Houzz Tour: Sensitive Renovation Brimming With Color
Restored original features are set off by a palette of rich tones in this beautifully remodeled historical London home
While interior designers have the creative job of choosing paint colors for a project, it’s the build team members who apply them to the walls, ceilings and woodwork. On this project — a Georgian-era London home that glows with warm and surprising colors — painting with those shades was as enjoyable as picking them. “It was fun to work with so many colors,” says Adam Favor of Nova Design & Build, who carried out the refurbishment. “We prefer that to using just one shade on the walls and ceiling throughout. Being in the house now feels very exciting. It’s not something we see every day.”
This beautiful four-floor historical townhouse needed more than just a paint job. Favor oversaw a full renovation, rewiring and replumbing throughout and preserving original features where possible. Working with the owners, interior designer Emilie Fournet had already created the beautiful design. It was Favor’s job to bring it all to life. “It was the first time working together and great to collaborate on this project,” Fournet says.
This beautiful four-floor historical townhouse needed more than just a paint job. Favor oversaw a full renovation, rewiring and replumbing throughout and preserving original features where possible. Working with the owners, interior designer Emilie Fournet had already created the beautiful design. It was Favor’s job to bring it all to life. “It was the first time working together and great to collaborate on this project,” Fournet says.
The basement was wet and needed a lot of work to make it watertight. No waterproof membrane below and no damp-proofing, so it was all gutted,” Favor says.
Wall and ceiling paint: Whitening, Little Greene; shelf paint: Emerald Green, Farrow & Ball
Wall and ceiling paint: Whitening, Little Greene; shelf paint: Emerald Green, Farrow & Ball
Fournet chose bold mustard yellow and deep plum cabinets to bring a lighter feel to the basement kitchen.
Kitchen cabinet paint:
Muga, Paint & Paper Library; Island paint: Plum Tree, Mylands; Quartzforms Imperial Cherry Beige countertop: MKW Surfaces
Kitchen cabinet paint:
Muga, Paint & Paper Library; Island paint: Plum Tree, Mylands; Quartzforms Imperial Cherry Beige countertop: MKW Surfaces
One cupboard within the bank of floor-to-ceiling cabinets has glass doors and is lined with wallpaper. All the knobs and handles in the kitchen are bronze.
Bronze handles and knobs: Corston; Seraphic Star wallpaper inside cabinet: Soane; Nero Riven Slate floor tiles: Mandarin Stone; Helen’s stools: DeVOL
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Bronze handles and knobs: Corston; Seraphic Star wallpaper inside cabinet: Soane; Nero Riven Slate floor tiles: Mandarin Stone; Helen’s stools: DeVOL
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In the basement, the kitchen and dining room stayed where they used to be, but a shower room was converted into a utility area and downstairs toilet.
Wall paint: Plum Tree, Mylands
Wall paint: Plum Tree, Mylands
The kitchen opens onto a dining space with access to the garden.
While the rest of the house has many original features, there was no fireplace in the dining room. “We opened it up to see what’s behind, but unfortunately we didn’t find anything,” Favor says, “so we just kept the opening there and the owners decided not to have a fireplace at all.” Favor installed new French doors here.
Wall and ceiling paint: Whitening, Little Greene; dining chairs: Vinterior; scalloped jute rug: Vanrenen GW Designs
Wall and ceiling paint: Whitening, Little Greene; dining chairs: Vinterior; scalloped jute rug: Vanrenen GW Designs
The hall floor and stairs are now covered with vintage runners. The bright lampshades on the wall lights hint at the colorful story that unfolds in each room.
Runners: The Cloth Shop; console table: Susie Watson Designs; wall lights: Pooky; wall paint: Drop Cloth, Farrow & Ball
Runners: The Cloth Shop; console table: Susie Watson Designs; wall lights: Pooky; wall paint: Drop Cloth, Farrow & Ball
There is a double living room on the ground floor with lots of original Georgian features, including sash windows, shutters and decorative coving.
The owners wanted a cozy and timeless look, so Fournet chose patterns and colors that worked in harmony and complemented their existing furniture and art collection.
Wall paint: Old White, ceiling and molding paint: Off-White, both Farrow & Ball; sofa, Love Your Home; rug: Soho Home
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The owners wanted a cozy and timeless look, so Fournet chose patterns and colors that worked in harmony and complemented their existing furniture and art collection.
Wall paint: Old White, ceiling and molding paint: Off-White, both Farrow & Ball; sofa, Love Your Home; rug: Soho Home
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The tapestry is a traditional Uzbek needlepoint antique suzani, found on Etsy.
Before: The double living rooms prior to the renovation.
After: The owners were eager to preserve the house’s original features, so Favor and his team stripped floorboards and removed the paint from all the original woodwork and features, including window shutters and frames, doors and baseboards. These are the original double doors and coving, or crown molding, all lovingly restored.
New marble surrounds and cast-iron inserts were installed on both fireplaces where previously there had been simple wood and tile surrounds.
Fire surround, hearth and inserts: The Better Hearth
Fire surround, hearth and inserts: The Better Hearth
This side of the double living room overlooking gardens at the back is a space for reading or listening to music.
Le Klint 368 floor lamp: Holloways of Ludlow; Natural jute rug: Ikea
Le Klint 368 floor lamp: Holloways of Ludlow; Natural jute rug: Ikea
The full-height sash window floods the light with space. As the house is Grade-II listed, the owners were not able to make any changes to the windows or exterior. “They were hoping to replace the windows with double glazing, but that was not possible,” Favor says.
Swing arm wall light: Lightsource
Swing arm wall light: Lightsource
Before: A kitchenette was originally at the back of the ground floor.
After: The kitchenette was converted into a shower room and mudroom. “There had been French doors onto a metal staircase leading down to the garden here,” Favor says. “We got rid of the doors and external staircase and fitted a window instead.”
The mudroom has a built-in bench, wardrobe and storage baskets. In the shower room, the walls are lined with kit-kat tiles, with black-and-white encaustic floor tile underfoot and brushed nickel brassware throughout.
Paneling paint: Green Stone, Farrow & Ball; Black Pradena porcelain tiles: Bert & May; porcelain wall tiles: Solus Ceramics; vanity and toilet, both Victorian Plumbing
The mudroom has a built-in bench, wardrobe and storage baskets. In the shower room, the walls are lined with kit-kat tiles, with black-and-white encaustic floor tile underfoot and brushed nickel brassware throughout.
Paneling paint: Green Stone, Farrow & Ball; Black Pradena porcelain tiles: Bert & May; porcelain wall tiles: Solus Ceramics; vanity and toilet, both Victorian Plumbing
Upstairs on the next level is a drawing room-library. Fournet designed the room to house the couple’s collection of books and set up the space to be multifunctional. A sofa bed can be pulled out to turn the room into a guest bedroom, and a small desk ensures it can also be used as a study.
“The bold wall color creates a cocooning space overlooking the greenery of the Georgian square,” Fournet says.
“This room is so beautiful,” Favor says. “It looks like a cake. When I enter the room, it really feels edible!” He installed a new ceiling rose and crown molding in here, stripped the floorboards and treated them.
Walls paint: Rouge II, Paint & Paper Library; ceiling and molding paint: Mushroom, Little Greene; molding and ceiling rose: Stevensons of Norwich; Benitier silk ceiling lamp: Gong; Rug: Penny Morrison
“The bold wall color creates a cocooning space overlooking the greenery of the Georgian square,” Fournet says.
“This room is so beautiful,” Favor says. “It looks like a cake. When I enter the room, it really feels edible!” He installed a new ceiling rose and crown molding in here, stripped the floorboards and treated them.
Walls paint: Rouge II, Paint & Paper Library; ceiling and molding paint: Mushroom, Little Greene; molding and ceiling rose: Stevensons of Norwich; Benitier silk ceiling lamp: Gong; Rug: Penny Morrison
Before: The drawing room had originally been a bedroom.
After: A chest belonging to the owner’s grandfather was sanded down and used as a coffee table in the room. The clock is another inherited piece, and a lot of the artwork came with the owners from their previous home.
The clock leans because the floorboards are uneven. “We had to secure all the furniture to the walls so it can’t fall over,” Favor says.
The clock leans because the floorboards are uneven. “We had to secure all the furniture to the walls so it can’t fall over,” Favor says.
A new marble fireplace returns a feeling of grandeur to the space. Because the house is listed, they carefully preserved the ceilings, as well as original crown molding and ceiling roses.
“When we fitted new lights, or pulled wires through for lights and fittings, we had to be really careful not to damage the ceilings,” Favor says.
Carrara marble fireplace and cast-iron inserts: The Better Hearth; Aurora footstool: Ceraudo
“When we fitted new lights, or pulled wires through for lights and fittings, we had to be really careful not to damage the ceilings,” Favor says.
Carrara marble fireplace and cast-iron inserts: The Better Hearth; Aurora footstool: Ceraudo
Favor and his team built shelves for two of the walls, designing them to accommodate this sofa. They’re painted the same shade as the walls.
This bedroom on the same floor served as a nursery when the project was first finished. (Since then, the owners have had another child.) “During the project, the owners broke the news they were expecting their first child,” Favor says. “The guest bedroom suddenly changed to a nursery.”
Again, rich colors brighten up this space. “They are in absolute harmony though,” Favor says. “Even though it’s so colorful, the colors don’t dominate. They just work perfectly with the furniture.”
Favor stripped and refurbished the original wardrobe, seen here on the left of the chimney breast.
Baseboard, window frame, paneling and radiator paint: Oak Apple, Little Greene; Creeping Toadflax wallpaper: Living Quarters; wardrobe with woven rattan door: Maisons du Monde; Pendant light: Tom Raffield
Again, rich colors brighten up this space. “They are in absolute harmony though,” Favor says. “Even though it’s so colorful, the colors don’t dominate. They just work perfectly with the furniture.”
Favor stripped and refurbished the original wardrobe, seen here on the left of the chimney breast.
Baseboard, window frame, paneling and radiator paint: Oak Apple, Little Greene; Creeping Toadflax wallpaper: Living Quarters; wardrobe with woven rattan door: Maisons du Monde; Pendant light: Tom Raffield
The couple’s bedroom is on the top floor, above the drawing room. “There wasn’t much change in here apart from redecorating,” Favor says.
Ceiling paint: Shaded White; baseboard, wardrobe, fireplace and radiator paint: De Nimes, both Farrow & Ball
Ceiling paint: Shaded White; baseboard, wardrobe, fireplace and radiator paint: De Nimes, both Farrow & Ball
Blue grasscloth wallpaper and warm pink accents create a relaxing feel. “We fell in love with that French blue grasscloth, which is perfect for introducing some calm and softness to the bedroom,” Fournet says. “It also allowed us to add stronger elements, such as the pink bedside tables and the leopard print rug.”
Favor saved the pine wardrobes on either side of the fireplace, repainting them to suit the scheme.
Grasscloth wallpaper: French Blue, Altfield; crochet pendant light: Hamimi
Favor saved the pine wardrobes on either side of the fireplace, repainting them to suit the scheme.
Grasscloth wallpaper: French Blue, Altfield; crochet pendant light: Hamimi
In addition to the grasscloth wallpaper, the rattan headboard adds further texture.
Loire rattan bed frame: Time4Sleep; bedside table: Trove; wall light: Porta Romana
Loire rattan bed frame: Time4Sleep; bedside table: Trove; wall light: Porta Romana
This room on the top floor was always a bathroom, but it had a completely different layout. “We ripped everything out and had to level the floor, as it was not very sound structurally,” Favor says. “We had to replace a few floor joists and properly waterproof it all as there was a lot of damp and significant water damage to the subfloor.”
“The bronze green wall color was the starting point for the bathroom, and everything else followed from that,” Fournet says. “We wanted to create a timeless sanctuary but also to make it feel like another room without being too ‘bathroom-y.’”
The original fireplace had been painted, so it was stripped and refurbished. It’s surrounded by art and antique objects belonging to the owners.
Walls and window frame paint: Light Bronze Green, Little Greene; bath: The Albion Bath Co.; antique marble porcelain floor tiles: Porcelain Superstore
“The bronze green wall color was the starting point for the bathroom, and everything else followed from that,” Fournet says. “We wanted to create a timeless sanctuary but also to make it feel like another room without being too ‘bathroom-y.’”
The original fireplace had been painted, so it was stripped and refurbished. It’s surrounded by art and antique objects belonging to the owners.
Walls and window frame paint: Light Bronze Green, Little Greene; bath: The Albion Bath Co.; antique marble porcelain floor tiles: Porcelain Superstore
The walk-in shower is lined with bronze green tiles.
Lenton tiles: Parkside Architectural Tiles; brushed bronze shower head and faucet: Francone Bespoke Taps; heated towel rack: Victorian Plumbing
Lenton tiles: Parkside Architectural Tiles; brushed bronze shower head and faucet: Francone Bespoke Taps; heated towel rack: Victorian Plumbing
The vanity has a marble top, which ties in with the marble-effect tiles on the floor.
Vanity: Neptune; wall light: Jim Lawrence
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Vanity: Neptune; wall light: Jim Lawrence
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House at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with two children
Location: Islington, London
Size: Three bedrooms (one now a library-guest room) and two bathrooms
Interior designer: Emilie Fournet of Emilie Fournet Interiors
Builder: Adam Favor of Nova Design & Build London
This beautiful Grade II-listed townhouse was looking tired and rather bland when Favor first saw it. “There was no real life in the house,” he says. Working to Fournet’s design, Favor and his team converted some rooms and refurbished the rest. Here in the basement, there was originally a kitchen and dining space, plus a small shower room.
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