See the winning garden — and the other Home Design Awards winners
See the winning garden — and the other Home Design Awards winners
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1/25 Winning garden
Simon Hurst, 46, bought his Thirties house in Walthamstow in 2001 and renovated it using DIY skills learned from his father and grandfather, antique furniture restorers. The south-facing garden was a blank canvas, “the perfect place to play with”.
Juliet Murphy
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2/25 Outdoor oasis
A garden “should be an outdoor room, a secluded oasis”, says Simon. This one is a good size with access through a lane at the back, a cobbled central circle and York stone paths.
Juliet Murphy
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3/25 Trickery
A big mirror on the end wall hints at another garden beyond; a stream trickles into a pond. Table and chairs are from outsideedgegardenfurniture.co.uk.
Juliet Murphy
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4/25 Small spaces
“Urban gardeners have to be clever, make things look bigger than they really are, with planting adding mystery.”
Juliet Murphy
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5/25 Clever planting
Trellis supports jasmine, clematis, honeysuckle and mini ivy. Larger shrubs give height, and at a lower level are shade-loving ferns for a tiered effect.
Juliet Murphy
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6/25 Winning living room
“My style is big and bold and I take risks,” says Stephanie Savvides-Howell, 34, who lives with husband Simon and their two Bengal cats in a five-bedroom Edwardian semi in Whetstone, N20. She is deputy head of a primary school in Belsize Park and “a sucker for period details”.
Juliet Murphy
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7/25 Starting point
When they moved in during May last year, the living room was brown and beige. Starting point was the sideboard with textured brass front from Swoon Editions (swooneditions.com) which cried out for a dark wall. Stephanie took the plunge: “It was nerve-wracking, my first experience of going dark.” The shade name, requested many times on Instagram, is Hague Blue by Farrow & Ball.
Juliet Murphy
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8/25 Layering
A striking modern chandelier plus wall spots provide “layered lighting”. Accessories are a self-confessed weakness: “I could open a store with my impulse-buy rejects.”
Juliet Murphy
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9/25 Surrounds and shutters
The replica fire surround was painted in satin white. Shutters fit in well and can be angled for privacy. The engineered oak floor was from local supplier The Floor Shop (thefloorshop.co.uk), the pink sofa and chair are from Debenhams using bank holiday weekend discounts, with a second grey sofa from Furniture Village (furniturevillage.co.uk).
Juliet Murphy
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10/25 Be bold
Stephanie’s tips: “Hold your nerve. Use a wall paint primer for fewer top coats and an even colour. Get inspiration from high-end restaurants and hotels all over London.”
Juliet Murphy
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11/25 Winning bathroom
With a new career in styling and interiors, ex-journalist Jess Hurrell, 35, founded her blog, Gold Is A Neutral (goldisaneutral.co.uk) a year ago.
Juliet Murphy
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12/25 Gold is a neutral
The name reveals her taste in interiors: luxurious and glamorous with metallic touches — such as the brass-faced vanity unit in her recently renovated bathroom at home in Honor Oak Park, south-east London, where she lives with husband David and their children Rafferty, six, and two-year-old Nellie.
Juliet Murphy
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13/25 Not one for minimalists
Jess is no minimalist, and favourite materials are marble and brass. But the off-black walls and woodwork were a bit of a shock for her decorators.
Juliet Murphy
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14/25 Major works
The old bathroom was ripped out and a fish tank in the chimney breast became a traditional fire surround. A Jacuzzi was replaced by a freestanding tub in volcanic limestone from Victoria + Albert Baths (vandabaths.com).
Juliet Murphy
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15/25 Rich and exciting
Brass taps and the huge shower head are from Perrin & Rowe (perrinandrowe.co.uk) and exposed pipework was repositioned under the floor, covered with encaustic tiles from Bert & May (bertandmay.com).
Juliet Murphy
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16/25 Winning kitchen
A New York loft in a London garden — that was the aim of journalist Laura Burkitt, 33, for the Queen’s Park flat she shares with fiancé Ben Sarner.
Viv Yapp for Apartment Therapy
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17/25 New career
Art-school trained, her kitchen renovation has sparked a new career in styling and design (lauraburkitt.com). The couple reconfigured all rooms in the property to make an open-plan living area plus two bedrooms — one en suite — and a small shower room.
Jimmy Beltran S
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18/25 Sensible sourcing
They extended the kitchen into the lovely garden, doing all design work themselves and employing builders. Howden kitchen units (howdens.com) were painted charcoal and brass handles were sourced online. To save money, they shopped around for reclaimed materials.
Jimmy Beltran S
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19/25 Industrial chic
The industrial look started with Crittall-style black steel doors from Fabco Sanctuary (fabcosanctuary.com), a micro-cement floor by Dan Dixon (theplastercollective.com) and exposed-brick wall.
Jimmy Beltran S
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20/25 Details
A traditional range cooker and Belfast sink add to the eclectic look. Wall grout for engineered bricks was painted grey, and then the whole wall sanded back. Brackets made by a local smith hold hanging utensil rods from Ikea.
Jimmy Beltran S
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21/25 Winning bedroom
French-born Emilie Mauran, 38, was inspired by hotel bedrooms but wanted something more personal. Farrow & Ball’s pinkish Peignoir is here teamed with a grey carpet.
Juliet Murphy
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22/25 Storage works
Emilie’s five-week bedroom renovation involved knocking two first-floor bedrooms into one large bedroom en suite.
Hanging space in cupboards is 60cm deep, with shallower joinery linked by an attractive shelf that the judges loved, 45cm deep, on either side of the bed.
Juliet Murphy
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23/25 Top tips
Emilie’s tips: “Allow 80cm of leg room around your bed. Have a nice ‘view’ from your bed. Choose calming colours: light pink, greens and blues. Colour-match joinery doors with walls.”
Juliet Murphy
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24/25 Statement features
There’s a statement La Volières aviary-inspired cage pendant lamp by Mathieu Challières (hollowaysofludlow.com), wall lights, reading lights by the bed, a chaise longue (camerich.co.uk) and a dressing table (made.com).
Juliet Murphy
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25/25 Flattering tones
What the judges said: “Loved the pinky plaster finish, it’s so flattering”; “Good clothes storage — no chucking on chairs”; “Well-planned lighting and power points.”
Juliet Murphy
Gardens can be hard to come by in London, with most of us lucky to take on a balcony, patio or plot of disused land, but which can be turned into useful extra space with some thoughtful design.
We asked our readers to send us images of imaginative and thoughtful garden makeover projects from their own homes, as part of entering our first ever London Home Design Awards in partnership with Houzz.
Much heated debate took place among our expert judges in the glamorous Lecture Room & Library at London's design hotspot Sketch in Mayfair, and we can now reveal the winning makeover project.
THE WINNING GARDEN
Winner: Simon Hurst, Walthamstow
What the judges said: “A perfect city retreat”; “Wonderful planting, luxuriant and shady”; “Such a relaxing space, and the result of so much hard work.”
Simon Hurst, 46, bought his Thirties house in Walthamstow in 2001 and renovated it using DIY skills learned from his father and grandfather, antique furniture restorers.
The south-facing garden was a blank canvas, “the perfect place to play with”. A big plus is a huge magnolia, planted when the house was built.
A garden “should be an outdoor room, a secluded oasis”, says Simon. This one is a good size with access through a lane at the back, a cobbled central circle and York stone paths.
A big mirror on the end wall hints at another garden beyond; a stream trickles into a pond. Table and chairs are from outsideedgegardenfurniture.co.uk.
“Urban gardeners have to be clever, make things look bigger than they really are, with planting adding mystery.” Trellis supports jasmine, clematis, honeysuckle and mini ivy. Larger shrubs give height, and at a lower level are shade-loving ferns for a tiered effect.
The garden connects to an extension with sliding doors to create “a glazed-in veranda” filled with lanterns, cushions and rugs. Moroccan encaustic cement floor tiles are from Mosaic del Sur in Columbia Road, E2 (cement-tiles.com).
Simon’s tips: “Work methodically from a good set of plans and use real stone for paving, as it weathers more naturally. Patio Magic will keep algae at bay.”
A regular reader of Homes & Property, he says: “It’s good for inspiration… and I’m very nosy.”
Each of the five category winners will be sent a £500 Houzz Shop voucher to spend on Bang & Olufsen products and a £250 voucher to spend on Tom Dixon products, also in the Houzz Shop. Plus, we'll be sending the winners to a lamp-making workshop at The Factory in Tom Dixon's new flagship store, worth £250.
WATCH OUR VIDEO: BEHIND THE SCENES ON JUDGING DAY
The London Home Design Awards at Sketch
WHO WE TEAMED UP WITH
Many thanks to the sponsors of the London Home Design Awards:
- Bang & Olufsen, renowned for their high-end audio, picture and multimedia products, sponsors the living room category
- Luxury bathroom designer Kohlersponsors the bathroom category
- Leading tile specialists Topps Tiles sponsors the kitchen category
- Hästens, known for their ethically sourced and handcrafted beds, sponsors the bedroom category
WITH THANKS TO OUR EXPERT PANEL OF JUDGES
The expert panel of judges included the editors of Homes & Property and Houzz, Janice Morley and Victoria Harrison; design journalist Barbara Chandler; Daniel Hopwood, former president of the British Institute of Interior Design; and Richard MacRae of architecture design studio EDRM.
Guest judges included food writer and broadcaster Rachel Khoo; Mad About The House author Kate Watson-Smyth; interior design duo Jordan Cluroe and Russell Whitehead of 2LG Studio; the founder of Mr & Mrs Smith hotels Tamara Lohan; and founder of The Balcony Gardener Isabelle Palmer
