No.5
‘Elegance and drama’ became the mantra for Lisa and Giles Thomas’ reinvention of their Victorian semi
HOME TRUTHS
THE PROPERTY Semi-detached Victorian house
ROOMS Kitchen-diner, library/parlour/sitting room, basement bar/media/entertainment room, six bedrooms, four bathrooms
LOCATION Southwest London
We previously lived in a small three-bed terrace in the shadow of Stamford Bridge stadium in Fulham,’ says Lisa. ‘We had two children, Zac and Darcey, who came into my life when I married Giles, and we were keen to find a larger house. We realised that any plans to extend our family would require more space and we were taken with this area of London’s abundance of greenery and good pubs at the end of the road. We found a Victorian property with bags of potential and haven’t looked back.’
Fast forward 19 years and Giles and Lisa, who both work in marketing, now have two teenage sons to add to the mix – Milo, 18, and Morgan, 16. Despite having extended their semi in 2004 into the attic and side return, the family still found they were getting on top of each other and the interiors were now feeling worn and outdated. They called upon interior designer Alex Meachen to rejuvenate their period home, as well as embark on an ambitious basement project to provide them with the large entertainment space they were all craving. ‘We wanted to keep the inherent grace of the house while making sure that it’s a place to have fun,’ says Lisa.
‘When I first showed Lisa and Giles the mood board for what we now jokingly refer to as the Mariah Carey bathroom, I talked
