Aristocratic mansions aside, few homes today remain in the same family for more than a generation, but the children running through these refined and tranquil rooms are the third generation of their family to live here. Their father and mother moved in with his parents while renovating their previous home, then decided to buy this place when said parents downsized nearby.
In these circumstances, it could be a challenge to bring your own identity into the mix. Perhaps that’s why the family brought in architecture and interior design studio Zunica Paraskevas to help them reimagine the house as a modern home.
“A new skylight lets light flood in, while adding height and volume to this space that links the living room and kitchen,” says designer Frédérique.
(Image credit: Kensington Leverne)
They asked the founders of Zunica Paraskevas, Maria Olmos Zunica and Frédérique Paraskevas, to create a better sense of flow between the rooms, with the capacity to host lots of family and friends, and to include a grown-ups’ drawing room with a members’ club vibe.
To create a more modern layout, the wall bordering the dining room was demolished, allowing both spaces to flow into one. This has made for a brighter environment, while the oak cabinetry references the original wall paneling in other areas of the house.
(Image credit: Kensington Leverne)
“The house felt compartmentalized and inaccessible,” says Maria. “We opened up the wall between the kitchen and dining room, letting light flood in.” To improve the proportions of the main living space, they shifted the wall bordering the hallway, restoring and reinstating the original oak paneling. “It is such an important original feature, reflecting the Arts and Crafts character of the house that we wished to preserve and respect,” says Frédérique.
Texture is a central theme: the warm velvet of the armchairs, the stone table, the glossy fireplace tiles and the ribbed rug – all of which create layers of tactile richness.
(Image credit: Kensington Leverne)
Soho Home
Tisbury Side Table, Fantasy Brown Marble
Soho Home’s marble side table makes for the perfect companion to an evening drink.
The project has been a balancing act between past and present. “The stone and wood that were used when the house was built feature rich textures and craftsmanship,” says Maria. “We wanted to introduce materials that would complement the craftsmanship of the original house, rather than overpower it,” adds Frédérique.
Leading off the bedroom, this room is lined with mirrored wardrobes, while the bespoke vanity table is perfectly aligned with the window.
(Image credit: Kensington Leverne)
In the kitchen, the custom-designed joinery is a pared-back, contemporary take on the original wood paneling. “We used the oak cabinetry almost like a blanket that wraps the kitchen and creates a continuity, a conversation, with the living rooms. Our design process was an ongoing exercise in finding an almost understated elegance,” explains Frédérique. Drawing on the warm tones of the paneling, the color palette throughout the house is now soft and subtle, but also rich and intense.
The upholstered headboard and wall of wool panels bring warmth to the room. “The layering of textiles allows for a sense of understated luxury, to enhance the feel of comfort and elegance,” says Maria.
(Image credit: Kensington Leverne)
Zara Home
Fringed Decorative Throw
A throw in a rich caramel hue adds depth to this bedroom scheme — we love this one from Zara Home.
At one end of the kitchen, Zunica Paraskevas created a little breakout space with a sofa area. “By integrating a lounge area into the kitchen, the space allowed for cooking and family life to happen in parallel — something that was not possible in the previously fragmented layout. We design the spaces that our clients ask for, but also the spaces and atmosphere that the family may not initially have known they needed,” says Maria.
Beiges and browns reflect the earthy warmth of the house’s Arts and Crafts material palette, while also embracing a contemporary sensibility.
(Image credit: Kensington Leverne)
The couple’s modern bedroom was approached in the same way. Here the designers have created an indulgent, cocooning space, with an upholstered headboard layered against a wall-wide wool panel. “It’s no longer a purely functional space but somewhere in which it is a real pleasure to spend time at the end of a long day,” says Frédérique.
“When the project was over, our clients said that we had opened new possibilities for inhabiting their space and new ways of living as a family,” concludes Frédérique. “On a professional and personal level, that meant a lot to us.”
