A masterclass in bespoke detail, this colourful home in London, designed by Pringle & Pringle, caters to every interest and taste of the family who live in it. By Jessica Jonzen
THE MIDDLE RECEPTION ROOM. IMAGE: HELEN CATHCART
The way we live in our homes has changed immeasurably. We now know without question that as well as looking good, they have to feel wonderful and work to accommodate all our passions and pastimes.
When it came to creating their perfect home, the family who live at this handsome Victorian townhouse in Hammersmith knew it had to be personal. Having already lived in it for a number of years, they knew clearly what didn’t work and they wanted their home to give them a sense of ease.
They commissioned Pringle & Pringle to do the interior design, initially on their new basement extension and kitchen, and eventually to reimagine the design for the entire house – seamlessly blending their two distinct design styles in the process.
The couple both had “a keen interest in the visual aesthetic of their home so it wasn’t being led by one person, as it often is,” says Sophie Pringle, Creative Director of Pringle & Pringle. “He had a vision of the entire house, and as the main cook had lots of ideas and opinions about the kitchen, whereas her Pinterest boards showed she was imagining how she would live in their home, with beautiful crockery and finishing touches. These details were so important and really gave us an insight into the things she liked to touch and surround herself with.”
THE KITCHEN. IMAGE: HELEN CATHCART
The basement extension would house a snug media room, a bathroom and spare bedroom. There was an awkward space in the open plan media room which didn’t have a purpose, so Sophie suggested creating a dedicated crafting area for the couple’s two daughters, then aged seven and nine, with a table for their sewing machine and plenty of bespoke storage.
Sophie was able to tweak the architect’s designs for the basement extension before building work began. “We had a say on the wall finishes and made the bi-fold doors slightly smaller; architects love to do them wall to wall but then you can’t put furniture against them,” says Sophie.
A couple of door positions also changed to allow for furniture layout: “it’s one of the reasons we like to get involved before the builders begin because sometimes moving a door by 10cm can make all the difference to the layout of the room.”
When the designs were presented, the owners decided that as they would have the builders in that they’d like Pringle & Pringle to redesign the hallway, middle reception room and bedrooms too, giving the girls their own bedrooms. The family moved out to a two-bedroom apartment next door and building work started at the beginning of 2020. We all know what happened next.
(LEFT & RIGHT) THE OPEN PLAN SNUG AND MEDIA ROOM. IMAGES: HELEN CATHCART
“By the time the first lockdown in March hit the whole ground floor had been gutted, which was actually quite lucky,” says Sophie. “If they hadn’t started then the whole project might have been put on hold. At that point there was no turning back.” The construction industry was allowed to continue operating through lockdown and as the owners were living next door they could oversee the project.
In the basement, Sophie designed a bespoke sideboard to go behind the corner sofa. “It’s tempting to push the sofa against the walls but then you’re too far away from the television.” It also created a space behind the sofa for the owner to be able to keep her yoga mat out permanently. A huge existing mirror helped to bounce light around the room, and art sourced by Cramer & Bell added interest.
Floor lights from Vaughan were paired with Vanderhurd fabric shades, and pattern and texture came in the form of bespoke cushions in Carolina Irving Textiles, Vanderhurd, Peter Dunham, Martyn Laurence Bullard and Pierre Frey fabrics.
Sophie designed a bespoke piece of joinery to house the large television. “Because it was such a big piece we wanted to give it some interest so gave it a corrugated front, which I don’t think my joiner loved me for, but he was amazing at it and was really pleased with how it looked,” says Sophie.
THE CHILDREN’S CRAFT AREA. IMAGE: HELEN CATHCART
In the children’s craft area, Sophie sourced a double desk from Chelsea Textiles, and designed a bespoke piece of joinery to house their rolls of paper, with plenty of drawers for crafting supplies. She sourced an antique sewing box, a vintage industrial light and also had a fabric notice board made.
In the downstairs bathroom, the walls were painted a rich mid blue – Sanderson’s Danbury, in gloss for a modern finish. Encaustic tiles by Bert & May added texture and pattern and a mirror from Reid & Wright added further interest.
In the basement guest bedroom, Pringle & Pringle used the client’s existing bed, bedside tables, bedside lamps and sofa, updating it with cushions from The Conran Shop, and Blithfield curtains. Hangers covered in Molly Mahon fabric add a joyful pop of colour.
Anyone who’s done a loft conversion will know that the gaining of extra bedrooms usually means sacrificing precious storage space. To give the family room to store their kit and extra coats easily and accessibly, she designed bespoke joinery under the basement stairs. The basement’s wooden flooring which continues up to the ground floor was sourced from Chaunceys.
(LEFT) THE BASEMENT BATHROOM; (RIGHT) THE BASEMENT GUEST BEDROOM. IMAGES: HELEN CATHCART
To design a kitchen that really worked for the family, Sophie sat with the couple in their original kitchen to understand how they cook. She also took detailed inventories of every ingredient the couple liked to cook with to ensure the cupboard designs would precisely accommodate them. “It would be so annoying to spend all that money on a new kitchen only to discover that you can’t fit your cereal in the cupboard,” she says.
The kitchen also required Sophie to seamlessly combine her clients’ two distinct styles. “One of their bugbears was that the painted traditional shaker-style kitchen they’d inherited with the house was always chipping, and they’d already had it repainted twice,” she says. “He was keen on a handleless, very contemporary kitchen whereas she liked a more traditional style.”
Sophie worked on ideas with her joiner and suggested stained wooden cabinets as a compromise which provided rich colour without the risk of chipping, while looking contemporary. Paired with walnut on the coffee station – a nod to the colour of the family piano which can be glimpsed from the kitchen – the dark cabinets were lifted with white Corian worktops. Colour was added with simple duck egg blue tiles from Fired Earth and a punchy Christopher Farr Cloth on the bar stools.
(LEFT & RIGHT) THE KITCHEN. IMAGES: HELEN CATHCART
The middle reception room – a tricky room in Victorian houses which often becomes a glorified corridor – became the perfect area to fix a drink with the couples’ collection of spirits and display their collection of glassware. “We upholstered an antique chair in Rapture & Wright fabric, giving them somewhere nice to sit and listen to whoever might be playing the piano.”
Galbraith & Paul wallpaper sourced through Tissus d’Helene defined the space as a specific room rather than a walkway, and Cramer & Bell created an art gallery wall, working with the owners to find pieces which really spoke to them.
Upstairs, Sophie designed new bedrooms for her clients’ daughters. “I wanted to make sure the girls tastes and opinions were included in the designs we presented so we asked them about their favourite colours, and made sure there was plenty of storage for their toys. We also had some cushions from Not On The High Street made up for them with their favourite word.” One chose ‘nature’ and the other chose ‘life.’
“They were excited but a bit nervous about having their own rooms as they’d always shared,” says Sophie. This led to the idea of making one of them a twin room to give them the option to share if they wanted to, and which would also work well for future sleepovers.
Sophie chose Rapture & Wright’s Cloud wallpaper, and used the existing curtains picking out the feint purple stripe by using Farrow & Ball’s Peignoir on the woodwork. Loaf twin beds were finished with bespoke Schumacher cushions. A Pooky floor lamp was given a Rapture & Wright lampshade, and a Rosi de Ruig bedside lamp was finished with a Fermoie lampshade.
THE TWIN BEDROOM. IMAGES: HELEN CATHCART
In the other children’s bedroom, an awkward alcove was flattened so the single bed with a headboard covered in Barneby Gates fabric could sit flush against the wall. This also created a cavity in which they installed some inbuilt shelving above the bed.
The large, high ceilinged owners’ bedroom “felt rather lifeless” says Sophie, so she endeavoured to warm it up with textured grass cloth wallpaper from Thibaut. “It immediately gave the room texture and warmth.” New doors were created for the existing built in wardrobes and a sofa at the end of the bed was moved downstairs to the basement guest bedroom, replaced with an ottoman for added storage. The focal point of the room is the spectacular headboard, upholstered in William Yeoward fabric.
It wasn’t lost on the team that the family were cramped in a two-bedroom apartment while their five-bedroom home stood unoccupied next door. With a Herculean effort from the builders to complete the work through two lockdowns, with all the delays that entailed, the family were able to move back in just before Christmas 2020. “There was still some building work left to do, but they just moved around the house as it was finished.”
The end result is a triumph. “They were so pleased with it, and how the house functions for them as a family and for their individual passions,” says Sophie. “When I visited for the photoshoot, it was clear to see the craft area was being very well used which was lovely to see. That’s what I love most about what we do – creating a home which is really personal.”
IMAGES: HELEN CATHCART
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