Tour a Lovely London Victorian Updated With Color and Pattern

Watch and read how a designer found on Houzz helped a couple add bold paint and personality to their home

Mitchell Parker January 31, 2023

Houzz Editorial Staff. Home design journalist writing about cool spaces, innovative trends, breaking news, industry analysis and humor.

Houzz Editorial Staff. Home design journalist writing about cool spaces, innovative... More

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After moving into their Victorian London home, this couple in their 30s needed help adding color, storage and features for entertaining guests. Not knowing where to begin, they searched Houzz for help. A Houzz concierge — part of the Live Connections feature available to Houzz Pro members — matched their project needs to, and connected them with, designer Josephine Lecoufle-Vinet.

Lecoufle-Vinet brought in warm blues and greens to add bold color without veering too cold. In the kitchen, new cabinets add storage and style, while a short peninsula jutting from a bank of navy blue cabinets creates an intimate breakfast area and a spot for guests to gather around during parties. Lively patterned floor tile perks up the atmosphere.

In the dining room, wallpaper mimics the look of wood paneling to create texture and coziness around a large table where the couple enjoy playing board games with friends. A custom floating built-in in the nearby living room features open and closed storage. Lecoufle-Vinet gave the couple’s bathroom a seaside vibe with wavy blue wallpaper and teal fish scale tile in the shower. And wallpaper on the ceiling in the warm green bedroom adds a fun element that maintains a cozy vibe.

JLV Design Ltd

Photos by Matt Gamble

House at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple
Location: Newham area of London
Size: 1,076 square feet (100 square meters); four bedrooms, two bathrooms
Designer: Josephine Lecoufle-Vinet of JLV Design

In the kitchen, Lecoufle-Vinet added more cabinets and created pantry storage. A wood countertop adds warmth, while patterned tile flooring brings a cheery personality. It makes “the room cozier and warmer,” Lecoufle-Vinet says.

Watch now: Go inside this updated Victorian home on Houzz TV

JLV Design Ltd

The bank of navy cabinets creates bold contrast, and the peninsula forms a breakfast bar for the couple or an area for guests to gather for a drink. “It’s very nice to have this additional space in the kitchen,” Lecoufle-Vinet says.

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JLV Design Ltd

A large wood table in the dining room gives the couple adequate space for playing board games with friends.

A warm blue-green (Oval Room Blue by Farrow & Ball) wakes up the walls, while wallpaper that mimics the look of wood paneling adds texture and interest. “I’m a big fan of wallpaper,” Lecoufle-Vinet says. “I think it adds so much to any room. So much texture and color.”

The wallpaper also carries over the vertical pattern from real wood slats used in the living room, creating continuity between the spaces. “For a fraction of the price,” Lecoufle-Vinet says.

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JLV Design Ltd

Dark blue walls (Sloe Blue by Farrow & Ball) enliven the living room. Lecoufle-Vinet designed the custom floating built-in on the right to fill the wall space, hold the TV and provide areas for storage and display.

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JLV Design Ltd

The unit features drawers that match the wall color and light wood details, including open shelves for books, plants and other items. Vertical slats add visual texture and create continuity with the wood-panel-look wallpaper in the dining room.

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JLV Design Ltd

In the bathroom, wavy blue wallpaper and teal fish scale tile jazz up what once was an all-white space. “You’ve got this very nice feeling of being by the sea with the color scheme and the waves of the wallpaper,” Lecoufle-Vinet says.

JLV Design Ltd

In the bedroom, the designer didn’t want to add wallpaper because she felt mirrored closets across from the bed would make the room look too visually chaotic. Instead, she added wallpaper to the ceiling and brought it down a few inches onto the walls, adding a fun punch of pattern and color without losing the cozy feel.

The wallpaper complements warm green walls (Green Smoke by Farrow & Ball). “Since the pandemic I’ve been using a lot of greens because we were lacking foliage and being able to go outside,” Lecoufle-Vinet says. “I tried to bring the green inside. And obviously green is a soothing color.”

Watch now: See more of this updated Victorian on Houzz TV

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