LAID-BACK luxury

SOPHIE AND CARL FELL FOR A TIRED 1930S PROPERTY IN LONDON AND TURNED IT INTO A SMART BUT INFORMAL HOME WITH THE SOCIABLE SPACES THEY CRAVED

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Kitchen

'The island and larder units are painted in a pale pink to chime with the patchwork of wall tiles.'

Breakfast area

'We love this space, with the larders either side; we use this area more than anywhere in the house. I didn't think it was necessary at first with the dining table so close by but it works so well in day-to-day life and when we are entertaining too it becomes the kids' table!" -

BUY THE KEY PIECES

Drummer chairs, £460 for a pair, Loaf. Campbell White swan neck wall light, £215, Lyngard

THE LAYOUT

A generous entrance hall leads on to a large open-plan dining and living area, then through to the new extension, where the kitchen and breakfast room are. There's also an office, utility room, cloakroom and a playroom at the front. On the first floor there are four bedrooms and three bathrooms, as well as a further bedroom and bathroom on the second floor.

It was the impressive lateral space that drew Sophie and Carl to this 1930s house in Queen's Park, northwest London. The couple had outgrown their small terraced house and were expecting their third child when they embarked on their property hunt.

HOW DID YOU FIND THIS HOUSE?

'We lived nearby for many years but as our family grew we needed more space, so when this came on the market we instantly saw the potential. It had a special feeling even before the renovations,' says Sophie. 'The house had an old extension and the spaces didn't connect very well, but we felt it had the possibility to be a very sociable home.'

WHAT PLANS DID YOU HAVE FOR THE RENOVATION OF THE PROPERTY?