IDEAL HOMES
CREATIVE COUPLE GEMMA RUSE AND XAVIER SHERRIF HAVE JUXTAPOSED THE PATINA OF AGE WITH STYLISH CLEAN LINES IN THEIR VICTORIAN-MEETS-MODERN HOME
HOME NOTES
WHO LIVES HERE? Gemma Ruse and Xavier Sherrif live here with their four-year-old son Raffi. Together, the couple run global design agency StudioXAG.
THE PROPERTY A large four-bedroom Victorian terraced house in east London.
THE LAYOUT
The property is arranged over four main floors. The ground floor has a large living room, kitchen with playroom/snug area and an internal courtyard. Stairs lead up to a half floor with Raffi’s bedroom and to the first floor with the main bedroom, dressing room and en-suite shower room. Above, another half floor has the family bathroom and laundry. The top floor has two bedrooms/studies, plus a shower room. Finally, the flat in the basement (not shown) is rented out.
G emmaRuse and her partner Xavier Sherrif had been living in a maisonette in east London for 10 years while building up their business, when they embarked on a lifestyle change which saw them getting married, buying the house and having a baby – all at the same time.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE A RENOVATION?
‘As our family was growing, we wanted more space and we had seen many beautiful homes in the area that gave us inspiration for layouts and ideas for when we finally bought this one. We managed to move in for six months to get a feel for the space, find an architect, get planning permission then move out just before building work commenced and I gave birth!’
WHAT CHALLENGES DID THE PROJECT PRESENT?
‘We were looking for a property to renovate but I don’t think we fully appreciated what we had taken on. I think we estimated about half the time and half the cost of what it ended up taking to refurbish and extend. Looking back, if we could do anything differently, we would get an architect or builder to come and have a look before completing on the sale! Another challenge was that we’re both designers with very strong aesthetics and we’re quite fussy too. While I was leading the project we agreed that Xavier would have the power of veto if he really disliked something. There were no real fallings out along the way and he tended to come round if I was passionate about a particular decision – or if I just showed him the one option I liked!’
WHAT WAS YOUR VISION FOR YOUR NEW HOME?
‘I wanted our first family house to look warm and authentic, a juxtaposition of the old and the new coming together. It was about mixing clean modern lines with the patina of age and creating a home that felt calm, cohesive and contemporary, while respecting what had been there before. We sourced missing authentic period pieces, such as fireplaces and radiators, while also introducing hints of diverse influences like Art Deco and Japanese elements. All
