{"id":20991,"date":"2023-05-09T17:18:16","date_gmt":"2023-05-09T15:18:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homesandantiques.com\/?p=17256"},"modified":"2023-05-09T17:36:52","modified_gmt":"2023-05-09T15:36:52","slug":"setting-the-scene-inside-maria-fernanda-guiraos-colourful-victorian-terrace","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/rss_feed\/setting-the-scene-inside-maria-fernanda-guiraos-colourful-victorian-terrace\/","title":{"rendered":"Setting the scene: inside Maria Fernanda Guirao\u2019s colourful Victorian terrace"},"content":{"rendered":"

Drawing on her theatrical background, designer Maria Fernanda Guirao mixes colour and pattern with unusual antiques to bring a sense of surprise to her Victorian terraced house. Photographs Sebastian Boettcher <\/p>

By Serena Fokschaner\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 09 May 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

When Maria Fernanda Guirao enrolled on the design course at London\u2019s prestigious Motley Theatre in 2007, she found it a gruelling but rewarding experience. \u2018We practically slept under our desks\u2026 but I learned to do everything \u2013 costumes, sets, woodwork, trompe l\u2019oeil.\u2019<\/p>\n

The tough training led first to a successful career as a costume designer and then, following the birth of her second child, it inspired her decision to retrain as an interior designer<\/a> \u2013 a more family-friendly career choice. She soon landed a job with her friend and mentor Kate Guinness, before setting up her own practice (guiraodesign.com).<\/p>\n

It was an astute, sideways move: \u2018A costume has to express its wearer, and it\u2019s the same for interiors. There\u2019s no right or wrong taste, it\u2019s about finding the colours and objects that make you feel happy.\u2019<\/p>\n

You could also say the same about the north London home she shares with her husband, Matthew Morgan,\na writer, and their three children. By knocking down walls and layering colour with texture, mid-century prints<\/a> and antique finds<\/a>, she\u2019s turned their traditional Victorian terraced house into an expressive, uplifting home.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also very practical, with zones for relaxing, entertaining and socialising. Upstairs there are five bedrooms and a home office. Downstairs, in the pink<\/a> and leaf-green<\/a> reception rooms, deep shelving houses a well-stocked bar, and there\u2019s enough space for the children to scatter toys and make dens. Like a stage set, it\u2019s become their \u2018little world\u2019.\nMaria\u2019s previous home was a maisonette a few doors down.<\/p>\n

\u2018When I moved in I was newly single and feeling sorry for myself. \u201cEveryone gets pregnant in that flat,\u201d my neighbours told me.\u2019 The local myth proved to be true. Within months she met Matthew. \u2018When I was expecting our first child we decided to move to a bigger home. We\u2019d set our sights on this house, but it was too expensive.\u2019<\/p>\n

You might also like <\/strong>a stylist\u2019s Victorian terrace filled with heirlooms<\/a><\/p>\n

Then came the crash of 2008. \u2018We were walking past when the owner appeared. We asked if he was still selling. He said \u201cYes\u201d and invited us in. We fixed a price there and then.\u2019<\/p>\n

The last owners had altered the house, adding the extension at the back and converting the attic. \u2018But most of the work had been badly done. Many design crimes had been committed.\u2019 These included the decor, which was grey, white and a \u2018disturbing ham\u2019 colour.<\/p>\n

The couple set to work. Downstairs, the laminate flooring was ripped up to reveal original floorboards, which were stripped and limewashed. Upstairs, partition walls were removed to open up the poky bathroom. With cascading houseplants and bright, encaustic tiles<\/a>, Maria is reminded of her childhood home in Argentina, where her mother ran an art gallery.<\/p>\n

Some original features, like the stained glass<\/a> and marble fireplace, were intact, but most of the plasterwork had been ripped out. Luckily, Maria was able to rescue sections of original mouldings from a neighbour, who was also refurbishing a property. She used these to recast the 19th-century cornices and roses.<\/p>\n

Her theatrical background has made her resourceful: \u2018You learn to do everything in theatre, there\u2019s a democratic \u2018make do\u2019 attitude. It doesn\u2019t matter who you are, everyone helps out, whether it\u2019s sewing on a button or sweeping the stage.\u2019<\/p>\n

Maria did most of the decorating herself, experimenting with colours, \u2018like a teenager trying out new hair dyes\u2019, she smiles. \u2018My clients\u2019 homes have to be perfect but I\u2019m not afraid of trying out new colours here.\u2019<\/p>\n

You might also like <\/strong>how Leanne renovated her Victorian mid-terrace home<\/a><\/p>\n

While every room is different \u2013 fern-green curtains in the living room, a whisper of calamine pink in the bedroom \u2013 the effect is the same. \u2018Muted surfaces don\u2019t reassure me. Mixing colour and pattern<\/a> is where I feel comfortable.\u2019<\/p>\n

In Maria\u2019s world, \u2018anything is a treasure\u2019 \u2013 floors are strewn with traditional woollen \u2018Frazada\u2019 rugs from Argentina, there are family portraits and art \u2018rescued from family attics\u2019 and, in the sitting room, beachcombed shells and stones are displayed under glass domes.<\/p>\n

The sprawling sofa came from her first flat: \u2018I didn\u2019t even measure it. I just sat on it and thought it was comfortable.\u2019<\/p>\n

Most of the antiques \u2013 the Murano chandeliers<\/a>, the 1960s resin side table \u2013 were found locally. Among her favourites are the multi-coloured lamps by 1980s designer Ettore Sottsass. For upholstery, she used botanical prints by Swedish designer Josef Frank.<\/p>\n

In the kitchen, the floral wallpaper<\/a> (also by Frank) is a recent addition. \u2018It makes us smile,\u2019 Maria says, and it matches the extendable antique French table, which she painted blue.<\/p>\n

The circus sign was discovered in the garden of her previous home, while the kitchen units were an impulse purchase from deVOL: having seen them in a magazine she drove to Leicester to buy them. They\u2019re freestanding and one day will travel with the family to their next home, rather like props from a stage set.<\/p>\n

\""Victorian\"<\/picture><\/div>
In a reference to her roots, Maria covered the sofa in a traditional Frazada rug.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Sebastian Boettcher<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Victorian\"<\/picture><\/div>
At the front of the house, Maria mixed mid-century fabrics like the Svenskt Tenn curtains with \u2018treasure\u2019 accumulated over the years: family portraits, Argentinian artworks and vintage pieces, including the decorative lights found locally. The mid-century rattan table came from a brocante in France, while the antique rocking chair is much loved and used.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Sebastian Boettcher<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Victorian\"<\/picture><\/div>
Maria has painted the living room in Edward Bulmer Natural Paint\u2019s Rose Tinted White. She favours cheerful, calm tones, which she has used throughout the house.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Sebastian Boettcher<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Victorian\"<\/picture><\/div>
Artworks lining the walls were \u2018rescued from family attics\u2019.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Sebastian Boettcher<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Victorian\"<\/picture><\/div>
The 1960s Accolay resin table was discovered locally and is one of Maria\u2019s favourite finds. The Sixties butterfly lamp is by Lancia and was found at Roomscape in Camden.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Sebastian Boettcher<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Victorian\"<\/picture><\/div>
Glass domes hold beachcombed shells and precious photographs.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Sebastian Boettcher<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Victorian\"<\/picture><\/div>
In the kitchen, the wallpaper \u2013 Eldblomman, designed by Josef Frank in the 1940s and available from Svenskt Tenn \u2013 is a new addition and makes Maria and Matthew smile. Maria painted the legs of the antique table in a blue to match.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Sebastian Boettcher<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Victorian\"<\/picture><\/div>
In the kitchen, the wallpaper \u2013 Eldblomman, designed by Josef Frank in the 1940s and available from Svenskt Tenn \u2013 is a new addition and makes Maria and Matthew smile. Maria painted the legs of the antique table in a blue to match.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Sebastian Boettcher<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Victorian\"<\/picture><\/div>
An antique set of shelves, found in Matthew\u2019s mother\u2019s garage, was painted in Parma Gray by Farrow & Ball. It houses vintage pottery including pieces by Bordallo Pinheiro and Wade Heath.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Sebastian Boettcher<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Victorian\"<\/picture><\/div>
This bright spot \u2018has to be full of things of beauty to prevent clutter\u2019, says Maria. <\/span> <\/figcaption> Sebastian Boettcher<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Victorian\"<\/picture><\/div>
Upstairs, Maria used Calamine by Farrow & Ball as the backdrop for the main bedroom, where the bedside table is vintage Heal\u2019s and the lampshade is by Susan Deliss.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Sebastian Boettcher<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""The\"<\/picture><\/div>
The strawberry quilt on the bed is vintage Liberty. In keeping with the whimsical, Silver Screen glamour of the bedroom, Maria found this floral sconce at Matilda Goad. The \u2018Oui\u2019 sign is a reminder, she says, \u2018to start the day on a positive note\u2019.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Sebastian Boettcher<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Victorian\"<\/picture><\/div>
The curtains are made from richly decorated panels of Christian Lacroix fabric.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Sebastian Boettcher<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Victorian\"<\/picture><\/div>
Glamorous shoes, a legacy of Maria\u2019s theatre design days, when she \u2018slept in high heels\u2019, fill a vintage shop cabinet, bought at auction. The emerald-green cape is a nod to her South American heritage.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Sebastian Boettcher<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""Victorian\"<\/picture><\/div>
The bathroom door is painted in Pearl Colour by Edward Bulmer Natural Paint and the encaustic floor tiles are from Mosaic Factory.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Sebastian Boettcher<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

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