1890s Victorian townhouse in London filled with vintage finds

Seeking out vintage treasures wherever she goes, Laura Padovani has furnished her London home with pieces from around the world, all with a story to tell Feature Karen Darlow, Photographs Brent Darby

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Published: Monday, 29 April 2024 at 15:28 PM

‘I once came back from Paris with the head of an African cow from the 1920s and a ceramic parrot from the 1950s,’ says Laura Padovani. ‘I picked them up in the famous Saint-Ouen flea market, knowing they’d look great in my living room, but they were quite a talking point on the Eurostar home too!’

Although raised in Argentina by Italian parents, Laura’s home for the past seven years has been a double-fronted 1890s townhouse in south-east London, which she has filled with vintage finds. Some, like the cow’s head, were gathered on travels abroad, other pieces were found much closer to home.

A 1950s-style fringed chair left in the street outside turned out to be perfect for Laura’s living room, and a friend’s gift of a Staffordshire figure he’d found on eBay marked the start of something big – Laura’s now-extensive blue-and-white pottery collection.

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Her Victorian townhouse has its own story to tell, as well as some battle scars, too. It was only when Laura was planning a veranda-style extension that she noticed a large section of mismatched bricks across half of the first floor. ‘The builder told me that because the house is so close to Woolwich and London’s Docks it must have been hit by a stray bomb. The line of bricks is where the back of the house was rebuilt,’ says Laura. ‘Later, when I was having the floor levelled, we found 1950s newspapers under the old floorboards, which is when the bomb repairs must have taken place.’

Taking her time to get to know the property, Laura decorated gradually and waited for the right pieces to turn up. ‘I painted it all white and waited a few months to see where the light fell and how each room felt,’ she says. ‘Then I chose three complementary greys and started to pull it together with things I’ve actively gone looking for – such as my various chapel chairs – and other pieces I’ve found by accident, like the copper pans.’ The gleaming pots were bought for £150 in an end-of-line sale at Scotts of Stow, and restore a touch of Victoriana to the fitted kitchen.

Car booting is a weekly treat for Laura. ‘I don’t have expensive tastes,’ she says. ‘Don’t give me diamonds, clothes or Prada bags. Give me flowers from Columbia Road, and let me browse a good car boot sale. Nothing makes me happier than finding things with a story behind them.’

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Sometimes it takes Laura a long time to make a find, but she says she’s not in a hurry. ‘I’d rather have things around me that are special and mean something,’ she says. For that reason, some 15 years ago, Laura’s mother boarded a flight from Buenos Aires to Heathrow with an unusual piece of luggage. It was Laura’s favourite toy as a toddler: a very well-loved and worn out push-along horse, which is now on display in the main bedroom and holds memories of a childhood lived almost 7,000 miles away.

It was through her mother, an artist, that Laura developed an appreciation of paintings, fine craftsmanship and interesting found objects. ‘I remember her taking me to a flea market near our home in Buenos Aires, when I was just 10 years old. I bought a green fish jug from an Argentinian lady who’d lived in the UK,’ recalls Laura. The piece eventually found its way back to England with Laura, who now knows it to be a 1950s Dartmouth gurgle fish jug.

‘I’ve built up quite a collection now, but that first one was very special: a real vintage piece with an enamelled finish,’ she adds. ‘Anywhere I see them I buy them, even if the colour is not my favourite.’ Gathered from Brighton, Paris, Rome and Buenos Aires, the fish have found their forever home with Laura, alongside her ever-growing collections of blue-and-white china, ceramic parrots and other international rescues.

Laura’s double-fronted townhouse was built in the 1890s and has retained its original black, white and terracotta tiled path – a typical feature of homes in her south-east London neighbourhood. – Brent Darby –
Laura Padovani London townhouse dining room ceramics
Laura likes to mix in a few newer finds with treasures discovered at car boot sales. These green Italian ceramic vases are from Homesense, and their position in the light-filled garden room brings out their rich, emerald shades. – Brent Darby –
Laura Padovani London townhouse kitchen table
The dining area is packed with character and storied pieces, from the Argentinian table runner to the 1950s Dartmouth gurgle fish jug, bought in Buenos Aires’ San Telmo antiques market when she was just 10 years old, and a Venetian mirror discovered at the Brighton Marina car boot sale. – Brent Darby –
Laura Padovani London townhouse kitchen window
Plants and flowers from Columbia Road Flower Market bring the townhouse to life. – Brent Darby –
Laura Padovani London townhouse kitchen units
Laura improved the flow of the ground floor with a new kitchen layout, removing a wall to allow light into the space from both sides of the house. The Rangemaster cooker was built into the old fireplace alcove, while the pale shades of the Shaker-style cabinets and quartz worktops from Wren Kitchens provide a serene contrast to the array of quirky ornaments and multitude of plants. – Brent Darby –
Laura Padovani London townhouse kitchen flowers
Laura Padovani London townhouse kitchen oven
A mix of vintage homewares and decorative accessories in the kitchen exemplify Laura’s eclectic taste. The wooden fox was found on London’s Columbia Road, and a recycled metal horse and sheep were bought by a friend from a street market in Tigre, Argentina. – Brent Darby –
Laura Padovani London townhouse kitchen dresser
Laura Padovani London townhouse bathroom
for the elegant guest bathroom in the converted attic Laura chose a fitted vanity unit and shower from Burlington – Brent Darby –
Laura Padovani London townhouse dining room seating
One of Laura’s most unusual finds was a cow’s head, bought at the Saint-Ouen flea market in Paris, which travelled home with her on the Eurostar, much to the amusement of the other passengers. – Brent Darby –
Laura Padovani London townhouse dining room table
The old kitchen table in the garden room dates from around 1900, and was a car boot find at Brighton Marina’s Sunday market. – Brent Darby –
Laura Padovani London townhouse living room sofa
Laura Padovani London townhouse living room chairs
Always on the lookout for a useful find, Laura rescued the 1950s-style velvet chair from the street outside her house and paired it with a wooden armchair from OKA. – Brent Darby –
Laura Padovani London townhouse living room window
In the living room a chair from Atkin and Thyme and old wooden trunk from Susan Clark Interiors in Blackheath are colourful focal points. – Brent Darby –
Laura Padovani London townhouse master bedroom
Laura’s childhood toy horse arrived by plane from Buenos Aires when her mother came to visit. It’s a daily reminder of family and the city where she grew up. The console table was a street rescue, which she repainted in a crisp white for a soft, romantic look that complements the room’s gentle grey palette. – Brent Darby –
Laura Padovani London townhouse master bedroom headboard
Laura Padovani London townhouse dressing table
Laura Padovani London townhouse kids room
This room at the back of the house sustained bomb damage in the Second World War but the original fireplace survived, and bright fabrics and accessories help to instil a sense of fun. – Brent Darby –

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