How Designers Caroline and Felix Reimagined Their Victorian West London Home

The Open Concept

The rear of the house opens into a generous kitchen, living, and dining space designed to avoid the bluntness common to large extensions. “These spaces can feel quite boxy,” Felix notes, “so we’re always thinking about how to soften them and zone them.” The ceiling, treated as the “fifth wall,” features an art deco–inspired coffer that wraps skylights and draws the eye upward, while subtle lighting creates atmosphere instead of glare.

A Kitchen as Prototype

Designed with HUX, the kitchen serves as a quiet showcase of emerging ideas. The bespoke “micro deco shaker” doors refine a familiar typology, while smoked eucalyptus veneer on the island introduces warmth and tactility. “The beauty of bespoke is that you can have anything whatever size you want,” Felix says, pointing to generous drawer proportions and thoughtful storage. Caroline adds a pragmatic counterpoint, praising induction for everyday use while keeping gas for high-heat cooking, a duality that mirrors the kitchen’s blend of performance and elegance.

Dining, Art, and Colour

The dining area draws its palette from a single artwork. A photograph by Brian Corson, depicting paint cascading down Brooklyn warehouses, was enlarged to bespoke proportions and paired with a Brazilian amazonite quartz table. “I actually took a photocopy of the artwork to the slab yard,” Caroline recalls, matching stone to colour with near-obsessive care. For Felix, it was an instant decision. “As soon as I saw it, I knew it was the perfect piece,” he says, the turquoise veining echoing effortlessly across art, stone, and light.

Light, Landscape, and the Rear Elevation

The rear extension uses a large vision panel and double doors rather than full glass, to accommodate the basement studio. “The light really floods in and creates a beautiful place to sit during the day,” Caroline explains. Artificial box hedging softens the exterior, while a discreet first-floor extension above, approved within a conservation area, adds valuable space for the principal suite without disrupting the unified rear composition.

The Living Room as Family Core

The main living room continues the theme of considered comfort, with a coffered ceiling that feels airy by day and cocooning by night. A picture window frames artwork that echoes the hallway’s palette of teals, emeralds, and corals, while a feather-filled Matthew Hilton sofa anchors the room. “This really is used by the whole family,” Caroline says, describing evenings of music, media, and shared downtime. The media wall, finished in chocolate polished plaster, conceals technology while keeping the space warm.

Carefully Designed Private Spaces

Upstairs, the principal bedroom is serene and tactile, with lime-washed oak floors, layered lighting, and bespoke furniture sprayed to match the wall colour precisely. Soft furnishings in dusky rose and magenta add warmth without excess.

Guests and Growing Up

The guest suite shifts into a deeper, cocooning register with grass cloth walls and layered crystal lighting, while the top floor belongs to their daughter. “She was probably my toughest client,” Caroline admits, recalling ambitions for something bold that were ultimately tempered. The final palette of neutrals, natural materials, and rattan was her daughter’s choice. “She wanted something sophisticated that would take her into adulthood,” Caroline says, showing restraint that runs through the whole house.