When model Emma Champtaloup and her husband Jack, a music manager for the likes of Sam Smith and Disclosure, moved to their family home in north London, they opted to start with a blank slate, leaving everything behind, save for their clothes and one light fixture Emma couldn’t do without.

A chance encounter with interior designer Hollie Bowden set Emma (then pregnant) on an eight-month adventure to build the perfect home for her young family in Newington Green. The two met at Portobello Market and became friends fast, scouring London’s markets and antique shops for unique finds to realise Emma’s vision for a calm, beautiful, and open space.

We sat down with Emma, now pregnant with her second child, as the family prepares for their next move to discuss the fundamentals of making a home for a family, the joys of the design and antique sourcing process, and what she’ll be looking for in her search for a new place.

Emma: “I think the flow of your house is so important to the flow of your life. Making an orderly, well-kept home is a healing process.

“Most of it comes down to how you keep your house. If you’re tidy, if you put your dishes away and don’t leave stuff lying about, there’s such a different energy than if you leave the house in the morning with everything out. It’s the difference to coming home and thinking, “Ugh, I’ve gotta do this and that,” or coming into a space you can instantly relax in. So, how we keep this house and its order is important to us.

“And, it’s so liberating! Even just going through your wardrobe, going through your utensils, going through your pantry, whatever it is, and getting rid of anything unnecessary or unused. Thinking, ‘Okay, I’m not actually gonna use this condiment I’ve had for three years or I’m not ever gonna wear this dress that still has the label on,’ sets you free, to some extent.

“The design of your house has to work in a way that supports you and has a flow. I think the flow of this house worked perfectly from when we moved in, so we haven’t changed the original part, just extended it downstairs.

“As soon as I walked in, I knew it was the one because of the light – it’s just got a really warm, calming quality. We saw quite a few houses in the area and this was the one. So, we literally said, ‘let’s just move in’ straight away.

“Like most families, everything is based around the kitchen/living space. We have a lot of friends over, even if it’s just for a cup of tea in the day. We always come here because it’s safe, clean, and designed for modern living. Even if Jack’s watching football and I’ve got people over for tea, it all kind of flows.

“We had to build an extension and do a whole structural thing, which took us six months alone. We were halfway through the project, I had already designed the kitchen, when I met Hollie at Portobello Market.

“I was sitting on a chair, so sick and pregnant and Hollie was like mad, running around, and we just got talking.

“Not being from London, I never knew where to go to fill the house. It’s such a hard one; where do you find amazing, one-off furniture? And then Hollie suddenly entered my life and said, ‘I know’.

“What Hollie is really amazing at is reading people. You can explain to her what you want in your house, and what you love, and what you don’t like and she can almost take a feel of your personality and help you express it in your house, which I think is such a skill.

“She knew that we wanted this house to be a really calm space. It had to have that element of stillness and somewhere you could go and just relax and feel cuddled. Hollie was just so amazing at understanding that and putting it together.

“I got to do the whole thing with her so we went to all the markets, all the shops and now we’re best friends!

“I love that side of doing the house; the markets, the antique stores, and the people you meet. I think that was honestly half the fun of doing this house. Just meeting these amazing people. Because not one thing from our old place has come with us. Only clothes. We started completely afresh.

“It was a treasure hunt! A massive treasure hunt. And when you find a piece, like I remember finding the gold tree above my bed, it’s so special. We bought it off this amazing German man in an antique shop near Pimlico and I just walked in, saw that tree (and it’s gold so I was probably acting like a magpie or something) and thought it was like the tree of life. I just thought, ‘I have to have this’ and I think it makes our bedroom so complete.

“Every person you’d meet in these antique shops, they’re all such enthusiasts. Like the man who found our 18th-century fireplace from Belgium. They’ve all got so much sparkle and they’re so interesting and genuine and beautiful.

“Moving into our second project, whenever we do, now I know so much about what to look for.

“The most important thing for me when we’re looking for a home is somewhere that we can evolve, that the house can hold us in a way that we can grow as people and as a family and as friends, everything. So, a home has to feel warm and loving and supportive and wise.

“It’s got to have intelligent things going on and be able to support conversations and connections, not just somewhere you sleep and eat and watch TV.”

Emma, how do you define modern living?
“Modern living is about supporting every aspect of how we live; to attain a desired quality of life. We all have complete control over this, through our dedication (being all choices and movements).

“A part of this which is especially important to me is the home environment. I like to make sure our home consists of an easy, open flow and great organisation, so it supports us all, and just makes daily living easier. I also now realise how important light is to me in a home, and that’s one of our top requirements whilst looking for our next project.”

Is there a home for sale on The Modern House website that has caught your eye?
“Riverside, Somerset. Somerset is extremely special to me, and my biggest life shifts occurred there! It has such a soulful energy and it’s at the top of my list of locations for when we do a country home.

“This house is already light-filled, and the symmetry and windows are so stunning. It feels like a retreat which would be fun to expand on. I also love the wild landscape and can feel our family would love it there.”