Larry Osborne and Daniel Reynolds reflect on their 23-year occupancy of a converted stable house in East Dulwich as part of our Open House series. Read on to find how the space has supported their lifestyle for over two decades, a time that has seen it house parties, exhibitions and Reynolds’ ceramic works. Check out the sales listing here.

Larry: “All we said to the agents was that we didn’t want a normal-looking house. We were only interested in something that looked slightly unconventional.

“That was 23 years ago, when we were living in a basement flat of a Nash terrace in Porchester Square. Dan was going from west London to Camberwell on the bus every day and he got the idea of us moving this side of the river. We decided that it would be a great new adventure.”

Daniel: “The building was originally the stable where the local milkman kept his horses at the beginning of the 20th century.

“When we first saw the house it had been sensitively renovated with a good use of natural wood and glass; in keeping with the feel of this early industrial building. Over the years we have further renovated it to our own taste.”

Larry: “The front of the house is the original stable and the large bedroom above is where the hayloft was. With the advent of motor cars the place became a mechanic’s garage for several decades. 

“At the back is a double-height reception room, with a raised gallery and its own staircase, which runs along the length of this space. Glass doors lead to a little walled courtyard, and beyond this, through a door, is a secluded hidden garden which surprises everyone who comes to the house. The use of these various spaces makes it an interesting and playful place to live.”

Daniel: “Home to me means a place where calm and beauty work in harmony to bring out the best in each of us. It’s somewhere to nurture our creativity and love of life.

“We have a few selected examples of my work in the house which are part of the permanent collection. Some work, like the larger kinetic sculptures, have come to the house on a temporary basis, while exhibitions are set up which will include them.

“It allows me to live with them and see the effect they have on a space and its inhabitants, before offering them to the public. The double-height of the living area, as well as the light from the large glass windows and doors there, create the perfect setting for sculpture.

“Some of my work takes the form of mid-twentieth-century kitchenware, such as blender jars and other appliances rendered in porcelain. I like to change the perception of these exceptional examples of domestic industrial design by reinterpreting them in fine porcelain and turning them into vases or dishes for fine dining, to be used in combination with more conventional dinner services. The work of Jasper Johns, Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg influenced this response to everyday objects from contemporary life.”

Larry: “Until very recently I was working as a creative director at a London agency; I am now happily retired. Dan’s work keeps him between London and Kent where we have a house on the coast that we originally bought as a weekend place.

“East Dulwich has been just the most brilliant place in which to base ourselves. As our London home the very open plan layout of this house makes it a great space for entertaining. It’s a fantastic party house!

“Until we found this house we had done the usual thing of buying a place, doing it up, and moving after a few years. When we came here we fell in love with it and have found it difficult to match the charm, the clever use of space and all the things we like about it.

“We recently realised we are spending less and less time in London. That’s lead us to decide to put the house on the market. Notwithstanding we shall miss this beautiful house. We’ve had 23 great years here!”