‘our house has gone through many changes’

Living room Walls painted in Wevet and Middleton Pink by Farrow & Ball provide a warm backdrop to this eclectic layered scheme, which includes an Elsa sofa and Knoll Laccio coffee table from The Conran Shop. ‘We gravitate towards Mid-century design classics, mixed with industrial, vintage and contemporary pieces,’ says Debbie. Two Low Back Happy chairs form a relaxed reading area at the bay window, and a Tom Dixon brass floor lamp creates a striking corner focal point

Over the course of 27 years, the house near Clapham Common that Debbie Hawkes and her husband Nick bought as a young working couple has been continually renovated and remodelled to suit their needs as their children were born and raised.

‘When we bought the property back in 1995, we both worked in marketing, and were thoroughly enjoying our life in south-west London,’ recalls Debbie. ‘We felt we had outgrown our previous home, and it was while on the hunt for something bigger in the same area that we found this house – a four-bedroom Victorian terrace on a quiet road between Clapham and Wandsworth Common. We had no idea at the time that the area was known locally as “Nappy Valley”, which was a happy accident when it came to starting our own family a few years later.’ The area had brilliant schools, green open spaces on the doorstep and an abundance of local amenities, continues Debbie. ‘Without realising it, we’d stumbled on the ideal location.’

The property had been well maintained but was very dated, with avocado bathrooms, an outside toilet and a living room with olive green walls and ceilings, which in the mid-90s was not in fashion. However, the couple could instantly see the potential, with scope to extend out and up, and it was priced only slightly more than a three-bedroom house. The property also had the added bonus of a cellar and a good-sized garden – so they were sold. ‘We decorated from top to bottom, and have redecorated countless times since,’ explains Debbie. ‘Being in such a great location, we have never felt any need to move – our home has simply evolved around our growing family and suited our needs at every stage’.

Over the years the couple have extended the side return, converted the loft, changed the kitchen four times, updated the bathroom, and four years ago embarked on their most ambitious project to date – a basement dig and a