Swathed in serene shades (and with a garden full of pear trees), Emma and Ant’s home is the ideal setting for Yu letide celebrations
STYLING Rebecca de Boehmler
DINING AREA
‘We put in this oversized picture window to connect the kitchendiner to the outside,’ says Emma.
LIVING ROOM
‘All the original fireplaces had been stripped out, but we found a great local source of period pieces that we used as substitutes,’ says Emma. ‘They certainly add character.’ The gold and white Xmas decs add to the house’s serene elegance.
At ranquil 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 two little boys tumble joyously into the living room and a proper family Christmas begins. ‘This year will be a smaller affair as we’ll have a newborn,’ says Emma Grant, who was days away from giving birth to her youngest at our photoshoot. ‘But it’s sure to be action-packed, knowing them – full of cars, tractors, helicopters and anything transport-related buzzing around!’
Emma, who is the founder of sheepskin baby brand Binibamba, and her lawyer husband Ant love entertaining and recall their first Christmas in the house five years ago, when they managed to squeeze 18 around the dining table. ‘We invited our entire families – it was totally mad, but totally magical,’ 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 1970s – but not in a good way – 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 and decorative cornicing reinstated; and new f loorcoverings added in tactile sisal, wood
