What began as a house viewing met with whispered dismay ended as a stunning, light-filled family home, proving that vision and collaboration can unlock extraordinary potential in the most unlikely of properties.
Seeing Potential in a 'Dump'
For Purvi Harlalka and Jyothish George, the search for a new home in north London had become a wearying process. When details for a large, long-neglected HMO (house of multiple occupancy) landed in their inbox, expectations were low. Jyothish George's first impression upon viewing was blunt: he whispered to his partner, 'There's no way we're going to buy this dump!'
However, Harlalka saw beyond the warren of small rooms. She was captivated by the abundant light and, crucially, the garden. "I knew it was the one," she recalls. Her brief to architect Jo Edwards of Edwards Rensen was clear: create a sense of spaciousness throughout, delivering fewer rooms but more usable, beautiful space.
Architectural Ingenuity: Creating Space and Light
Jo Edwards embraced the challenge, appreciating the clients' desire not to squeeze every inch from the property but to craft a beautiful family home. A key decision was to forgo building extra rooms in the loft. Instead, ceilings were removed to create expansive double-height volumes, allowing the bedrooms to soar into airy apexes.
The transformation was most dramatic in the basement. Previously subdivided into multiple rooms, it was opened into one huge living, eating, and playing area for their young son. A contemporary steel staircase now dissects this open-plan space, which features a sleek kitchen on one side and dining and seating areas on the other. Full-height glass doors open the entire lower level directly on to the garden.
Edwards notes a clever design solution in the kitchen: "The full-height kitchen cupboards look like a simple long run, but they hide a multitude of sins. The wall behind them kinks and bulges with old fireplaces and wall supports, so beyond the doors, the cupboards are all different depths to make the most of the space available."
A Global Tapestry of Art and Design
To infuse the spacious shell with personality, interior designer Edwina Boase was brought on board. Harlalka, a self-professed lover of art and colour, found a perfect collaborator in Boase, who balances playfulness with practicality.
Together, they commissioned a global collection of bespoke artworks, sculpture, photography, furniture, and fabrics. Sourced from artists on Instagram and Etsy, pieces arrived from around the world:
- A painting by Thim Rohde from Denmark, stretched in the UK.
- A silk 'x+l' artwork from the Netherlands in the basement.
- Artwork in the main bedroom by Holly Addi from Utah, USA.
- A piece above the dressing table by Rubeena Ratcliffe from Canada.
"The idea was to create a cherished tapestry of collaborations and stories," explains Boase. In the sitting room, large-scale photographs by South African artist Kgomotso 'Neto' Tleane, found at the LagosPhoto festival in Nigeria, set the decorative colour palette, complemented by works from Danish artist Tilde Grynnerup and a German abstract painting by Susanne Kirsch.
Harlalka's meticulous eye for detail shone through in custom pieces. She even took a tracing paper template of a terrazzo design to India on holiday to have fabric for sitting room blinds made cheaply, ensuring it matched the Diespeker design on her console tables. She also personally designed art deco-style routing for a flat-fronted sideboard, crafted by Nell Beale Navarro at Coucoumanou.
An Exotic Garden Sanctuary
If the interior is a masterpiece, the garden is its equally captivating partner. Designed by neighbour Declan Buckley, it is an exotic, evergreen sanctuary filled with hardy versions of banana plants, reminding the couple of their childhoods in India.
A key feature was ensuring the garden was visible immediately upon entering. Jyothish George's idea for a straight staircase down to the lower level facilitates this perfectly, creating a seamless visual connection from the front door to the lush greenery outside.
From a dismissed 'dump' to a personalised dream home, this north London transformation stands as a testament to bold vision, architectural cleverness, and a truly global approach to design.
