homesources - a london townhouse

Inspiration: A London Townhouse

A house in the quiet leafy roads between Wandsworth and Clapham Commons has been transformed by Jacquie Lund's team of designers and technical specialists.

"I'm used to working on large projects but this house represented a real challenge," explains Jacquie. " There are a lot of similar sized houses in this area and many of them feel cramped and airless. I wanted to make this house full of light and give it a sense of space."

This house is Jacquie's home and she has used all her skill and experience as a professional manager to successfully complete the project.

The entrance door opens onto a long hall leading into a large kitchen area with wide, double aspect sliding doors that help to make the outside courtyard part of the atmosphere. "The previous owners used what is now the kitchen as a living/dining area and their kitchen was tucked away at the end," explains Jacquie. "But I wanted a large kitchen as I like to entertain guests and when the family is around we spend a lot of time here."

Jacquie was able to open up the area by inserting a steel frame so there were no barriers to the garden view. The kitchen design began with the tall cupboards each side of the fireplace which are original to the home. bestaucasinosonline.com She installed new cupboards that keyed in with them and painted them in ivory. In the middle of the kitchen is a large island unit with a granite top, two sinks and a waste disposal, there is also room underneath for a dishwasher and storage. "People say, why do I need so much storage?" says Jacquie, "The answer is because you can never have enough. This is particularly true if, like me, you hold buffet parties for thirty of forty people. You need a lot of space for all the dishes and bowls!"

Jacquie comes from the States so she regards a large fridge as a necessity. She ordered one from American Appliances and is very impressed by the range they offer and their level of service. The kitchen is finished off with a floor of French oak from Campbell Marson.

The dining room leads off the hall and here Jacquie has chosen a raspberry red colour to decorate the walls and the cabinets made by Thistle Joinery. This gives the room a warm, intimate atmosphere especially appropriate for candle-lit suppers. Jacquie has placed her books on the cabinet's bookshelves so the room also has the feel of a library, albeit a very stylish one.

On the first floor, Jacquie has her sitting room which features an unusual chess set made for her by the Parson School of Design in her native California. She had it framed to make a table that forms the centrepiece to a room full of art and decorative items she found on her travels round the world. "Everything in this house has a story." says Jacquie.

Higher up the house we come to the scene of a clever alteration that created a large living area from what was formerly the attic. In order to complete the work the builders took off the roof. This sounds like a major undertaking, as Jacquie says "People told me I was mad to take off the roof, but it only cost a little more than re-roofing the house." The results speak for themselves; Jacquie created a bedroom, bathroom and home office in what might otherwise have been confined space.

The light from roof skylights floods the area and there is a feel of space created by the glass wall from the home office onto the landing. The high wall at the head of the stairs is the perfect place for a picture gallery. She used a hanging specialist and is very glad she did. "It took hours to select the pieces from over fifty pictures and position them so they all go together. You could never do it yourself, it would take a million years!" laughs Jacquie.

Her main bedroom has a soft, soothing atmosphere enhanced by the caramel colours of the fabric on the curtains and headboard. The room is also remarkable for its absence of clutter as Jacquie says, "I've used every available space in the house to create storage space. It's said to be an American characteristic; but it's true. I find it much easier to marshall my thought processes when working in an uncluttered environment. It's strange because when I am working on a project and visiting the site every day, I am surrounded by a mess. But once you've ordered everything and you arrive at the end, it's not a good idea to have stuff lying around."

Jacquie has created an individual house in an area becoming increasingly popular with families moving out of flats across the river to gain more space. She has cleverly maximised the spacious potential of her house and flooded it with light.

Jacquie in her kitchen.

Jacquie works on private commissions, co-ordinating, managing and designing projects ranging from smaller works to projects of several million pounds. She charges by the hour rather than as a percentage of the budget. Her clients are time-conscious professionals, or people living abroad, who are very happy to delegate the project to her from architect designs to completed works and final professional clean up.

She can create contemporary or traditional interiors according to the wishes of her clients. Contact her on 07976 412840 or jacquie.lund@virgin.net