{"id":16827,"date":"2022-11-23T09:30:52","date_gmt":"2022-11-23T08:30:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homesandantiques.com\/?p=37482"},"modified":"2022-11-24T10:28:33","modified_gmt":"2022-11-24T09:28:33","slug":"a-colourful-victorian-house-in-london","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/rss_feed\/a-colourful-victorian-house-in-london\/","title":{"rendered":"A colourful Victorian house in London"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Sophie Hannam\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 23 November 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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\u2018I often have to say to myself, \u201cis this too Trump Towers?\u201d\u2019 laughs Rose Hanson, when describing her attraction to antiques embellished with brass and gold. The TV-producer-turned-antiques-dealer shares her five-bedroom townhouse in east London with her husband, comedian Josh Widdicombe, and their two young children.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a space that she\u2019s filled with a diverse collection of antique<\/a> and vintage<\/a> finds, lending an air of comfortable opulence to the traditional Victorian property. Angular brass furniture and shapely ceramic<\/a> lamps complement the original marble fireplaces and cast-iron radiators, while curved Art Deco<\/a> mirrors and expressive artworks line the walls.<\/p>\n

Rose and Josh purchased their home five years ago, completing the renovations in a hurried six weeks before the arrival of their first child. \u2018It was a real baptism of fire choosing the colours for the house,\u2019 explains Rose. \u2018I went with my gut and chose shades that I liked, but it was a bit of a gamble.\u2019 The couple\u2019s first house, a Victorian terrace near London\u2019s Columbia Road, was neutral in comparison, so Rose was keen to flood this space with vibrant colour.<\/p>\n

Looking to her wardrobe for inspiration, she opted for shades of pink and green, and cloaked the hallway in a sumptuous navy blue \u2013 a Papers and Paints hue inspired by a classic Uniqlo jumper. \u2018In London, lots of people paint the outside of their houses a dark colour, so I just chose to bring the colour inside,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n

You might also like<\/strong> a pink and green home in South London<\/a><\/p>\n

Growing up in a Victorian property filled with sentimental objects gave Rose an appreciation for interiors with meaning. \u2018Everything that my parents owned had a reason for being there,\u2019 she explains. \u2018There was always a memory attached to something, rather than \u201cthis matches this, and that matches that.\u201d\u2019 She cites her mother, an artist, and her father, a television set designer, as her influences. \u2018Lots of the pieces in my childhood home came from sets \u2013 our carpet was from This Is Your Life and all our Christmas decorations<\/a> came from TV specials,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n

This approach to interiors is ingrained in Rose\u2019s personal style, and only a few of the pieces that she owns were bought brand new. \u2018Part of the joy of decorating is finding those antique<\/a> items that bring a room together,\u2019 she says. \u2018I like things to have meaning. I\u2019ll find a sofa<\/a>, or a pair of lamps, and the room will go from there \u2013 it\u2019s an organic process.\u2019<\/p>\n

Most of Rose\u2019s collection is from years of hunting for antiques at flea markets, antiques shops<\/a> and on eBay. \u2018I like choosing items that wouldn\u2019t normally sit together,\u2019 she says. Whether it\u2019s a petite Victorian sofa upholstered in goddess-print fabric by Beata Heuman, or a polished mid-century palm lamp side-by-side with traditional brown furniture, Rose\u2019s home is a study in the unexpected. A self-confessed magpie, she has an eye for metallics and is drawn to decorative antiques with a glamorous edge.<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019ve been over to Palm Springs a few times, and I love Hollywood Regency style,\u2019 she says. \u2018I wouldn\u2019t describe myself as a maximalist, but I\u2019ve always been a fan of brass and bold colours.\u2019 It\u2019s this use of polished metals that brings a sense of laid-back grandeur to the family\u2019s home. From the clean-lined vintage Lucite dining chairs and angular Pierre Vandel coffee table, to the elaborate antique French marriage dome displayed above the living room fireplace, the house is filled with pieces that embody the charm of Hollywood\u2019s golden age.<\/p>\n

However, when it comes to antiques, Rose\u2019s true passion is for lighting. \u2018Lamps are a bit like footwear to me; they need to have character. I like them to be a talking point in a room, rather than something that blends into the background.\u2019 She mentions a pair of mirrored 1950s lamps in the master bedroom, and the oversized rippled glass lamp bases in the kitchen (a bargain from Sunbury Antiques Market), as some of her favourites \u2013 though her collection is always growing. This love for lighting, paired with sharing pictures of her home on social media, inspired Rose to start a lockdown business selling antique and vintage lamps, sconces and other decorative pieces on Instagram.<\/p>\n

You might also like<\/strong> antiques fairs and markets this month<\/a><\/p>\n

Rose sources items that are in-keeping with the style of her home: \u2018It\u2019s a way of being able to buy things that I really love without cluttering up my house,\u2019 she laughs, \u2018and selling on Instagram is great in so many ways, because you can reach people who you wouldn\u2019t normally.\u2019 She is hesitant to describe herself as an antiques dealer: \u2018I wouldn\u2019t say that I have a specialism in a particular time period, but I like curating.\u2019<\/p>\n

Though Rose and Josh sometimes consider moving out of London, the city views would be hard to beat. \u2018You can see The Shard from my daughter\u2019s bedroom window,\u2019 Rose explains, \u2018and on Bonfire Night we look out of the back of the house and watch all the fireworks.\u2019 And while the necessary renovations are now complete, there\u2019s still much pleasure to be taken in changing things around in the house \u2013 there\u2019s always a stack of artworks to go to the framer\u2019s, an antique chair to be reupholstered or a room to be repainted. \u2018Josh always says to me, \u201cis the house finished now?\u201d\u2026 but it\u2019s never finished!\u2019<\/p>\n