The Uncluttered Life in London

Daniel Lee, founder of a London-based software development house, works in the digital world but is an architectural enthusiast and designer on the side. For a late-19th century, 3,000-square-foot terraced house in Fulham that he and his photographer wife and their two small children lived in until recently (they’ve since moved on to the next project), he designed and oversaw the renovation himself. “I worked with an architect to get the necessary permits from the city,” Lee says. “Once those were in place, I worked directly with the builder, designing the internal layout and specifying the materials and fixtures, both internal and external.” The result? A clean-lined family house with a warm, calm, and uncluttered Scandi aesthetic.

Photography by Rory Gardiner.

Above: On the ground floor, the living, dining, and kitchen area opens directly onto the garden. The oak flooring is from Danish company Dinesen. The light is from Santa & Cole.

Above: Vintage wood stools and an Oval Eero Saarinen Tulip Table create an elegant, informal dining area. Lee added texture and relief to the walls with strips of MDF (medium-density fiberboard). The walls are painted Flake White from Fired Earth.

Above: A row of Gubi Semi Pendants, a 1968 design by Claus Bonderup and Torsten Thorup, hang over the island and draw the eye to the garden.

Above: The kitchen cabinets are faced with Dinesen wood and outlined with vertical blackened steel frames.

Above: An unobtrusive flat-screen television fits in with the overall color scheme.

Above: Favorite kitchen implements are on display above the limestone counter.

Above: “The design was focused around the Dinesen flooring, so we chose simple, off-white walls and used the wood for the backsplash wall and the cabinets, not just on the floor,” Lee says.

Above: A daybed from Designer’s Guild and a side table fashioned from a log create a quiet reading corner.

Above: Custom steel-and-glass doors optimize the amount of natural daylight that comes into the space.

Above: Lee enlarged the living space by excavating the basement, where he put in a screening room and an office at the back. A modular Charles Sofa from B&B Italia provides seating for movie watching.

Above: Lee designed and built the office’s open shelving system.

Above: A skylight brings in an abundance of natural light from the garden.

Above: Upstairs, wood shutters help to modulate the light in the master bedroom. Learn about interior shutter possibilities and sources in Remodeling 101.

Above: In the sink vanity and bathtub surround, Lee repeats the use of Dinesen wood.

Above: The Duravit tub’s wood surround creates an architectural statement, and shutters allow for privacy.

Above: Lee designed the handmade raw brass bathroom fittings for his new fixtures and fittings company; contact Studio Ore (website under construction). With its unlacquered finish, the shower thermostat will acquire a patina over time.

Above: In the children’s bedroom, storage has been incorporated into two corner niches.

Above: In the guest bedroom, an open frame is central to the quiet composition above the side table.

Above: A view of the house from the back shows the relationship of the kitchen area to the basement office below the skylight.

For more London Minimalism, have a look at:

• At Home with Rosa Park of Cereal Magazine
• In the Kitchen with Skye Gyngell, London’s Chef du Jour
• Endless Summer in a London Victorian
• A Scandi Kitchen in a London Victorian
• Maximum Calm in a London Townhouse