{"id":18174,"date":"2023-01-13T09:30:24","date_gmt":"2023-01-13T08:30:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homesandantiques.com\/?p=38908"},"modified":"2023-01-13T10:36:58","modified_gmt":"2023-01-13T09:36:58","slug":"a-scandinavian-style-victorian-home","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/rss_feed\/a-scandinavian-style-victorian-home\/","title":{"rendered":"A Scandinavian-style Victorian home"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By kirstylyons\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Friday, 13 January 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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With its clean, white walls, pale accessories and mid-20th-century furniture, the London apartment that Rachel Leedham shares with her French husband, Eric, and their sons, Alex and Theo, has a distinctly Scandinavian feel. As a writer specialising in interior design, it\u2019s an aesthetic that she\u2019s always gravitated towards. \u2018I joke that I must have some Danish blood in me because the concept of hygge really strikes a chord. At this time of year, I can\u2019t have enough candles or sheepskin throws!\u2019<\/p>\n

The couple moved to Hampstead from Paris<\/a> in 1998. \u2018We originally rented the flat, which we fell in love with the moment we saw the wonderful views across London,\u2019 Rachel says. \u2018Hampstead is one of the highest points in the capital and our flat is at the top of a tall Victorian house, so it feels as if we are up in the sky. We often see geese or the local parakeets flying right past the window.\u2019<\/p>\n

By a stroke of luck, two years after they had moved in, the couple\u2019s landlord announced that he had plans to sell the flat. \u2018We invited him for dinner and practically begged him to accept our offer,\u2019 Rachel recalls. At the time, the apartment had a master bedroom and a second, much smaller bedroom that Rachel used as an office.<\/p>\n

However Eric, who works as a project manager for a construction company, saw the opportunity to add a new level to the flat by raising the roof. \u2018It was a huge job and we had to move out for eight months, but as a result we gained two further bedrooms and a bathroom, as well as a terrace,\u2019 says Rachel.<\/p>\n

The architecture of the flat is crisp and contemporary, with European oak floors and walls painted white to maximise the natural light. \u2018We didn\u2019t want the interiors to vie with the view outside,\u2019 says Rachel. She continues that they, \u2018were keen to create a very simple backdrop, so that our possessions could do the talking.\u2019<\/p>\n

Both Rachel and Eric share a passion for mid-20th-century designs, and their carefully curated treasures, collected during their time living in Hong Kong, Paris and London, are displayed throughout the apartment.<\/p>\n

\u2018I grew up with a lot of Danish-style furniture. At a time when lots of their friends were still buying dark, mahogany pieces, my parents opted for very simple, teak designs by British furniture maker Dalescraft. I suppose that my love of clean-lined pieces stems from there,\u2019 she says, adding that her favourite haunts include the Midcentury Modern fairs, as well as the Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair in Battersea.<\/p>\n

Although many of the designs, such as the sinuous \u2018Cherner\u2019 chair by Norman Cherner and the \u2018Gatto\u2019 lamp by Pier Giacomo and Achille Castiglioni, are still reproduced today, the couple have always preferred to track down original pieces. \u2018For us, they have more soul,\u2019 Rachel explains. \u2018The fibreglass seats of the Eames dining chairs have so much more character than the plastic ones that are manufactured today.\u2019<\/p>\n

Mixed in with the Modernist designs are heirlooms from Eric\u2019s family, including a 19th-century crystal chandelier<\/a>, which hangs above a glass-topped dining table, and two mirrors from the French Restoration era. \u2018The chandelier was so thick with dust when we brought it home that the droplets looked like plastic,\u2019 Rachel recalls. \u2018It was only when I started to clean it that I realised a lot of the components are by Baccarat.\u2019 Similarly, both mirrors had been covered in layers of green paint, but they have been restored to reveal the original creamy gesso finish.<\/p>\n

For Rachel, the key to working with a knocked-back palette is to go all-out on textures. \u2018The vintage<\/a> Moroccan rug brings warmth to the living area, and we like to layer up with reindeer hides, sheepskin throws and lambswool blankets. I use touches of colour, too, but it tends to be very natural shades<\/a> such as oatmeal and pebble-greys.\u2019<\/p>\n

The calm, pared-back feel of the home is in part due to clever storage, from fitted cupboards to sleek bookshelves. \u2018As the boys grew, we invested in classic modular shelving for their rooms \u2013 Vitsoe for Theo and the String system for Alex \u2013 because they can be adapted as their needs change. If we were to move, they can come with us,\u2019 says Rachel, who adds that she rotates her displays to avoid the apartment feeling over-cluttered. \u2018I daren\u2019t admit how many vintage white Bavarian vases I own, so I only have a limited number of them out at a time,\u2019 she laughs.<\/p>\n

Unsurprisingly, when it comes to decorating for Christmas<\/a>, there is one important caveat: the decorations have to be white. \u2018Or glass, or silver, but definitely not a colour,\u2019 Rachel confides. \u2018One year, I tried using lots of red baubles, but they just seemed to jar. For me, pale is definitely more interesting.\u2019<\/p>\n