I suspect, for architects, a house with an ineffective layout is like fingernails on chalkboard. When Anaïs Bléhaut, director of Daab Design, was brought onboard to make sense of a client’s gracious but wonky London Victorian, it was indeed the main issue she needed to get right, before all else. The good bones were there—high ceilings, characterful architectural details, ample light—but the layout was simply all wrong and largely the reason why Zoe, the client, couldn’t get a handle on the domestic chaos that comes from raising two young children. “The house was beautiful and full of heritage features but sad, underused, and cluttered at the same time,” says Anaïs.
Before the remodel, the lower floor—which then held the kitchen, dining room, family room, boot room, and laundry room—did the heavy lifting. “It was acting as the entire family-life epicenter and was extremely crowded and unavoidably messy,” she says. The parlor floor above, meanwhile, consisted of just front and rear reception rooms, and went mainly unused. Anaïs’s solution was to spread out the public spaces between the two floors so that there would be natural flow and better storage. The kitchen and dining room migrated to the parlor floor (who needs two reception rooms?), leaving the bottom floor for just the family, laundry, and boot rooms.
Working with a tight budget—”Victorian houses are big and to fit it in a budget, you have to watch everything closely”—Anaïs was able to transform the once cluttered home into a tidy family sanctuary, with distinct spaces for distinct pursuits, even a room just for Zoe.
Here, Anaïs walks us through the remodel.
Photography by Henry Woide, courtesy of Daab Design.
See also:
- A Slow and Soulful Renovation: Heather Shaw’s Victorian Home in Toronto
- Bold Minimalism in a High Victorian Townhouse Reinvented By McLaren Excell
- A London Victorian Terrace House Recast in Living Color
Frequently asked questions
What was the main issue Anaïs needed to address in the London Victorian remodel?
The main issue was the ineffective layout of the house, which led to domestic chaos for the client.
What changes did Anaïs make to improve the layout of the Victorian home?
Anaïs spread out the public spaces between two floors, moving the kitchen and dining room to the parlor floor and leaving the bottom floor for the family, laundry, and boot rooms.
How did Anaïs transform the cluttered home into a tidy family sanctuary?
Working with a tight budget, Anaïs created distinct spaces for specific purposes and ensured better storage options in the remodel.
What economical options did Anaïs choose for the kitchen in the remodel?
Anaïs opted for Formica fronts from Plykea to complement Ikea's Sektion kitchen cabinets, ensuring stylish choices while staying within budget.
What unique feature did Anaïs highlight during the remodel in relation to the Victorian past?
Anaïs highlighted the original shutters by painting their interiors a deep red, nodding to Victorian color clashes found in historic interiors.
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