25 Beautiful Homes March 2023

EDITOR’S LETTER Putting this issue together has been truly exciting as we can reveal the WINNER of the READER HOME AWARDS. We were thrilled to photograph Diana Irving’s winning home and to discover how she and her husband Andy transformed their modern, but rather soulless, property into a delightful NEW ENGLAND-STYLE abode (page 78). America also provided INSPIRATION for artist Cleo Barbour. She brought her love of MIAMI’S SOUTH BEACH into her mews house with VIBRANT COLOUR choices and tropical prints (page 98). One couple looked closer to home when it came to finding a look they loved. Originally from France, Amandine and Julien Vanhaesebroucke embraced le style Anglais when decorating their Victorian terrace. Take a tour around this seriously CHIC home on page 18.…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Georgian house ROOMS Kitchendiner/living area, utility room, dining room, study, cinema room, five bedrooms (all en suite), dressing room LOCATION Hertfordshire Properties in this part of Hertfordshire are both rare to the market and expensive, but it was somewhere Somaya and Fahri Ouzzani had set their sights on from early on in their relationship. ‘Fahri had grown up here so we always knew it was where we wanted to end up,’ Somaya explains. ‘But unless you have a blank cheque, you generally have to buy something old that needs a lot of work.’ This house certainly fell into that category. It needed a lot of TLC and a huge amount of investment but the couple loved its location close to woods and the high street. And…

no. 2 HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Victorian end-of-terrace house ROOMS Kitchen-diner, cloakroom, two offices, sitting room, family room, three bedrooms (one en suite), bathroom. Plus a lower ground flat with an open-plan living and kitchen space, a bedroom and a bathroom LOCATION West London When Amandine and Julien Vanhaesebroucke found their dream of a London Victorian terraced house three years ago, top of the list was to honour its heritage and make the most of its British roots. Having lived in the neighbourhood for 10 years, this French couple and their two boys, Gabriel, 15, and Camille, 11, have come to love le style Anglais. ‘Our design mantra for the house was eclectic, cosy and playful, a modern take on how people here restore period properties,’ says Amandine. ‘It had…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Victorian terrace, built in 1895 ROOMS Sitting room, kitchen-diner, utility room, cloakroom, five bedrooms (one en suite), two bathrooms LOCATION South London ‘We’re so glad we went for bold colour – it feels individual and paint colours can easily be changed’ Flora and Henry Shaw knew that they needed more space and realised that the best way to get exactly what they wanted was to buy a property that needed a bit of work. ‘We wanted a home that suited us as a family, and this way, we wouldn’t have to compromise,’ Flora explains. From the outside, the Victorian terraced house appears unassuming, but the couple had ambitious plans. ‘We hired an architect but soon realised how much attention to detail was required in order to…

HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY A redesigned 250sq m apartment, dating from the pre-WWII era, on the 16th floor of a 1930s Schwartz & Gross building ROOMS Sitting room, dining room, kitchen, breakfast area, two bedrooms, family den, two bathrooms LOCATION New York City Situated on New York’s Park Avenue, this beautiful apartment combines elements of a stately home and contemporary art gallery. The owners, Paul and Gigi Jorissen and their three adult children, who live on their own, found it after a long and extensive search. Having recently become empty-nesters, they felt it was time to experience urban living again after spending several years raising their children in the suburbs of NYC. ‘We looked at various neighbourhoods before settling here due to its proximity to Central Park and Museum Mile,’…

no. 5 HOME TRUTHS THE PROPERTY Victorian ground-floor flat ROOMS Sitting room/kitchen, office, bedroom, bathroom LOCATION South London ‘BEIGE HAS A REPUTATION FOR BEING BLAND AND BORING BUT I LOVE THE VARIETY OF SHADES AND WARM TONES’ As an interior designer and founder of Topology Interiors, Athina Bluff (@topologyinteriors) is immersed in myriad ideas on a daily basis, which set her a challenge for choosing the scheme for her own home. ‘I’m good at focusing on what a client wants, but in my own projects I’m always changing things up,’ says Athina. ‘One constant in both work and home is my love of muted, earthy, relaxed neutrals. This has been a great base for the calming soft greens I chose here and my love of mixing vintage and contemporary looks.’…