I
t took more than a decade for Juliette
Schneiderman and her husband, Marc, to
find their perfect home – and it turned
out that they were living in it all along.
Their late-Victorian house has been through many
iterations: the middle of its three storeys initially
served as a self-contained home for the couple and
their baby; then after the birth of a second child,
they acquired the flat above, and finally, the ground
floor became available just as a third arrived. ‘The
evolution of this home was organic,’ says Juliette. ‘We
didn’t intend it, but somehow we could never leave.’
The couple moved to this North London property
in 2000, transforming the first-floor apartment with
the help of Juliette’s mother, interior designer Marion
Lichtig. It could accommodate their son, Noah, now
22, but once Lily, 18, was born, they knew it was time
to spread their wings. Then fate intervened: the top
flat, owned by the couple’s beloved ground-floor
neighbours, became available to buy, and so Juliette
and Marc decided to stay put. Then their friends
decided to relocate and sell their ground-floor flat,
too. ‘We took the plunge and bought it,’ says Juliette.
‘The scale of the property suddenly felt daunting.’
Juliette’s aim was to create something cosy out of
an expansive space. ‘Every room has grandeur, but
we wanted a family feel,’ she says. Naturally, Marion
came on board once again. ‘She has a great eye for
detail,’ reflects Juliette, whose youngest child, Evie,
11, was born while the renovation was in full swing.
‘When I was indecisive, she shepherded me through.’
Marion hatched a plan to reinstate the original
bones of the house, while introducing a softly
contemporary feel. On the ground floor, a warren
of rooms was knocked through to simplify the layout.
A cohesive circular flow comprises family room,
drawing room and study with the kitchen-diner at
the heart of the space. Practical additions such asa utility and pantry are designed not to detract from
the building’s handsome original features.
‘The day that the purchase completed, we couldn’t
wait to remove the boarding from the staircase,’ says
Juliette. ‘We discovered its original spindles perfectly
intact and that was our cue when it came to the
redesign.’ Accordingly, every room has been left to
breathe: entrances were subtly heightened, while
several doors are of the folding or pocket variety for
an unobtrusive feel. ‘The idea was to create vistas
from one room to the next,’ says Juliette.
Throughout, simplicity is key, largely due to
Marion’s passion for easy-on-the-eye interiors. ‘Just
as I am a believer that one should wear a dress,
rather than it wearing you, so I think that a room
shouldn’t be overwhelmed by its contents,’ she
reflects. Warm wood and off-whites, greys and soft
pinks prevail, complemented by sleek lines and a
sprinkling of antique pieces and tactile fabrics.
The mother-daughter duo played to each other’s
strengths. ‘I am quite practical and all about storage,
while Marion has a wonderful eye for tonal hues,’
says Juliette. ‘She suggested black ironmongery, for
example, which I would never have thought of.’
As the daughter of an interior designer-cum-
antiques dealer, it’s no surprise that Juliette’s home
is peppered with pieces that bear the patina of age,
including reupholstered French armchairs and vintage
linen chests. And the thread of history running
throughout is an apt one – after all, this renovation
has revolved around family and friendship. ‘The
couple we bought the flats from became godparents
to two of our children and were so pleased to see it
returned to one home,’ says Juliette. ‘Meanwhile, the
design eye that underpins this project, courtesy of
Marion, has made it truly a family affair.’&■Marion Lichtig, 07931 993110, marionlichtig.com.INSPIRATION