“My partner and I moved here just over four years ago, when we were expecting our first child. We’d been looking for about two years because we had something quite specific in mind. When we saw this space the possibility just seemed endless – sometimes you just find somewhere and know that’s where you want to live.

“The house ended up being a bit more of an undertaking then we’d anticipated. The building work took eight months; we decided to take the building back to the structural bare bones as it allowed us to rebuild it with a mindful sense of the original design. We wanted to use every floor so we extracted tons of soil from the basement and knocked down a lot of internal walls to make the living spaces open-plan. We decided to make the house as efficient as possible and re-installed the heating and electricity, and we incorporated an extension into our design for the back of the house. The cornicing unfortunately disintegrated as the build continued, so we worked with a specialist to select six different sections of cornice, based on what was there originally.

“We designed it with the expectation we’d be there for a long time. Our son, Huxley, is three now, but the house is designed so that when he gets older he’ll effectively have his own floor upstairs. My partner and I have our own bathroom adjoining the master bedroom, which means we’re also very self-contained. Our bedroom flows directly into the bathroom and then leads you through to a dressing room on the left. It’s designed with our morning and evening routine in mind; from sleeping to bathing, then through to clothing. We wanted to make the transition as effortless as possible.

“Being an interior designer and having my own studio – House of Grey – meant the house became a team project. Part of the mentality behind all our work is making a space work as hard and as efficiently as it possibly can for you, so you have the time to focus on other things. I don’t want to waste time constantly walking across the kitchen to unload the dishwasher, so we spent a lot of time planning out the spaces and making sure they were functional. After we moved in I reconfigured the space several times until I felt it was right and working to an optimum.

“I loved working on this project as House of Grey, because it was a rare opportunity to work with other other creatives that I had always admired. We had full creative control, and that was important for me. Something my studio is really strong on is having a very understated luxury feeling to the design work. There’s nothing here that isn’t needed or wanted. I find work so busy all the time, I wanted a home that felt very calm and peaceful.

“We selected all the furniture for the space very carefully, and I realised that when you have a large space you really need to consider any additions. We found that selecting a few bigger pieces enhanced the room height; smaller pieces just looked dwarfed.

“We’ve got a Toogood Spade chair in the living room, which I purchased from twentytwentyone a few years ago. Despite appearances it’s actually very comfortable. Although, my mother-in-law did sit on it and almost fall off because it’s only got three legs! I consider it more of a sculpture than something to sit on.

“I think my favourite part of the house is the kitchen. We’ve got underfloor heating so it’s very, very comfortable! We had the Douglas Fir panelling put in behind the kitchen units; I really like the idea of the kitchen disappearing into the space, rather than just sitting against a white wall. We recently extended the panelling into the dining area too – it’s made the whole space feel much warmer. The panelling has also added a layer of sound insulation, so we can’t hear a thing from our neighbours now either.

“I like spaces to change quite a lot as I live in them. We designed the house well the first time around, but things will always keep adapting to meet your changing tastes, needs and wants.

“I adore the living room too. Because it’s on a raised ground floor you can look out of the windows and not see the street – you can just see trees which is a luxury in London. We host yoga weekends there because it’s a nice big area. We’ll have a collection of eight or nine creatives doing yoga there on a Saturday, then we all bring a dish of food and have a sit-down lunch together downstairs afterwards. It’s a great house for bringing people together.

“Finsbury Park has quite a multicultural community which we really like. I love how easy it is to get to King’s Cross from here, too. We were living in Barnsbury previously, and had spent years avoiding King’s Cross, but the regeneration there has made such a difference and we really love that area now. They’re making similar changes to Finsbury Park station now, so it feels like a strong place to be part of.

“There’s also an art scene running through the area, which was key for me. I do pottery around the corner. That’s been a strong influence on my work – being able to use raw materials to create pieces that can be practical for us to use as a family. I think there’s a sensibility to using these items which you don’t get from mass-produced alternatives.

“My partner is very creative too. He’s a photographer and re-toucher. This is the first house we’ve owned together, so it’s been an interesting process of integrating our personal possessions.”

Louisa, what’s your definition of modern living?
“For me, it’s absolutely about thinking about how you use your space. Especially in London, space is the most precious commodity, along with time, so really making the most of it is so important to us.”

If you were to move, what’s the first thing you’d take with you?
“Probably the Atollo Murano glass lamp in the living room. It’s a 1977 design by Vico Magistretti, and the light from it is just stunning. It makes me really happy! Actually, the table it’s sat on was made by my father. He’s a designer and builder, and he works with materials in such a sympathetic and knowledgeable way, so that’s pretty special too and where my interest in objects and materials derives from.”

Which property on The Modern House website has caught your eye?
“Mornington Terrace is an extraordinary house, and the workspace has been well thought out. It’s also extremely discreet from the outside, which I really like. That said, this house has made me realise that I really enjoy renovating properties. This is the third I’ve worked on personally now, and I think I would probably be very tempted to buy a piece of land and look at building something quite modern and self-sufficient which is the opposite to all my previous undertakings. We’ll see.”

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