Tour a Colorful London Home Where Victorian Style and Arts-and-Crafts Details Come Together

As soon as this couple stepped inside this Arts and Crafts property in London’s leafy Muswell Hill, it was love at first sight. “We knew instantly that it was a very special house,” reveal the duo. A pair of creatives with two children and a beloved dog. “It had such good vibes and something about it felt very familiar to us. All the original features were still intact, including the beautiful tiled hallway, elegant cornices, and stunning fireplaces…. It hadn’t been touched for a long time.”

The couple Ross and Emma Perkin of Emil Eve Architects after falling for the practice’s clean yet characterful style. As well as the pair’s sensitive and creative approach to blending old and new. As for the house, it wasn’t just the period details that the Emil Eve clients found alluring. “The width of the property was also unusual. We’d been looking at Victorian terraces that were much narrower. But the proportions of these Edwardian Collins houses were very appealing,” the couple explains. “Despite its spaciousness, it had a cozy and cottagey feel.”

The house’s interesting backstory, however, went well beyond architectural categorization. The home was previously owned by the artist and teacher Maurice de Sausmarez (who taught the likes of artist Bridget Riley and inventor James Dyson) and his wife, a colorist in her own right, who remained in the house until the couple bought it in 2018. They had left their stamp on the property too, thanks in part to a beautiful built-in kitchen dresser—now painted pink by the new owners. A pastel drawing of the kitchen by Sausmarez sits next to the original dresser, marking the history of the house.

“We wanted the house to be modernized, but without compromising the original features or incredible atmosphere,” add the owners.

“Nor did we want a generic glass box stuck on the back, or for the house to feel too “done up.”

However, it was important to open up the kitchen and dining room to accommodate all the children, friends, and family that we like coming in and out of our house. So we were looking for an architect who understood our love of period details as well as our desire for space. We’re also avid collectors, so we wanted clever ways to store and display these items.”

Emma Perkin adds: “For this project, we wanted to draw directly on Arts and Crafts aesthetics as well as the value that the movement placed on craft, materiality, and thoughtful attention to detail.” The designer was particularly inspired by William Morris’s Red House, a key Arts and crafts home located in southeast London. “Our favorite part is the mezzanine level in the loft—it looks contemporary but is based on the historic Red House’s settle, which is an incredible piece of furniture combining a bench, display cabinet, and a raised platform accessed by a ladder,” Emma notes. “We love how this reimagined structure enabled us to conceal a bathroom and large storage areas behind its beautiful solid ash paneling, as well as a hidden staircase that leads you up to a secret window with views out toward Alexandra Palace.”

Just as machine-dominated production was eschewed in favor of craftsmanship and individuality during the Arts and Crafts movement, the new timber-lined extension speaks the same language. The Perkinses chose oak and handmade terra-cotta tiles, both materials typical of the Arts and Crafts era. But reinterpreted with contemporary crisp detailing. Throughout the home, walls and soft furnishings are adorned in classic William Morris prints, combined with contemporary designs by Molly Mahon, Ottoline, CommonRoom, Svenskt Tenn, and House of Hackney, with motifs of flora and fauna tying the historic and modern prints together.

“The result is a very pleasing mix of old and new,” the owners reflect.

“The top floor feels fresher and more contemporary. While the rest of the house encapsulates the past and you can feel the history in it. We love that every room has its own identity and that the whole place doesn’t feel too ‘done’. It’s such a cozy place to be and we still pinch ourselves that we live here.”