No.5
Kate Kengelbach’s terrace house is infused with a breezy, fresh influence inspired by memories of her childhood in America
SITTING ROOM
Art adds visual interest amongst the calming elegant tones. The couple’s impressive art collection began through Robert Wilson’s Watermill Foundation.
Large artwork (over the fireplace), Los Carpinteros. Small floral artwork, David Hockney. Tree artwork, Blaise Drummond. Orange pieces are Aboriginal. Rug, Nina Burgess. Small sofa, Kingcomb. Large sofa, The Sofa &Chair Company
HOME TRUTHS
THE PROPERTY An Edwardian terrace house built in 1910
ROOMS Double sitting room, kitchen, two offices, playroom, laundry room, cloakroom, five bedrooms, four bathrooms
LOCATION Southwest London
PLAYROOM
Three-metre ceilings and a lightwell give this basement room a voluminous feel. Walls in Fuji by Paint & Paper Library. For a similar striped indoor/outdoor rug, try La Redoute. Sofa, Sofa.com. Artwork (over sofa) by Jane Hammond
KITCHEN
A glass panelled door allows light to flow through the house from this space, which features custom-sized cabinetry. Cabinetry, deVOL. Metro tiles, Topps Tiles. Pendant lights, Hector Finch
SITTING ROOM
Kate bought this antique gateleg table dating back to 1680 in Arundel. It can be closed and moved to the side. Walls in Skimming Stone, Farrow &Ball. Pendant light, Hector Finch. Artwork by Dennis Oppenheim
MAIN BEDROOM
Apale backdrop sets off pretty delicate prints and scallop-edged linens. Fabric on headboard, Sister Parish. Bedside cabinet, Ann May. Lamp, Neptune. Walls in Pavilion Blue, Farrow &Ball
MAIN BATHROOM
Alarge vanity with plenty of storage is a must for Kate’s bathroom schemes, which are influenced by US design. Hexagonal tiles, Fired Earth. Taps, Lefroy Brooks. Blind fabric, Sister Parish
Interior designer Kate Kengelbach viewed more than 25 properties before securing the Victorian terraced home she shares with her husband Jan and three children. ‘I’d seen a house on this road right at the beginning of my search but didn’t bid on it,’ she says. Around nine months later, another property on the same road came up and this time Kate was ready. ‘The main difference from the other houses was the sense of space – tall ceilings and wider reception rooms. The side return kitchen extension and a pod room at the top of the house had been added by the previous owner and they enhanced its appeal.’
Kate and Jan had relocated from the US and wanted a permanent base for their two sons, George, then three, and Oliver, one. The boys are now 13
