No.12
Emma Grant and her husband Ant’s stylish home may be all serene shades, but that doesn’t mean it’s not made for family fun – especially during the festive season
FEATURE MARY WEAVER
SITTING ROOM
‘We couldn’t afford a new bouclé sofa, so we had our old one reupholstered in an inexpensive version of the fabric,’ says Emma.
Wreath, Sage Flowers. Christmas tree, The White Company. Tree decorations, Raj Tent Club; John Lewis & Partners; Cox & Cox; Heavenly Homes & Gardens. Wrapping paper, Rowen & Wren; Nancy & Betty; John Lewis & Partners; Curated Living. On mantelpiece: Giant glass baubles and gold leaf garland, Heavenly Homes & Gardens. Spotty glass baubles, KD Loves. Candelabra, Curious Egg. Sofa reupholstered in Bute by Edwards Upholstery
A tranquil calm pervades this serene and elegant family home in a fashionable part of east London. The decorations are up, fires are lit and the mulled wine is bubbling on the stove. The scene is set, then delightfully disrupted when three little boys tumble joyously into the sitting room and a proper family Christmas begins. ‘Last year was a smaller affair as we had a newborn,’ says Emma Grant. ‘But this year is sure to be action-packed knowing them – full of cars, tractors, helicopters and anything transport-related buzzing around!’
Emma, who is the founder of baby sheepskin brand BINIBAMBA, and her husband, Ant, love entertaining and recall their first Christmas in the house six years ago, when they managed to squeeze 18 around the dining table. ‘We invited our entire families, it was totally mad, but totally magic,’ she says. The couple fell in love the moment they saw the two-storey, double-fronted house, which included a useful garage on the side. ‘We were previously living more centrally but by moving out a bit we’ve got masses of extra space and the benefit of a large country-style garden full of pear trees.’ Emma and Ant found they were expecting Otto, son number one, the day they exchanged on the house and nearly pulled out. ‘I’m so glad we didn’t – despite the chaos of a renovation with a newborn,’ she says. The house had a 70s vibe when they bought it, before they embarked on the top-to-toe refurbishment. They added a kitchen extension and reconfigured the upstairs to create a family bathroom and an en suite. Old metal windows were swapped for wooden sashes; marble fireplaces reinstated, and new floor coverings added.
They had hoped the house would be habitable before Otto’s birth, but he was five months old when they finally moved back in – albeit without a kitchen or half the extension yet built. They camped there for the first six months, with a makeshift kitchen in what is
