Victorian goes modern: how we transformed our Fulham home
When interior designer Kate Thornton bought a neglected Victorian house in Fulham, she began by adding a glass box extension - and ended up remodelling the whole house.
Philippa Stockley22 February 2016
London’s big old Victorian houses were designed to be practical. Some wide, some slim, most are economically piled up on four or five floors, including a basement kitchen and an attic, both originally meant for staff.
Transformation: Kate Thornton's designer's eye blends the traditional and the new, resulting in a home perfect for the 21st-century family
Something different: rather than a kitchen, the basement is a TV and loafing room
Modern master: an elegant, magazine-luxe look in the bedroom is achieved by using cool colours with cosy touches
What it cost
Six-bedroom house with garage in 2011:
Cost of project:
Value now:
Festive interior design tips
- For an instant urban Christmas from Kate Thornton, visit www.magentapinkinteriors.co.uk
- Red Amaryllis are fantastic Christmas flowers. Team with stems of pussy willow, change the water every other day, and they should last the season
- Don’t just use traditional colours such as red and green. Jewel-bright turquoise and deep purple look wonderful mixed with a splash of gold or bronze
- Battery-operated fairy lights (from £4 at John Lewis) are fantastic twined around a basic Christmas garland — or fill glass vases with baubles and mix the lights around them
- Group mini poinsettia plants together — five in a group look great
- Use pillar candles of various heights, scented if you like, and display in groups of odd numbers — three or five
- Scatter some dark red or jewel-coloured velvet cushions and drape faux fur throws on sofas and chairs. Spray chrysanthemums in rich colours and place in three mirrored cubes, three to a cube, along the Christmas table.