VICTORIAN REVIVAL

A sensitive refurbishment with touches of Mediterranean style has breathed new life into Andrea Gelardin's period property

- RUTH CORBETT

We were looking for a house in Hackney and our estate agent showed us something she thought we'd like, even though it was in W north London, which is nowhere near Hackney,' laughs Andrea Gelardin. 'It was the first property we saw and we loved it straight away.'

Andrea, along with her partner Marcus Childs, and their small son Santiago, moved in after overseeing a substantial refurbishment programme, the result of which is a thoroughly refreshed and sensitively extended interior. The crisply decorated rooms now flow seamlessly, skilfully showing off the property's Victorian bone structure in the process. 'I like the fact that it has the feel of a country house,' says Andrea, and yet it's situated in a multicultural, urban neighbourhood. We get the best of both worlds.'