A love affair with London prompted Americans Julia and David to snap up an aunt’s mews house when she decided to sell
SNUG
This used to be the home’s garage. ‘The first thing our designer Jenny had to tell me was what a snug is because I didn’t know. Now all our American friends who visit go home saying they’ll have a snug, too,’ says Julia. ‘We come in here as a family at Christmas and watch the film Love Actually. It’s a family tradition because we all love the film; we must have seen it 10 times or so.’
LIVING ROOM
Julia was initially wary when Jenny suggested breaking up the green with pink and coral. ‘I was worried that it would look tropical, which I didn’t want. But Jenny said it wouldn’t, so I had to trust her on that and she was right.’
KITCHEN
‘David loves green as well, though he did say, “So, the kitchen’s going to be green too?”,’ laughs Julia. To Julia’s relief, her concern about having open shelves proved unfounded. ‘I was worried that everyday detritus can look messy, but we curate what we have.’
When David Fleischner’s aunt decided to sell her mews house in west London, he and his wife Julia didn’t hesitate to buy it. ‘David’s uncle had died and his aunt was looking to move. She said to us, “I know you both love London, so would you be interested?”’ says Julia. The couple had stayed at the house when visiting the UK and immediately said yes. ‘A friend wondered why we would want to take it
