Courtney, one of the founders of Babyccino Kids, and her husband, Michael Adamo, bought this Victorian home in London’s Highgate Village last August. Then they spent eight long months renovating the 120-year-old home. They kept as much of the original detailing as possible, such as the original ceiling cornices, old fireplaces and beautiful ceiling medallions, but modernized the space to make it family friendly. Two months ago, the couple and their three children — Easton (6), Quin (4) and Ivy (2) — finally moved in. Courtney has an affinity for Scandinavian style, which she brought in with the white floors and walls, but she kept the home’s furnishing traditional with a little modern flair. The result is absolutely stunning — an oasis in the middle of London. Thanks, Courtney & Michael, and many thanks to Darrin Henry for the lovely photographs. — Amy A.
Image above: This is my office, and one of my favorite rooms in the house. It looks out into the back garden (right now, apples are growing on the tree right outside), so it’s really peaceful. It also gives me a good vantage point for keeping an eye on the kids while they play. The desk is our old dining table, made by Ercol. The desk lamp is by Jielde, the prints on the wall are lithographs by Matisse — I bought them at a French market earlier this year as a birthday present to myself.
Image above: This is our kitchen, looking out toward the back of the house. The majority of the renovation work on the house involved this space — we had to knock down a structural wall that divided this room in order to create one big room. It’s nice to have the kitchen look directly out at the garden — it makes living in a big city so much nicer, especially for the kids (and for my husband, who spends more time out there than anyone!).
Courtney & Michael’s London home continues after the jump!
Image above: The lights above the island are old glass funnels turned upside down — they create a pretty prismatic light. The paint color on our kitchen cabinets is our own mix. We wanted it to be a warm grey to complement and add warmth to the marble. The white walls are Farrow & Ball “Strong White.”
Image above: This is my boys’ bedroom. We went for a really white, airy look, painting the floorboards and the walls white (Farrow & Ball “All White”). I wanted to let their toys and artwork add the color to their room. (We have a playroom where the majority of the toys are kept, so don’t be fooled by the tidiness!)
Image above: My daughter’s room. Again, the floorboards and walls are painted white (Farrow & Ball “All White” on the walls and F&B “Cornforth White” on the floor). The dresser is an old tatty thing we found for pennies on eBay. The print above the dresser is the London Map print by Famille Summerbelle. I like her room because it feels feminine without being pink or frilly, and that old fireplace makes the room so cozy.
Image above: Ivy’s room again. And another print by Famille Summerbelle. This print is my favorite thing in her room — it’s filled with old photos of family. The old apple crate on the floor keeps her books tidy, and the bunny rabbit sticker is from Belle & Boo (Ivy loves bunnies!).
Image above: Our reception room. It is such a hodge-podge of furniture. We recently got the yellow velvet sofa as a hand-me-down from some friends. It’s fun to have it in the bay window, and it’s sort of fun to have something I probably wouldn’t have bought myself. The lamp is a George Nelson bubble lamp from Modernica — I like the way it mirrors the circular ceiling rose above it. Wall paint is Farrow & Ball “Strong White.”
Image above: Our guest bathroom. We tried to keep all the bathrooms and bathroom fittings as traditional as we could to reflect the Victorian house. We opted for a pedestal sink, traditional taps and a roll-top bathtub. (F&B “Strong White” on the walls and “All White” on the wood paneling.)
Image above: This is the master bedroom. Lighting fixture is by Kathleen Hills, and it’s so pretty and feminine in this room — it creates enough of a statement that I felt I didn’t have to do much else with the room. (Again, the paint color is our own mix — the same color as our kitchen cabinets.)
Image above: Laundry room, looking out at the garden. A big, deep sink for washing dirty children! We’ve had that orange tree for nearly 7 years now. It’s moved with us every time we move — I always carry it by hand when we move houses because it’s now one of our most treasured possessions!
Image above: Wellies! A must-have for all kids growing up in England. My husband and I have them too for long rainy walks in the park.
94 Comments
<3, can I just move in?
Hey Courtney and Michael! What a nice surprise to see your beautiful home and little girl! Holly
I love it! Would you mind sharing what the sink and faucet are in the laundry room?
Perfection! Just love it…
I’m loving how the house brings the outdoors in, beautifully done and so baby friendly, I would have loved to grow up in a home like this!
this home makes me want to declutter badly…stunning. xo t
I can’t get enough of this house… The kitchen is PERFECT! That black claw-foot bathtub? Heaven!!! Those deep white sinks, the sinks are absolutely incredible!
The sweet little bunny sticker, I LOVE it!
I want to build an identical house! Haha! Really though, it’s perfect!
What a gorgeous kitchen, with all that light streaming in! Are the funnel lights a difficult project–did you do them yourselves?
I love the feel of the entire house. Gorgeous!
I love that the sink is for “washing dirty children”. Adorable!!! This whole home is beautiful.
I love this home. Not only is gorgeous, but it is something you can easily envision a family living in. I think my favorite image was the laundry room – I pinned it (http://pinterest.com/iftoyscouldtalk/)
yes, the black tub, the glass ceiling in the kitchen, your office, your laundry room,your little girl room (she is adorable by the way!)…I love it!
i’m in love with this place!! I love love love all the white. So happy and homey at the same time!
Even though all the houses you put up are SOOO beautiful, this is one that I can really see myself living in. It’s so simple and cosy and just, homely. I can’t stop looking at the living room and the work desk. Le sigh~
That is my dream kitchen!
Beautiful. So light and airy- right out of a picture book!
Such a beautiful and welcoming house! Wish we lived next door! xxx
Usually I don’t care for white walls/floors, but the way they’ve mixed subtly different shades of the color are making me rethink it… beautiful home.
Love the white floor boards!
Thanks for featuring such an amazingly beautiful home Amy!! I love it! I’ve been wanting to paint my whole house white lately, and this is the perfect example of what I would hope it would look like!!
To live in London and this house would be…a dream.
your home is so inspiring!! i love the white floorboards and walls. i’ve been thinking about doing this in my victorian home in chicago. :)
I love the office!
Sigh!
omg!!! such a fantastic house!!!!!
Oh my gosh, you are all so sweet to say such nice things. Thank you!
Amy, the sink and faucet in the laundry room are both by Franke.
Katie, the funnel lights I bought from retrouvius.com and they came already wired (easy, peasy!) but I don’t think it would be too difficult to do it yourself.
I love this house!! The skylight in the kitchen is so awesome! Oh to have perfect natural lighting:)
Could you provide info on the cabinets?
Beautiful house. I particularly love the kitchen and am looking for something similar myself (am mid-renovation as I write). Could I ask where you got the units and/or the doors?
Such a beautiful house! So stylish and homely! I love the fact that it is so bright. A big plus if you live in the UK.
what a truly stunning space. thanks for sharing. that yellow couch is absolutely fabulous.
Ok THIS ONE IS A WINNER!!!!! Oh it is just so SERENE, and amazingly WARM, even with all the white. Love the yellow couch. Love the orange tree! Love the little girl’s room! Can you tell that I LOVED IT??
Wow, wow, and WOW. Such great space and light, and it looks like it would be a very comfortable and happy place to live. The installation of the Nelson bubble light with that ceiling rose is just brilliant!
If I was in that bath right now I would be a happy little mouse! or maybe I could fit in the kitchen sink! :) Beautiful house, I love the slate floor tiles!
What a beautiful home! I’m curious about your hardwood floors in the kitchen. What sort of wood did you use? Are they 5″ planks? As well, could I find out about the finish? It’s all so lovely. Enjoy!
Spectacular! If you’re ever interested in trading homes for a few weeks, we’re in Hotlanta, GA, USA!
LOVE LOVE LOVE this house and everything about it! Especially that DREAM KITCHEN! I am filing this under inspiration.
It’s so perfect, I can’t imagine anything better.
that kitchen sure is to die for. Like cooking outside every day! It must be a delight when it rains as well.
Love Courtney’s home! Gorgeous…. Thanks for the peek… :)
Beautiful sneak peek! My husband and I used to live in Crouch End and loved our strolls up to Highgate. And well done keeping that orange tree growing for seven years, that’s not easy. :)
Gorgeous, Courtney!
Am in looove with this house. All the colors are so amazing, especially the bathroom and main bedroom.
This was a pleasure to look at. It seems to be held together very nicely. I particularly enjoyed the reception room – the simplicity of it, yet I don’t somehow think it would have been the same without that yellow sofa.
It’s so amazing… I live in the North of France, and I was wondering about painting our floors right, but I don’t know if the light here will be enough to make it cheerful. It’s often clouded or raining… but this house… when can I move in ?
Gorgeous house, I love the view to the backyard! The kitchen is spectacular and makes me want to refinish ours more than I already did. Those skylights add so much dimension!
And I smiled when I read about the citrus tree being carried during moves. To me, moving houseplants from house to house would be one of the most stressful parts! :)
Oh my god, your house is so wondefull…
I especially love the sinks :-o
This house is a dream. My favorite part of it is also the kitchen with its gorgeous skylights!
Thanks for sharing your lovely home….. love all the light that fills each cozy room!
What a lovely, bright home. The kitchen is stunning, and I love the Ercol dining table as a desk.
LOVE the kitchen!
Glad to see that someone is as big a fan of F&B’s Strong White as I am – we have painted most of the rooms in our house with it – such a beautiful, serene white. Gorgeous house. Love it.
Love the bright airy kitchen!!
Love that yellow couch! I wanna curl up on it right now.
LOVE the light in the kitchen — wow.
Would love to know what colours you mixed for the kitchen and bedroom wall – absolutely love it!
Lovely home, very clean and bright. What toilet and sink did you use in the bathroom? They both have such great shape. We are creating a master bath in our room and those really struck me as classic and more interesting than usual in shape. Thanks for sharing.
one of my favorite sneak peeks! The kitchen is so lovely.
I love everything in the picture. so cozy, organized and lovely…. thank you for posting it. such an inspiration.
i love the gray cupboards. can you tell us who made them? i have scoured the web for gray kitchen cupboards and am having a hard time nailing down a manufacturer. thanks!!
ok, just actually read every word…you painted the cabinets yourself? how do they hold up? i’m nervous about paint chipping with rough little ones…
(thanks again)
Oh wow. This house perfectly epitomises my favourite things about growing up in North London – all that green surrounding you, those lovely wide floorboards perfect for playing skittles, those high elegant ceilings. You’re really done the space justice with your decor choices. Thank you so much for sharing, inspiring to the power of ten!
You are all so lovely to say such nice things. I wish I could invite you all over for tea!
Beatrice, the paint colour was such a mix of things and we kept going back and forth. Farrow & Ball launched a new colour (right after I painstakingly mixed my own version) which is pretty close to the colour we used. Look for Manor House Grey.
And Dawn, we got our sinks and toilets from Aston Matthews here in the UK — they’re from the ‘Burley’ range.
what a fantastic house, just the airy welcoming feel to it. sans stuff/
clutter. lovely!
Lovely HOme!! love the office
What a beautiful and bright space! I have to second the request for more info on the hardwood floors in the kitchen. They are stunning!! Did you use a Danish oil type of finish, or any stain at all?
I like the chalkboard…and in a picture, it really forces you to read. Where can I can get a little one like that today, I wonder? I want one. And the orange tree, how darling…it’s sort of how I feel about my orchid, that I got from my accountant this year. But an orange tree, maybe I can get one to grow here in side my Chicago apartment.
beautiful… it has such a dreamy quality which makes it seem really peaceful.
I echo the person who wishes to move in :) Absolutely wonderful! Love your kitchen, so can understand the sentiment, although I don’t quite get what you wrote about the part about being in a big city. I was lucky enough to live in London a bit and always have loved cities. I’m in one now, although we don’t carry Farrow & Ball, which is fabulous paint. This is a favourite place on this site though. Thank-you for showing.
Beautiful!! Could you tell me the source of the step stool in the kitchen? I am looking for something similar with that height for my toddler. Thanks for sharing such a gorgeous home!
so simplistic, so gorgeous. i especially love the bedroom!
Liz,
That step stool is from Ikea! I think we use that stool more than any other piece of furniture in our house! So great for kids!
Oh my gosh. What I wouldn’t give for a skylight and backyard like theirs!
simply beautiful.
Hi Courtney,
Beautiful beautiful!!
I love the light brown /cream color sofa, specific brand?
I also love you have a corded phone (where did you get that one?) and do you really use it with a landline? So much healthier than these ugly dect phones :)
Courtney, such a beautiful home! Your taste is impecable!
I am desperately looking for a bunny light like the one you have in your daughter’s room, over the dresser. Can you tell me where I can find one like that?
Thanks!
What a beautiful home! I’m curious about your hardwood floors in the kitchen. What sort of wood did you use? Are they 5″ planks? As well, could I find out about the finish? It’s all so lovely. Enjoy!
Pretty much died of jealousy from this. It’s very, very Nigella Lawson.
Hi Karin,
The brown leather sofa is so old. I think we got it from Raft in London. The old French phone in my office I found at the market on Portobello Road, and yes I really use it!
Luciana,
The bunny light is by Egmont and I got it from Little Baby Company here in the UK.
Suzanne,
The hardwood floors in our kitchen are actually Oak engineered floorboards (apparently they’re more hard-wearing). They are a honey colour and with a waxed finish (again, apparently this is better wearing because you can wax them again and again when needed).
Hope that helps!
x Courtney
Fantastic space! Love the mustard sofa ;)
I like your choice of color for the home, moderately attractive. And the home’s feeling is simply great, I admire it!
I am midway through renovating my house and I wish I could click my fingers and it look like yours – I love your style! I hope you don’t mind me asking but who made your kitchen cabinets, I love the shaker style!
I’m so jealous, love the house, everything is so pretty. I especially like the kitchen with all the like shining through. Love it very much.
beautiful home. I like the photo string alot. i will make one in my daughter’s room. Thanks for those pictures.
This is a dream come true!
Courtney where is the light over your kitchen table from- is it the conran shop one in putty? It is just what I am looking for!!!
Cute detail; rainboots in the hall.
Hi Courtney loving your house….hope you are still able to answer some questions…just wondering when you painted your walls, in particular your living room, did you use the same colour on the ceiling? We are in the process of painting and I have no idea what you are suppose to do with the ceiling colour esp when the walls are a white shade!
Stunning! I’m so happy for you all. I can’t wait to see it in person, hopefully this coming year! See you on the beach in Posi!
Hi I love your kitchen. Where are the units from? They’re gorgeous.
Can you tell me about the black chair in your reception room. I love it!
Question?? What size is the Nelson Bubble lamp in your Living room? I recently ordered one from Modernica and want to make sure i got the right size… Is that a large?? Thank you . Your space is amazing!!
This home is perfect. We are looking for inspirational homes in the UK to photograph and publish in best selling magazines and newspapers such as Elle Decoration, Red, Living Etc. If you have a home like this please don’t be shy contact us. No cost and we’ll give you a set of professional photographs. Karen
Hi there, is the living room ceiling also painted in Strong White, or was a brilliant/total white used? thanks
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