have seen any of her videos, you will notice how little product she actually uses. Even Victoria Beckham commented how surprised she was when she went to remove her makeup after a shoot with Lisa on how little product was applied.