25 Beautiful Homes

25bh |116 | 25bh october 2017period townhouse###### There are homes with acocooning, composedambience, which invite youto sink into a deep sofa,kick off your shoes, inhale deeply and baskin the serenity. This is the atmosphereinside John and Yvonne Bassadone’stownhouse. Pale-walled and clutter-free,here is a home that balances elegancewith a family-friendly feel.‘As parents with young children youcan sometimes feel a bit overwhelmedby plastic toys and chaos,’ says Yvonne.‘So it was important that our home feltcomfortable, but also a bit Zen.’ Thecouple’s background shaped their``````aesthetic too. ‘We both grew up inGibraltar and spend a lot of time in Spain,so we wanted this house to contrast withthe fiery colours and bright whites oftypical Mediterranean interiors.’Although light and unusually widefor an early-Victorian townhouse, theproperty was not without flaws. ‘Therewere elements of the floorplan whichdidn’t flow,’ says Yvonne who enlistedinterior designer and university friendTalia Cobbold to re-model the house. Atthe rear, an awkward set of steps, whichled to a once-dark partitioned office,were hurled into the skip. In their place, adeep-blue Crittall window offers a view of``````the new kitchen-diner, while also creatinga divide between the more formal studyand this relaxed family space. Here, anarrow window above the sink wasenlarged to flood the space with light, anda redundant corridor turned into a utilityarea. The bespoke, unadorned kitchenand rustic dining table also reflectYvonne’s leanings: ‘I gravitate towardsnatural materials and beautiful fabrics,avoiding anything too new or shiny.’But Talia did manage to coax herfriend out of her comfort zone. ‘I wouldprobably have played it safe and paintedeverything white,’ admits Yvonne.Elsewhere the cohesive ‘flow’ of the