{"id":33223,"date":"2024-04-29T17:28:01","date_gmt":"2024-04-29T15:28:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/214050d9-6cd7-4762-941e-e932b11581cb"},"modified":"2024-04-29T18:36:38","modified_gmt":"2024-04-29T16:36:38","slug":"1890s-victorian-townhouse-in-london-filled-with-vintage-finds","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/homesantiques\/rss_feed\/1890s-victorian-townhouse-in-london-filled-with-vintage-finds\/","title":{"rendered":"1890s Victorian townhouse in London filled with vintage finds"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nFeature Karen Darlow, Photographs Brent Darby <\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Monday, 29 April 2024 at 15:28 PM<\/p>

\n\n

\u2018I once came back from Paris with the head of an African cow from the 1920s and a ceramic parrot from the 1950s,\u2019 says Laura Padovani. \u2018I picked them up in the famous Saint-Ouen flea market<\/a>, knowing they\u2019d look great in my living room, but they were quite a talking point on the Eurostar home too!\u2019<\/p>

Although raised in Argentina by Italian parents, Laura\u2019s home for the past seven years has been a double-fronted 1890s townhouse in south-east London, which she has filled with vintage<\/a> finds. Some, like the cow\u2019s head, were gathered on travels abroad, other pieces were found much closer to home.<\/p>

A 1950s-style fringed chair left in the street outside turned out to be perfect for Laura\u2019s living room, and a friend\u2019s gift of a Staffordshire figure<\/a> he\u2019d found on eBay marked the start of something big \u2013 Laura\u2019s now-extensive blue-and-white pottery<\/a> collection.<\/p>

You might also like<\/strong> An 18th-century Dutch townhouse with mid-century design<\/a><\/p>

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. \u2018The builder told me that because the house is so close to Woolwich and London\u2019s Docks it must have been hit by a stray bomb. The line of bricks is where the back of the house was rebuilt,\u2019 says Laura. \u2018Later, 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.\u2019<\/p>

Taking her time to get to know the property, Laura decorated gradually and waited for the right pieces to turn up. \u2018I painted it all white and waited a few months to see where the light fell and how each room felt,\u2019 she says. \u2018Then I chose three complementary greys and started to pull it together with things I\u2019ve actively gone looking for \u2013 such as my various chapel chairs<\/a> \u2013 and other pieces I\u2019ve found by accident, like the copper pans.\u2019 The gleaming pots were bought for \u00a3150 in an end-of-line sale at Scotts of Stow, and restore a touch of Victoriana to the fitted kitchen<\/a>.<\/p>

Car booting<\/a> is a weekly treat for Laura. \u2018I don\u2019t have expensive tastes,\u2019 she says. \u2018Don\u2019t 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.\u2019<\/p>

You might also like<\/strong> Take a look inside a New York townhouse<\/a><\/p>

Sometimes it takes Laura a long time to make a find, but she says she\u2019s not in a hurry. \u2018I\u2019d rather have things around me that are special and mean something,\u2019 she says. For that reason, some 15 years ago, Laura\u2019s mother boarded a flight from Buenos Aires to Heathrow with an unusual piece of luggage. It was Laura\u2019s 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.<\/p>

It was through her mother, an artist, that Laura developed an appreciation of paintings<\/a>, fine craftsmanship and interesting found objects. \u2018I 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\u2019d lived in the UK,\u2019 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<\/a>.<\/p>

\u2018I\u2019ve built up quite a collection now, but that first one was very special: a real vintage piece with an enamelled finish,\u2019 she adds. \u2018Anywhere I see them I buy them, even if the colour is not my favourite.\u2019 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.<\/p>

Laura\u2019s double-fronted townhouse was built in the 1890s and has retained its original black, white and terracotta tiled path \u2013 a typical feature of homes in her south-east London neighbourhood. – Brent Darby –<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"Laura
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 –<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"Laura
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\u2019 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 –<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"Laura
Plants and flowers from Columbia Road Flower Market bring the townhouse to life. – Brent Darby –<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"Laura
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 –<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"Laura<\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"Laura
A mix of vintage homewares and decorative accessories in the kitchen exemplify Laura\u2019s eclectic taste. The wooden fox was found on London\u2019s Columbia Road, and a recycled metal horse and sheep were bought by a friend from a street market in Tigre, Argentina. – Brent Darby –<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"Laura<\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"Laura
for the elegant guest bathroom in the converted attic Laura chose a fitted vanity unit and shower from Burlington – Brent Darby –<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"Laura
One of Laura\u2019s most unusual finds was a cow\u2019s 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 –<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"Laura
The old kitchen table in the garden room dates from around 1900, and was a car boot find at Brighton Marina\u2019s Sunday market. – Brent Darby –<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"Laura<\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"Laura
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 –<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"Laura
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 –<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"Laura
Laura\u2019s childhood toy horse arrived by plane from Buenos Aires when her mother came to visit. It\u2019s 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\u2019s gentle grey palette. – Brent Darby –<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"Laura<\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"Laura<\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"Laura
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 –<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div>