| HOUSE OF THE MONTH |
Smart layout changes and designs that feel like sunny days turned Julie de Lattre’s terrace into the home of her dreams
FEATURE VIVIENNE AYERS
HALLWAY
The floor has wow factor. ‘It’s your first impression, which is quite important,’ says architect and interior designer Charlotte.
KITCHEN-DINER
A glass ceiling in the extension streams light in and the tiles on the bench match the ones outside.
KITCHEN
Terrazzo tiles make a standout splashback against the greenygrey cabinets. A trio of petal pendants introduce soft curves.
A house with open-plan areas and lots of storage was what Julie de Lattre and her husband Jules wanted when they bought their London terrace in 2019. ‘The house needed refreshment as the decor wasn’t to our taste,’ says Julie. But she and Jules knew they could transform it into the perfect family home for themselves and their three children – Louis, 10, Madeleine, eight, and Rose, four. They called in Charlotte Lilford, a French architect and interior designer, who had worked on their previous home, to help them with the layout and decoration. ‘She’s extremely creative and talented,’ says Julie. ‘She thinks outside the box.’ Once planning permission for the work was granted, the year-long renovation began and the family rented a house nearby while it was carried out.
The house was completely transformed with a small kitchen extension and basement extension providing much-needed extra space. Knocking through walls then reconfiguring the layout on the ground floor resulted in an open-plan kitchen-diner, complete with a glass ceiling for a bright feel. ‘I wanted a large kitchen because we spend so much time here,’ says Julie. ‘We wanted it to be completely open to the garden so it feels like one room when the doors are open.’ The two reception rooms were closed off from each other so walls were knocked through to create an open-plan library and sitting area that flows from the kitchen. Black, metal-framed doors between the sitting area and the hall open up the space. ‘There were lots of little rooms downstairs, everything was closed off,’ says Julie, ‘so we opened up the hallway with glazed doors to give some light and space.’ house was rewired and new central heating installed, with underfloor heating i
