A New York Designer Reinvents a London Edwardian Terrace

a mauve living room with a large vintage tapestry, wall paneling, a unique square fireplace, cream velvet sofa and green armchair — (Image credit: Michael Aiduss / Photography Michael Paul)

When British global luxury PR consultant Alice Ryan had the chance to modernize her childhood home – a two-bedroom Edwardian townhouse in a leafy London suburb – she called on friend and client Michael Aiduss, an interior designer based in New York.

‘I was incapable of imagining the layout in any other way than how it already existed,’ says Alice. When Michael suggested they establish a more organized floor plan – enlarge the kitchen, move fireplaces, and align doorways to improve the flow between rooms – ‘I couldn’t visualize it,’ she says.

‘That’s often the best part of an interior designer’s job,’ says Michael. ‘To be able to walk into somebody’s home with fresh eyes and see the best way to rearrange and reimagine every space.’

a lavish large london sitting room with mural wallpaper and a chinoiserie style cabinet, antique arm chair and yellow sofa — **Sitting Room:** ‘The shadowy tones in the dappled printing of the panoramic wallpaper make it feel less intense when you stand in the room,’ says Michael. Pins et Cyprès wallpaper, Ananbô. Lynn rug, Stark. Japanese Edo period lacquer cabinet, Robin Martin Antiques. 1840s tole vases and lids, Guinevere Antiques. Antique side table, Howe.

While a place filled with happy memories, Alice held little nostalgia for its details, and it needed a complete house design overhaul.

‘It had become a house that barely functioned,’ Alice says. ‘My mom, a former casting director for Hollywood films like French Lieutenant’s Woman, Braveheart, The Hours, and Mission Impossible, had wonderful style and good taste, but it hadn’t been updated for years.’

In its lifetime, it had been filled with unforgettable character – ‘it was glamorous and layered, always with dozens of candles burning’ – but it would take half an hour to fill the bath. ‘The plumbing was shot, the electrical wiring was shot, everything was shot,’ says Alice.

a grand blue bedroom with paneled walls and a canopy bed — **Main Bedroom:** A bed canopy is one of Michael’s favourite touches to add height to a room. Walls in New Born’s Eyes, Benjamin Moore. Custom canopy by George Smith; in Burnell, Cowtan & Tout. Bedspread in Linnea, Rose Tarlow. 20th-century oil painting, Patricia Harvey Antiques. Pumpkin globe lantern; lamps, both Vaughan. Chair, James Graham-Stewart.

With only one request to keep the staircase – ‘it felt like the backbone of the house,’ says Alice – Michael set about replacing door trims, door surrounds, baseboards, and cornices.

Paneled moldings were added to the main bedroom to bring order to the space while creating ‘alluring shadow lines,’ says Michael, while the downstairs floors were replaced with white oak in a herringbone pattern, ‘fancier than what would have been there naturally, but it felt like a nice, fresh touch’.

a dusty lavender entryway with hooks for coats and boots on the floor, a view through to a dark blue bathroom with glossy green tiles — **Boot Room:** A space for shoes and coats leads to a powder room and laundry, complete with shower. Provence Valette tiles, Fired Earth. Bathroom walls in Wetherburn’s Blue, Benjamin Moore. Cotswold stone floor, Beswick Stone.

The diagonal corner chimneys in both the home office and living room were relocated and centered in each space; the expanded kitchen, dining space and boot room cum powder room rear addition – fashioned by ‘combining an existing small dining room, small kitchen, laundry and pantry which we pushed out into one space,’ says Michael – leads out into a garden, also accessible via a gate at the back of the house.

‘I wanted to add a little more symmetry and organization to the experience of wandering through the house,’ says Michael.

Despite the home’s modest proportions, Michael didn’t skimp on high style or drama.

To create spaces that felt ‘interesting, warm and inviting’, he played with different atmospheres, from ‘dark and moody’ in the living room, lined with a monochromatic panoramic contrasted with jolts of yellow, to cozy and cocooning in the office, and light and airy in the guest bedroom.

a soft pink kitchen dining area with an antique banquette, rustic table and a large pendant light overhead on a beamed ceiling — **Kitchen:** Adding another fireplace here was an investment but proved ‘a luxurious one that anchors the room,’ says Alice. Walls in Driftscape Tan, Benjamin Moore. 19th-century fireplace, Renaissance London. Table, Petersham Nurseries. 19th-century chairs, Brownrigg. Pendant, The Urban Electric Company. Sofa, Lorfords.

Adding non-structural beams to the kitchen ceiling proved a master stroke, breaking up what would have otherwise been a monotonous, white expanse, explains Michael.

‘Instead, we created a rhythm across the ceiling by allowing the beams to follow the course of the room rather than all going in the same direction.’ It plays with the light, and the softness of the beams complements the pinks and greens in the room, from the walls and tiles to the views outside. ‘It is very captivating.’

a grand london hallway painted in a soft lavender hue with door moldings into a sitting room with mural wallpaper — **Hallway:** The antique engravings lend an ‘honorable and respectful nod to the house’s Edwardian age,’ says designer Michael Aiduss. Engravings, Shane Meredith. Walls in custom color; woodwork in Sterling Silver; newel post in Black, both Benjamin Moore. Flooring, Atkinson & Kirby. Runner, Stark. Pendant, The Urban Electric Company.

Gentle hues, from lavender, sand, and pinkish tan to a serene blue and verdant green, imbue a sense of calm throughout, while antique and vintage furniture, art, and tapestry are teamed with warm textures such as unlacquered brass and vivid marbles.

Contemporary fabrics from Schumacher and Lee Jofa, as well as trims from Michael’s collection of passementerie for Houlès, all work to lend every space an evolved, lived-in feel.

a large london kitchen with a large island clad with glossy green tiles and styled with a rustic lamp — **Kitchen:** The addition of a skylight above the island allows abundant morning sun to filter through. Worktop in Calacatta Viola stone. Provence Cabris tiles, Fired Earth. Brass legs on island, Palmer Industries. Creamware jugs, Nick Jones.

It can also cope with day-to-day living when Alice visits with her husband Kirk, a master tailor, and their three children.

‘I love that there are corners of the house that feel really grown-up, elevated, and special. And others, like the laundry room or kitchen, which have flawless functionality. Michael has elevated the ease and joy of everyday tasks,’ says Alice.

a london courtyard garden view through the window with an orange bistro table set — **Garden:** There’s enough space here to have a morning coffee or evening aperitif, and it provides the kitchen with lovely verdant views. Emerson rattan outdoor dining table and chairs, Sharland England.

‘The idea was that the house feels generational, all working interestingly together so you can’t necessarily pinpoint a particular era or style in each room,’ says Michael. ‘It just all feels wonderful.’

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For more than two decades, lifestyle journalist, international contributing editor and author Fiona McCarthy has been covering interiors, gardens, fashion, beauty, food and travel for leading newspapers, design titles and independent publications around the world, especially the UK, Australia and US. Whether it’s writing about a designer or owner’s thought process behind creating a unique interior, the ethos for a new table or chair, or the incredible craftsmanship of an artist or maker, Fiona’s particular passion is getting to the emotional heart of a story, understanding what makes a new idea or space relevant, and important, for now.