I
ttookmorethana decadeforJuliette
Schneidermanandherhusband,Marc,to
findtheirperfecthome– andit turned
outthattheywerelivinginit allalong.
Theirlate-Victorianhousehasbeenthroughmany
iterations:themiddleofitsthreestoreysinitially
servedasa self-containedhomeforthecoupleand
theirbaby;thenafterthebirthofa secondchild,
theyacquiredtheflatabove,andfinally,theground
floorbecameavailablejustasa thirdarrived.‘The
evolutionofthishomewasorganic,’saysJuliette.‘We
didn’tintendit,butsomehowwecouldneverleave.’
ThecouplemovedtothisNorthLondonproperty
in2000,transformingthefirst-floorapartmentwith
thehelpofJuliette’smother,interiordesignerMarion
Lichtig.Itcouldaccommodatetheirson,Noah,now
22,butonceLily,18,wasborn,theyknewit wastime
tospreadtheirwings.Thenfateintervened:thetop
flat,ownedbythecouple’sbelovedground-floor
neighbours,becameavailabletobuy,andsoJuliette
andMarcdecidedtostayput.Thentheirfriends
decidedtorelocateandselltheirground-floorflat,
too.‘Wetooktheplungeandboughtit,’saysJuliette.
‘Thescaleofthepropertysuddenlyfeltdaunting.’
Juliette’saimwastocreatesomethingcosyoutof
anexpansivespace.‘Everyroomhasgrandeur,but
wewanteda familyfeel,’shesays.Naturally,Marion
cameonboardonceagain.‘Shehasa greateyefor
detail,’reflectsJuliette,whoseyoungestchild,Evie,
11,wasbornwhiletherenovationwasinfullswing.
‘WhenI wasindecisive,sheshepherdedmethrough.’
Marionhatcheda plantoreinstatetheoriginal
bonesofthehouse,whileintroducinga softly
contemporaryfeel.Onthegroundfloor,a warren
ofroomswasknockedthroughtosimplifythelayout.
A cohesivecircularflowcomprisesfamilyroom,
drawingroomandstudywiththekitchen-dinerat
the heart of the space. Practical additions such asa utilityandpantryaredesignednottodetract from
thebuilding’shandsomeoriginalfeatures.
‘Thedaythatthepurchasecompleted,wecouldn’t
waittoremovetheboardingfromthestaircase,’says
Juliette.‘Wediscovereditsoriginalspindlesperfectly
intactandthatwasourcuewhenit cametothe
redesign.’Accordingly,everyroomhasbeenleftto
breathe:entrancesweresubtlyheightened,while
severaldoorsareofthefoldingorpocketvarietyfor
anunobtrusivefeel.‘Theideawastocreatevistas
fromoneroomtothenext,’saysJuliette.
Throughout,simplicityis key,largelydueto
Marion’spassionforeasy-on-the-eyeinteriors.‘Just
asI ama believerthatoneshouldweara dress,
ratherthanit wearingyou,soI thinkthata room
shouldn’tbeoverwhelmedbyitscontents,’she
reflects.Warmwoodandoff-whites,greysandsoft
pinksprevail,complementedbysleeklinesanda
sprinklingofantiquepiecesandtactilefabrics.
Themother-daughterduoplayedtoeachother’s
strengths.‘I amquitepracticalandallaboutstorage,
whileMarionhasa wonderfuleyefortonalhues,’
saysJuliette.‘Shesuggestedblackironmongery,for
example,whichI wouldneverhavethoughtof.’
Asthedaughterofaninteriordesigner-cum-
antiquesdealer,it’snosurprisethatJuliette’shome
is pepperedwithpiecesthatbearthepatinaofage,
includingreupholsteredFrencharmchairsandvintage
linenchests.Andthethreadofhistoryrunning
throughoutis anaptone– afterall,thisrenovation
hasrevolvedaroundfamilyandfriendship.‘The
coupleweboughttheflatsfrombecamegodparents
totwoofourchildrenandweresopleasedtoseeit
returnedtoonehome,’saysJuliette.‘Meanwhile,the
designeyethatunderpinsthisproject,courtesy of
Marion, has made it truly a family affair.’&■Marion Lichtig, 07931 993110, marionlichtig.com.INSPIRATIONHOMESANDGARDENS.COM 95