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Interior designer Sidika Owen d’Hauteville could walk into a Victorian-era household inward cardinal London alongside her eyes shut too act about the space amongst rest—nigh all of them have the same layout. “I in one case read a statistic that more than one-half the homes inwards London are Victorian,” says d’Hauteville. On the principal grade, she expects to observe a long, double reception room that stretches the depth of the family. Typically, people designate the expanse toward the front end of the dwelling every bit the living expanse, spell the bring up space goes underused (some families power plough it into a minute dining room; others, a kids-entirely TV infinite). But when a family unit of 5 living inward the northwest neighborhood of Little Venice asked d’Hauteville to completely renovate their Victorian home, the designer decided to interruption with the status quo.

“My aim was to connect these two rooms then that they feel like one big infinite,” she shares. Her solution: create custom slatted oak cabinetry that runs along the wall, visually uniting the 2 zones. The issue turned out to live manner more functional than anyone could have imagined. Within the cupboards, d’Hauteville tucked away a TV, bar, fireplace, as well as—get this—two desks.


Incorporating a mini part into the typically overlooked infinite was essential. The begetter plant ii days a calendar week at home together with at that place wasn’t some other place inward the house to carve out a sort room. Still, d’Hauteville didn’t desire the remainder of the family to accept to stare at Dad’sec mount of paperwork when they’re all hanging out. The designer called on furniture maker Andy Gardiner to construct cabinets with discreet doors that tin can flip downward together with double equally a desk, not dissimilar a tray tabular array on an airplane. The textured wood handling naturally disguises the seams.

The whole affair juts out 35 inches when open, as well as the melamine surface on the interior is not solely slowly to wipe down merely it’sec lightweight, which was key to the construction. D’Hauteville had the ribbed facade stained an orangey tone to brand the oak wait a impact closer to teak, lending warmth to the newly renovated space.
“At the end of the mean solar day, it was important that they could cover their go too relax or entertain,” says the designer. “The clients too didn’t want to meet estimator screens—they’re always best kept hidden.”