This Quietly Confident London Home Hides a Surprisingly Playful Interior

A bright, traditional living room featuring a forest green velvet sofa, olive green mid-century chairs, and twin green stools. Large sash windows are framed by cream drapes and a formal pelmet, with classical oil paintings on the walls. — (Image credit: Boz Gagovski)

‘The interior of this house is calm but has elements of fun,’ says Sophie Eadie of the Grade II–listed, five-story Georgian townhouse in southwest London that she and Fi Crole have evolved into an elegant, timeless, and layered city sanctuary for a family with four children. The founders of Hampshire-based studio Eadie & Crole, Fi and Sophie are renowned for their signature blend of classic and contemporary style that celebrates gentle, muted colors.

A sophisticated cream kitchen with a marble-topped island and four wooden barstools. Unique brass "pulley-style" pendant lights hang above the island, set against a marble backsplash and open shelving filled with colorful books. — Kitchen: Bar stools make for a sociable island where informal meals can be enjoyed. ‘We always prefer not to put a sink on an island unit because it can become very messy,’ says Sophie. A vintage light makes a statement over the island. Cabinetry, deVOL; in Portland, Edward Bulmer Natural Paint. Bar stools, Neptune. Vintage pendant, Florian Schulz.

‘From the moment you walk in, it feels welcoming. It strikes a balance between formal and relaxed, so you can truly unwind and enjoy yourself. It works just as well for children, with spaces designed especially for them,’ says Fi.

Eadie & Crole had previously worked on the clients’ country home, and the brief for this historic house was, according to Fi, ‘for somewhere that was going to work for the children, but the clients also enjoy entertaining, and they love beautiful things, including art.’ So the design duo were enlisted to craft elegant and alluring schemes that are in keeping with the age of the property and enhance its character.

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A modern dining room featuring a long, white high-gloss table surrounded by wooden chairs with bright yellow seats. A colorful abstract graphic print hangs on the paneled wall, complemented by a mid-century chandelier with grey and yellow shades. — Dining room: Paneling on the walls and ceiling introduces depth. ‘The ceiling reflects details that we found in other rooms of the house and therefore is sympathetic to the original architectural details,’ says Sophie. Waste table by Piet Hein Eek. Chairs, J.L. Møllers. Artwork (far wall) by Harland Miller. Wall lights, Visual Comfort & Co.

The property flows seamlessly and harmoniously, with schemes exuding a quiet confidence, so it’s hard to believe that, when the owners purchased it, the house comprised a series of bedsits. The tall, narrow building boasts beautifully proportioned but not oversized rooms. ‘The rooms aren’t enormous,’ explains Sophie, ‘so we had to make sure that they could function well.’

Because it is a listed property, decisions about the fabric of the building were made in consultation with the local planning department’s conservation team. ‘They were very strict, even on the ironmongery that we used, and the way that we painted things had to be discussed,’ says Sophie.

Existing paneling was restored, with new paneling installed to enhance continuity throughout the house. A boarded-up staircase was opened up, and new coffering added that elicits instant character on the ceilings in the children’s bedrooms. ‘We’ve brought the house back to its original form,’ explains Fi.

A cozy sitting room with a cream patterned sofa, a large grey ottoman, and a statement gold scalloped ceiling light. A doorway leads to a sunlit home office with a yellow chair. — Family room: At the rear end of the drawing room, this calming space provides a cozy nook for watching TV. Walls in Sand II, Paint & Paper Library. Bespoke sofa and ottoman, Eadie & Crole. Pendant, Soane Britain. Curtain fabric, Claremont. Antique Royère wall light, sourced from antique suppliers.

Eadie & Crole worked on the renovation with architects Dyer Grimes. The most significant part of the project entailed digging down in the basement, where the kitchen is located, to increase the ceiling height, as well as extending out. Roof lights in the dining area and floor-to-ceiling glazed windows ensure the space is washed with light, while horizontal paneling on the walls resonates with the home’s period bones.

A serene, monochromatic bedroom featuring a grand four-poster bed draped in heavy cream fabric. The room is styled with a matching cream nightstand, a green ceramic lamp with a pleated shade, and soft neutral wall paneling. — Main bedroom: The curtained four-poster forms a retreat from the busyness of the city. Bespoke bed, designed by Eadie & Crole. Fabric, Claremont and Nile & York. Walls in Dimity, Farrow & Ball. Stool, Robin Myerscough. Cushions, made by Eadie & Crole; in Rose Uniacke linen and Turnell & Gigon trimming.

Paneled walls lead from the hallway through to the drawing room, with a bold green and gold stair runner providing an element of surprise. ‘Everything was so plain, it needed something unexpected,’ says Fi. The joyful hues are teased through into the sophisticated drawing room, where they feature on sumptuous velvets, silks, and pony hair. ‘There’s a magical view from the house onto the park and we wanted to somehow bring that into the house,’ says Sophie.

A custom-built children&rsquo;s alcove bed tucked into a cream paneled wall. The cozy nook includes built-in bookshelves filled with toys, blue ruffled cushions, a teal reading lamp, and integrated storage drawers underneath. — Children's bedroom: A cabin bed makes the perfect hideaway space. ‘They were not the most enormous rooms, and it was a way of having a fun bed for a child. There is storage on either side and underneath,’ says Sophie. Joinery by John Clarkson; in Pointing, Farrow & Ball and Duck Egg, Edward Bulmer Natural Paint. Cushions in Sahara, Romo. Blind in Tusk, Galbraith & Paul. Rug, Jennifer Manners.

Upstairs, a romantic curtained four-poster bed takes center stage in the main bedroom, accommodated by the high ceiling. ‘We made a four-poster in the client’s previous house and they loved it, so we created a different design for them,’ says Sophie.

The four-poster is echoed in one of the daughter’s rooms with a more contemporary design. ‘This is a slightly more grown-up space compared to her bedroom in their country house, and we were thinking more long-term for her.’

A charming traditional bathroom seen through an open doorway. It features a white clawfoot bathtub with a pink stripe, pink-and-white patterned floor tiles, and a window dressed with a pink, blue, and gold striped Roman blind. — Bathroom: Originally a kitchen in one of the bedsits, this bathroom features joyful touches such as the stripes painted on the bath that tone with the eye-catching diamond floor tiles. Bold striped blind fabric draws the eye to the window. Bath, The Water Monopoly. Ric Rac floor tiles, Bert & May. Blind fabric, Ottoline. Wall light, Pooky.

Eadie & Crole has succeeded in creating timeless schemes that look to the past but very definitely factor in the future.

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Interiors have always been Vivienne's passion – from bold and bright to Scandi white. After studying at Leeds University, she worked at the Financial Times, before moving to Radio Times. She did an interior design course and then worked for Homes & Gardens, Country Living and House Beautiful. Vivienne’s always enjoyed reader homes and loves to spot a house she knows is perfect for a magazine (she has even knocked on the doors of houses with curb appeal!), so she became a houses editor, commissioning reader homes, writing features and styling and art directing photo shoots. She worked on Country Homes & Interiors for 15 years, before returning to Homes & Gardens as houses editor four years ago.