An early Victorian townhouse in north London has a sympathetic overhaul by Cave Interiors

Georgina and Anouska of Cave Interiors were brought onto this project – a majestic north London townhouse – whilst it was still just a twinkle in the eye of the owner. “He hadn't bought it yet, so it was exciting to witness the project from the very beginning." Once birthed, the pair tenaciously guided the house through childhood, adolescence and, in just under a year, had created a mature and polished home in which their delighted client could host a housewarming party. Tasked not just with the major overhaul of the entire house’s design, but selecting everything from the carpets and art, to the cutlery and towels, this was no small feat.

“The client wants to be there forever,” explains Georgina, “and it was designed as such. He doesn’t want it to be done up again.” The key to that timelessness, the pair concluded, was to honour the building's provenance, neatly blending prettiness and masculinity around a scheme sympathetic to the period. The house was built in the charming slot between the Georgian and Victorian eras, and has features from both, but it needed a fair amount of pushy parenting to resuscitate its former glory. “The house was in a very bad state,” they admit.

Some of parts of the house had been unsympathetically modernised by previous owners, much of which had to be retained because of the listed status of the house. “All of the original cornicing was under layers and layers of paint, and needed to be carefully treated to bring back the definition without affecting the designs,” they explain. “We loved seeing it all come alive,” says Anouska, “from seeing the windows and doors starting to work again, to restoring the staircase. All the treads were in terrible condition, with generations of staples and holes all over, and the handrail was brought back to life with French polish.” They replaced “horrid reproduction” fireplaces in the living and dining rooms with carefully selected reclaimed ones. A lot of the furniture and art was antique too, mainly sourced locally to produce a traditional English look.

“Our projects are all future friendly,” says Anouska. “For budget and sustainability reasons, we always make our homes timeless rather than ‘of the moment’ or ‘fashionable’,” adds Georgina. “Accessories, glassware and lights were all largely chosen to reflect the era,” explains Anouska, “with modern comforts laced through. Odd splashes of colour, like the rise-and-fall lamp in the kitchen, make the house feel fresh, fun and not too serious.” The tapestry-covered sliding doors in the snug are an example of such a playful detail; they were designed to conceal the TV and covered in a statement bespoke ‘Tableaux Scéniques’ fabric from Watts 1874, with added padding for a luxury, tactile feel. In the modern extension, the designers leant into a classic, contemporary style like the table by Matthew Cox and bespoke sofa designed by Cave Interiors.

From room reconfiguration – primarily in the attic rooms – to total redecoration down to each individual pillowcase, teamwork was a requisite for such a full scale project and tight turnaround. “In fact the whole project was incredibly collaborative, which is really special,” reflects Anouska. The pair have high praise for everyone from the architect, Richard Webb of Webb Architects, to the curtain makers and particularly Solid Floor, who sourced and laid sensitive flooring on top of the existing contemporary floors which – because the house is listed – couldn't be removed.

The large, bright kitchen is quaint in shades of butter yellow, but highly functional for a keen cook and host. They also created nooks throughout the house for when he works from home, catering for his desire to move around when working, which is also aided by the temperature and lighting controls from his phone. “It’s designed to be a ‘real home,' to be properly lived in,” explains Georgina, “you can kick your shoes off and properly lie down comfortably along a sofa, which was a must for the owner. Nothing was selected just for the look."