A HOUSE REBORN

WHEN A PLUMBING CATASTROPHE WRECKED THIS LONDON HOME, A THOROUGH RETHINK WAS REQUIRED TO BRING IT BACK TO LIFE

- Catherine Coyle

Out of disaster, good things can come. It’s worth bearing that in mind if you’re ever unlucky enough to experience the kind of calamity that befell this house, a grade II listed mid-terrace townhouse in central London. Two years ago its owner, Denise Barron, had set off on holiday, leaving builders to install a new bathroom. She’d imagined coming home to the freshly kitted-out space, knowing she’d given the workmen the space and time needed to get the job done without interruption. Instead, what she found was that her whole house had been flooded, leaving gaping holes in the floors. There was no sign of any sanitaryware – and no sign of any builders.

Brenda Maclauchlan, director of BB Interior Design, was the distressed Barron’s first port of call. “I’d worked on a property with her son previously,” recalls the designer. “She asked for help to recover her home after this terrible experience. She wanted me to bring the house back to life.”