How A Designer Injected Character Into This Victorian Terrace

The tapestry blind is the defining feature of the living room. With limited wall space, hanging a large tapestry conventionally wasn’t practical. Instead, Watts 1874 created a blind. Lowered in the evening, it reads almost like a piece of art. Meanwhile, the furniture strikes a careful balance between traditional and contemporary. A second-hand George Smith sofa was reupholstered and subtly altered, with the signature scroll arms flattened and the seat replaced with one long cushion for a cleaner silhouette. A vintage armchair found at Sunbury Antiques Market was re-covered – the yellow introduces a joyful note without overwhelming the otherwise neutral scheme, while a jute rug and café curtain add further layers of natural texture. Rather than filling the room with fitted storage, the low-level cabinetry beneath the television was removed and replaced with a freestanding French burr-walnut commode. 

Walls: Bauwerk Intention
Blind: Watts 1874 Wolterton Verdure 
Café Curtain: Volga Linen
Sofa Fabric: Yarn Collective Zak Ecru
Armchair Fabric: Rose Uniacke Cotton Velvet in Custard
Commode: French Burr-Walnut Commode, Nick Jones
Decorative Urn: Lauren Campbell Studio
Pewter Bowl: Just Andersen Mermaid Compote
Milking Stool: 18th-Century Oak Stool, Pamono

Forming part of the open-plan living space, the dining area is anchored by a vintage travertine table with sculpted edge detailing. It was bought on Facebook Marketplace for £150 – proof that a great piece can come from anywhere, whether that’s a specialist dealer, antiques market or second-hand selling site. Antique Italian rush chairs introduce a lighter texture and help everything feel informal. On the wall, an antique crewel curtain has been reframed as artwork, giving a beautiful textile a new purpose while adding the colour and softness of fabric without taking up valuable floor space. A plaster plaque and vintage mirror continue the room’s emphasis on objects with age and patina. Together, the pieces feel personal and accumulated rather than bought as a matching set.

Crewel Panel: Decor Antiquaire
Plaster Plaque: LASSCO
Dining Chairs: Vinterior
Dining Table: Vinterior
Art Deco Vase: Etsy

Rather than replacing the entire kitchen, the budget went towards changes that would make the greatest visual difference. The existing flat-fronted cabinetry was updated with Shaker-style panelling, with the proportions adjusted to keep the result feeling fresh rather than overly traditional. New Volakas marble worktops add movement and character, while the freestanding joinery was repainted. The remaining cabinetry is in warm neutral, creating a tonal scheme that connects naturally with the limewashed living area.

Vintage Howe stools were given oversized, piped seat pads in a mohair velvet. Their slightly exaggerated proportions soften the harder kitchen finishes, while antique pendant lights and glass candlesticks bring a decorative quality to the room. A café curtain made from a vintage French linen tablecloth filters the light without closing off the view. Any surplus fabric was saved and reused in the bathroom – an economical detail that also helps the two spaces feel connected.

Cabinetry Update: Dream House Design
Cabinet Paint: Benjamin Moore Coffee House Tan 
Wall & Cabinet Paint: Farrow & Ball Pointing
Ironmongery: Pascoe
Stool Fabric: Rose Uniacke Velvet in Fledging 
Glass Candlesticks: Hanks & Wells
Ceramic Mugs: Rose Uniacke
Artwork: Lara Pain Woven Artworks

The main bedroom was designed to feel calm and serene. Bauwerk’s limewash introduces just enough colour to move the room away from plain white, while maintaining the restful atmosphere. An upholstered headboard brings softness while antique pieces add individuality: specifically a giltwood and gesso mirror, a pair of hoofed X-frame stools reupholstered in damask, a vintage nude etching and mismatched bedside tables. 

The asymmetry continues through the lighting. One bedside lamp was made from a carved alabaster vase, while the other has a slender alabaster column base. Although different, both cast the same gentle, diffused glow. Overhead, a moonstone plafonnier (ceiling light) provides another soft source of light and adds a decorative focal point without dominating the room. The bed cushion was made using tapestry offcuts sewn together with their reverse sides facing out. The shaggy threads reveal the craftsmanship behind the textile and give the colours a rawer, more vibrant quality. A sheepskin rug adds one final layer of softness underfoot.

Walls: Bauwerk Mykonos 
Headboard Fabric: Rose Uniacke Textured Wool in Wild Hazel  
Blind: Yarn Collective Iris in Jasmine 
Café Curtain: Rose Uniacke Sheer Linen in Parchment  
Stool Fabric: Marvic Textiles Orlando Damask 
Pendant: 1923 Antiques
Bedside Table: Howe London
Alabaster Lamps: Pamono
Stools: DJ Green Antiques

The loft conversion created one large room with an open en-suite shower, which is currently used as a dressing room. It’s more playful – the walls and ceiling are wrapped in a textured pink-and-white wallpaper to create an enveloping box of colour. Around the shower, a reworked black-and-white checkerboard floor brings a graphic moment to the room. The tiled section also helps distinguish the bathing area from the dressing space without requiring a physical divide.

A 19th-century chinoiserie sofa table found on Lillie Road is used as a vanity, paired with an antique brass stool with rope detailing. A vintage chaise – accidentally won in an eBay auction – was reupholstered in Rose Uniacke’s Sable wool, while sheepskin adds another layer of softness. Rather than replacing the existing sink, its heavier base is concealed with a fabric skirt. The simple change gives the vanity a softer, more feminine appearance and helps it sit more naturally within the decorative scheme.

Stool: Lorfords
Antique Regency-Style Daybed: Etsy
Sofa Table: Etsy
Chinoiserie Table: Lorfords
Wicker Stool: Vinterior

The office combines simple, hardworking furniture with pieces that give the room age and character. An antique screen found at Ardingly Antiques Market forms a decorative backdrop, while a linen pinboard provides space for current projects, fabric samples and inspirational images.

The solid oak desk is one of the few contemporary pieces in the house. Inspired by architects’ desks and antique trestle tables, its pared-back form feels timeless rather than overtly modern. Metal detailing adds contrast and the unfinished quality of the timber means it will gradually develop marks and patina. A vintage Spanish semi-flush ceiling light, sourced at the Decorative Fair, adds sculptural interest overhead, while woven seagrass baskets provide unobtrusive storage.

Desk: Konk Classic Oak Desk
Ceiling Light: Brownrigg
Storage Basket: Mango Home

The bathroom feels like an extension of the living spaces rather than a purely functional room. As the door is usually left open to help natural light travel through the house, its palette and finishes needed to sit comfortably alongside the rest of the interior.

The walls were covered in organic plaster, giving the compact room an understated, earthy texture. Viola marble on the vanity and windowsill introduces gentle colour and movement, while polished nickel hardware keeps the overall look clean and timeless. With little room for furniture, decorative vintage pieces bring character without cluttering the space. Pewter bowls and vessels add a sense of age and patina, and the café curtain was made using the leftover French linen from the kitchen.

Wall Finish: Mas Maya Natura Organic Plaster 
Brassware: Cast Iron Bath Company
Wall Lights: Vintage-Style Metal Candle Lights
Decorative Bowls: 1stDibs

Outside, synthetic timber flooring was replaced with reclaimed terracotta tiles. Re-levelling the patio added work to the project but the warmth, variation and aged quality of the tiles now feel far more in keeping with the interiors. The previously stark white walls were limewashed, creating a softer backdrop that helps the terrace feel like a continuation of the house. A vintage bench sourced at Kempton market and patinated copper-and-glass wall lights add instant character, while the planting will gradually be built up to create a greener, more layered outdoor room.

Terracotta Tiles: Lubelska
Wall Finish: Bauwerk Wander 
Wall Lights: Joseph Berry Interiors

Visit LAURENCAMPBELLSTUDIO.COM

Photographer credit: Tim Salisbury