CASE STUDY HAVING THE VISION


Alissa and David Talbot transformed their cramped London maisonette into a beautiful and practical home to house their growing family


TEXT ALEXANDRA PRATT IMAGES JOE WHITMORE/CARTA NOVA


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t was the summer of 2021 and Alissa and David were living in London when they decided they wanted to stop renting, and put down some roots. “We took advantage of the stamp duty holiday,” says Alissa, who works as an account director. “We liked north London and started looking for somewhere that was walkable to a nice high street.”


They found just that in a three-bedroom aisonette on te first oor o a ictorian terrace. e location was ideal ut te at was very tired. “It had clearly been a rental,” recalls Alissa. “Apart from the period features such as fireplaces eerting was eige and unloed. espite so little initial appeal te at did have the potential to be improved, and this was further underlined by the planning permission attached to the attic. Alissa and David instructed a structural engineer before completing the purchase of their new home to ensure a loft conversion was feasible. Once they cleared this hurdle, the couple started looking for an


32 www.sbhonline.co.uk


architect to help them realise their dream of a more spacious home, remodelled according to their own needs, with a master suite in the attic. Although David (who works in public affairs), and Alissa spoke to several architects, some were less than enthusiastic about the project. en te ound a atea director o arta Nova online. “We loved her aesthetic,” says Alissa. “Eva


shared our vision. Her design and her approach were what we needed.” Their brief to Eva was to rigten te at open up soe o te roos and modernise it, creating a calming and joyful space. In particular, as both Alissa and David work ro oe at ties te needed an ofice that could easily be used as a guest room. They also wanted an open-plan kitchen, dining and liing roo on te ain oor. To achieve all this, they knocked down the wall between the kitchen and the master bedroom, creating a room with windows to the east and west tat is now ooded wit ligt. e original liing roo is now te ofice and


jul/aug 2024


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