Rachel & Marc’s Bright, Beautiful London Home

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Name: Rachel, Marc and daughter Freya (2)
Location: Chiswick, West London, United Kingdom
Size: 2250 square feet
Years lived in: 2, owned

Rachel and Marc are no strangers to renovation; the couple have refurbished and sold several properties in the UK in the past few years. So when it came time to buy their own home, they knew were looking for a project. This five-bedroom Edwardian in West London fit the bill perfectly; it hadn’t been lived in for 18 months when they took possession, and was in need of a lot of TLC.

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

“We knocked the two front rooms into one, and moved the kitchen around”, says Rachel, who showed me where the original walls and doors have been moved on the ground floor. “We’re lucky because we do most of our living in the front half of the house, and it gets wonderful light all day long”. The ground floor now comprises a large living room with both grown-up and kid-friendly zones, a powder room, and a kitchen-diner which opens onto a walled garden. The rest of the house boasts a master bedroom, nursery, two more bathrooms, and three further bedrooms, two of which Rachel and Marc use as offices.

Having created the home of their dreams, Rachel and Marc furnished it with a carefully curated mix of modern and vintage pieces. Marc’s Swedish background influenced the painted floorboards and the clean, Scandinavian lines of many pieces of furniture, while Rachel, a footwear designer, has a love of textiles and color which ensured that no room is without a dose of something fun or unexpected.

I loved the subtle motifs that run through this home, like the glossy red stair risers on the first two floors, the touches of chartreuse throughout the home, and the vintage bobbins which are used in displays, lighting and even as curtain tie-backs. I was also impressed that Rachel made all the window coverings herself, quite the undertaking considering all the windows in this light-filled home.

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Apartment Therapy Survey:

My Style: Modern simplicity with retro influences. I like clean lines and light colours, but do like a space to feel homely, so don’t want anything to be too bland. I like to mix modern and vintage.

Inspiration: Holidays, restaurants, hotels, London life, Scandinavian simplicity.

Favorite Element: My daughter’s play area, and my arrangement of items above the fireplaces.

Biggest Challenge: Having no roof when I was heavily pregnant.

What Friends Say: A friend who stayed recently said she always feels like she is in a boutique hotel whenever she visits. Friends love the selection of random items which I have mixed together.

Biggest Embarrassment: My poor picture hanging skills. I never cease to amaze my husband at just how bad I am at it!

Proudest DIY: Our daughter’s bedroom because our family all came up for a weekend to help us paint it and lay the flooring. (Note: Freya’s room, in all its glory, will appear in an upcoming Nursery Tour.)

Biggest Indulgence: The bespoke wardrobes and drawers in our bedroom. There were already fitted wardrobes in the space, but we didn’t like the style so had them ripped and rebuilt.

Best Advice: When you find a good builder, stick with them.

Dream Sources: Skandium and Flexform.

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Resources of Note:

ENTRY

LIVING ROOM

KITCHEN

OFFICE

BATHROOM

MASTER BEDROOM

BEDROOM 2 / RACHEL’S OFFICE

BEDROOM 3

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Thanks, Rachel and Marc!

(Images: Eleanor Büsing)

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