From the outside, this traditional Victorian townhouse has an unassuming air, one of many lining the streets around Victoria Park in east London. But step through the front door and it opens up, revealing itself to be a warm, lively family home, lovingly brought to life by its owner, Rose Hanson, co-founder of interior design studio Penrose Tilbury and partner of comedian Josh Widdicombe.
Along with Charlie Tilbury – the other half of the design duo – she set about its transformation. ‘We could see it had potential with great bones but needed updating,’ Rose recalls, adding, ‘the brief was to make the house feel more coherent as a family home, it really lacked defined spaces.’
Rose and Charlie wanted to focus on creating a welcoming atmosphere, with design-led comfort – nothing too ornate or precious, apart from her obsession with vintage Italian lighting which she has managed to keep out of reaching distance of her two children. ‘We just wanted pieces that were interesting and made us smile. I like the idea of people going into a room and seeing items they have never seen elsewhere.’
The pair approached the project as they would with any other client, with Charlie establishing the floorplans and layout first. They were thrilled to find most of the original features were well-preserved including the cornicing, ceiling roses and floorboards which they sanded and stained. ‘For the rest of the house we focused on redecorating and carried out minor works such as designing the enclosed shower.’
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Storage was a key priority; Rose says, ‘in our experience you can never have enough and it’s something that has really influenced our design of the house.’ She explains that when you take a building back to its bare bones there are often ways of adding extra storage between joists or by filling in an awkward niche with bookshelves or a built in unit. The pair believe storage should be celebrated so they always add an interesting handle to kitchen cupboards or a decorative painted detail to a wardrobe.
The colour palette was inspired by the pair’s recent trip to Paris, in particular the Marchés Aux Puces antique shops. ‘Paris has a knack of making the ordinary ‘extraordinary’, sophisticated but inviting and welcoming and we try to channel that philosophy into our work,’ says Charlie, adding, ‘we love using warm earth-tones and pops of colour – in this case mainly pastel blue – which adds a touch of sophistication.’ Tactile materials like velvet and mohair soften the slightly harder lines and metals found in the antique pieces they sourced.
They added a small side-return extension to the kitchen, with French doors onto the garden and row of skylights to maximise natural light. ‘It was always going to be a well-used room so we needed to make it work on lots of levels,’ says Rose. The solution was ample storage and making sure everything had its own place. On the opposite wall to the kitchen they designed built-in cupboards which mirror the tall kitchen cabinets and incorporated a bespoke sofa with bookshelves.
‘The result is a space where we can all be together without being on top of each other.’ A large custom-made island topped with Rosso Alicante marble makes a practical spot for breakfast and casual family meals, while the formal dining area now sits in a formerly unused second living room which is home to an antique octagonal dining table.
Rose and Charlie often base a scheme around an antique; in the kitchen it was an art deco pendant. This space feels ‘very ‘French’ says Charlie, with black gloss accents on the cream coloured cabinetry reminding her of perfume bottles. Gentle curves on the taller units, detailing on the drawer fronts and the arched architrave enclosing the upholstered sofa add to the room’s elegant appearance.
The bespoke glass room divider on the ground floor was a ‘last-minute decision’ that worked out so well, they’ll definitely be using it in future projects, says Charlie. ‘It was inspired by French sunrooms and whilst it looks quite subtle it creates such an elegant partition between the living and dining room.’
Rose and Charlie are big fans of sculptured porcelain and plaster, and sourced matching porcelain pendants for the drawing and living rooms. They couldn’t find anything that felt special enough for the main bedroom so designed their own plaster pendant which takes the form of a trio of shells. ‘The combination of the chalky white plaster against Edward Bulmer’s ‘Cinnamon’ walls was even better than we imagined it to be,’ says Rose.
Rose had great fun designing her glamorous and romantic en-suite bathroom, which features an antique double basin that was found on the French resale website Le Boncoin; ‘we had to do an Instagram shout out to find a French speaker to contact the seller!’ she recalls, adding ‘we rely on Petit Trésor or Instagram to help us get our French finds into the country.’
A lot of the details in this space were bespoke, including the pleated shower curtain with tassel tie-back and the hand-painted fresco on the ceiling. Struggling to find interesting off-the-shelf tiles that aligned with their art deco-inspired vision, Rose and Charlie ended up creating their own checkerboard pattern using three different marble tiles which were installed by ‘a very patient tiler!’
For the pair, this project gave them the freedom to try out bold design interventions and test them against the practical reality of family life. ‘For us as designers it allowed us to experiment with more artistic flourishes and a sense of the unexpected,’ says Charlie. The finished result is personal, playful and stylish. penrosetilbury.com
