STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS


BATHROOM A freestanding bath sits under the sloped roof


into a stunning garden planted with jasmine, ferns, hydrangeas and pittosporum and anchored by a mature cherry blossom and Amelanchier trees. “Green was the predetermined backdrop colour to all the living spaces and therefore, the natural choice for the accent furnishings too,” explains Lily. One of their favourite elements is the simplest.


FAVOURITE FEATURE


“I fell in love with the Jurassic Green marble from the Amazon in ail at fi st sight ts so unusual, textured and moody, I knew it would be the ultimate feature piece for the kitchen and the bar. The steam shower has become a great friend to me too, I can highly recommend installing one of those if you can!”


“We introduced planters to the perimeter of the primary bedroom terrace which sits slightly highe than the  oo level o the edoo he effect of this is not only complete privacy but year-round interest in seasonal planting with their beautiful colours and scents, it’s a joy to wake up to.”


One of the brave choices Lily made was to walk away from their original architect, mostly down to delays in planning. “When we met Phil we were encouraged by his passion and conviction, which is what we felt we needed to make the most of this rare opportunity to design our own home from scratch in London,” she says. “We wanted a comfortable family home that afforded us privacy and practicality for family life but also make a statement from a design perspective and be a hospitable ‘party house’, if you will, for us and our children, for years to come.


“The shape and openness of the house was the original and singular concept of Phil Coffey, we didn’t deviate from that, trusting him to


design a striking building with its relationship with light at the crux. The interior architecture conceptualised by Phil and his colleagues was further developed by my interior design. We made a good team!”


So what would Lily and her family advise anyone else looking to undergo such a challenging project? “Spiralling costs and considerable demand for builders and special trades mean embarking on a big renovation or ne uild oect is oe than eve a signifi cant commitment of money, time and pressure,” she says. “My biggest advice would be to plan and specify as much as possible in advance, don’t try and run before you can walk! We all want to get the guys onsite ASAP but if you are not prepared by way of budgeting, programme, decisions on layout secifi cations ovisions style etc then ultimately, you are going to be the one holding things up and paying through the nose for it. You’ll need to make hundreds of decisions under pressure and the better prepared you are, the less stressful and more cost-effective your project will run.” But her family are clear it was worth all the


eot he  oo to ceiling all to all glaing on the fi st  oo is taced y a esoke soa in a forest green velvet. Sitting here feels like you’re sitting in the garden, thanks to the projection of the design, and is my favourite spot for a morning coffee.”


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