Natural OUTLOOK

ANNA LEA-WILSON AND SAM SILVERMAN KNEW THE QUIET LOCATION OF THEIR NEW HOME WAS PERFECT, BUT IT TOOK TWO EXTENSIONS AND A COMPLETE OVERHAUL BEFORE IT SUITED THEIR FAMILY OF FIVE

- HAYLEY SPENCER

HOME NOTES

WHO LIVES HERE? Anna Lea-Wilson, an interior designer (fernhouse.london) lives here with husband Sam Silverman, a lawyer, plus their three children, Austin, nine, Leo, seven, and Sadie, four.

THE PROPERTY A terraced 1930s house in east London with kitchen-dining-family room, living room, utility, four bedrooms (one en suite) and a bathroom.

THE VALUE Bought in 2019 for £623,000.

Family room

'The open-plan layout is perfect for the kids to play in while I work at the breakfast bar,' Anna says. The size of the extension has given us the chance to all be together doing different things, but so that we're not on top of one another."

BUY THE KEY PIECES Connor table, from £499, Cult Furniture, is similar. Try Berber rug, £575, Loaf. Try Gigi two-light fitting in Black, £59, Dunelm

After living in a Victorian terrace on a busy street, Anna and Sam wanted a larger property which offered them a quiet location, without having to leave London. When they viewed this 1930s house, they knew they had the vision to transform it into a perfect family home. The quiet cul-de-sac plus views over Epping Forest were the clincher. 'When we saw the house it was almost exactly what we wanted. Ideally we would have loved rear or side access, but the location made up for that,' says Anna. 'It had been untouched for so long, and was ready for us to make our mark on it. As well as the great proportions of the rooms, we loved the size of the garden. The couple's plan was to add two extensions and gut the property to bring it up to date, while preserving the original features where they could, and adding sympathetic new touches.