25 Beautiful Homes

25bh OCTOBER 2017 | 91###### Lucy and Andrew Smith had lived in theirLondon home for 12 years before undertaking acomprehensive renovation, which began after theyoungest of their five boys went to university.With busy jobs as television producers, the couple workedclosely with interior designer Melanie Paskin, who oversawthe whole project, and engaged refurbishment specialistsBTL Property. Lucy’s priorities were to maximise light,create through views and add colour, and she was inspiredby visiting the home of the project’s architect RobertWilson of Granit Architects. ‘Robert’s house hadextraordinary windows and lots of light,’ she says.In the large kitchen-diner, a wall of Crittall windowsoffers views over the garden created by Sam Butler GardenDesign, seamlessly connecting inside with out. ‘I’d seen thewindows while working in Denmark and I loved them,’says Lucy. And, to keep the look light, she chose pale windowframes instead of the classic black.‘Coffers in the kitchen-diner ceiling echo the separatezones of the spaces below,’ explains architect Robert.The island is one of those spaces, as is the refectory tablebeneath a roof lantern that illuminates the cedar wood andcasts a sheen over velvet chairs. Lucy and Andrew wanted anisland where they could sit while working on laptops as well``````SITTING ROOMLucy stripped back a 1980s Conrancoffee table that had ‘oranged’ withage to create a lighter look.Table stripped at Andwoodcraft, priceon application. Walls painted in HardwickWhite estate emulsion, £43.50 per 2.5 litres,Farrow & Ball. Try the Hampton rugin Petrol Blue, £200, Heal’sbest buy ‘I love our kitchentable – we wanted to have itmade by a local craftsman andhe did such a brilliant job’