COMING TOGETHER

Debbie and David Lane’s renovation shows how bold features can sit perfectly with classic design choices

- IFEOLUWA ADEDEJI

Debbie and David Lane were renting a terraced house in Southfields, southwest London with their sons, Thomas, now eight, and Daniel, six. But when they started to think about buying a family house, they realised that houses in the area were beyond their budget. ‘We had friends who had moved to Herne Hill and we liked the area too,’ says Debbie.

The Victorian property they settled on still had some of its period character and had been well kept by the previous owners. However, the decor wasn’t to their taste. ‘The house had red carpets and gold swag curtains and it seemed quite dark,’ says Debbie. ‘It had a lean-to extension, but we knew we wanted to extend this area further.’ Rather than starting the work straight away, the Lanes took their time to plan everything carefully.