One photographer’s picture-perfect renovation
Top architecture photographer Dom French showed us around his newly renovated home, which is as stylish as you’d expect for someone who makes his living taking pictures of some of the coolest buildings around…
Dom French first fell in love with architecture as a young boy when he watched the very first series of Grand Designs with his mum.
He never dreamt back then that one day he’d own a stunning home special enough to feature in Grand Designs magazine.
But, by working together with his wife and chosing an excellent architect, that’s what he’s achieved. So we went to meet Dom in his newly renovated, stylish and sophisticated north London family home.
Designer tastes
The black-framed modern ‘oriel’ windows give the loft extension a distinctive and striking appearance. Image credit: French + Tye
Because Dom and his wife Claire, who works in fashion, are both designers, they know what they like when it comes to interiors, so picking the right architect was a really important decision for them.
Dom is half of French + Tye, a company that takes pictures of all the best new builds, so he spends his days photographing some of the most stylish and innovative new buildings.
That means, when it came to doing up their own home in Tottenham, the couple had lots of ideas to bring to the (designer dining) table. But they entrusted the design of the project to local architect Marco Curtaz, because they loved the other bespoke homes he had designed and liked his way of working in a ‘design dialogue’ with them.
“We wanted to incorporate ideas we’d seen while travelling,” explains Dom.
“For example, we’d seen something similar to our wooden wall but in ply at the Alvar Aalto house in Helsinki. And there are other little nods to Japan where we went on our honeymoon. Marco found a way to take our ideas and add them to his own within his overall vision to create something really special.”
Buying the house
The Edwardian house has generous bay windows at the rear. The garden combines varied textural planting and white flowering plants in rendered blockwork planters. Image credit: French + Tye
Dom and Claire have lived in their house in what is a typical London street of Edwardian terraced properties for 11 years, buying it after the previous owner died.
A lot needed doing because the former owner had grown old in the house, eventually ending up living in the front room with a shower cubicle installed there so they could wash. Little else had been done to the place since the 1970s.
Dom and Claire did enough work initially to make the house liveable, then got on with their lives.
This included having their first two children, Margot, now six, and Ansel, three.
They knew they would put their own stamp on the place in due course, but it took a while to get the plans and finances in place for the big renovation.
Renovation works
The dark blue-black kitchen matches the Farrow and Ball Railings paint and faces the contrasting light oak panelling in the new extension. Image credit: French + Tye
It was worth the wait, because the home makeover they have achieved in their very ordinary street is really extraordinary, shortlisted for an NLA Don’t Move Improve award,
The main work done to the three-bed terrace was a loft extension and side-return extension, with the ground floor reconfigured to give a large kitchen diner at the rear, playroom in the middle of the house, and a living room at the front.
But these are no ordinary extensions: this reno has been carried out with both a very clear vision and an eye for detail from Marco who runs his own practice, Curtaz Studio locally – and is a parent at the same nursery Claire and Dom’s children attend.
Creative partnership
The new extension features the art installation-inspired light well, glass roof, oak panelling and built-in bench. The glass door frames a view into the new garden. Image credit: French + Tye
Through his work, Dom has a contact book full of the best architects, but he decided to entrust Marco with the renovation because he liked his previous work, and because he felt they were on the same wavelength aesthetically.
It proved to be a good choice. The collaboration has proved highly fruitful. Marco has responded to the couple’s brief with a fresh and novel approach, and has incorporated their ideas along the way.
Having seen so many interesting buildings over the years, Dom had plenty of ideas to share.
Marco, meanwhile, says, “Because they both work in the design world, they were open to quite bold ideas that it might have been harder to convince other clients about.”
Underpinning ideas
Architect Marco had the inspired idea to tilt the loft windows to frame the best views of nature. Image credit: French + Tye
Marco, who worked at a larger architecture practice before setting up on his own, had two central ideas that underpinned his vision for the redesign.
Firstly, he wanted to frame the best views from the house with dark frames to replicate the way photographer Dom sees the world when he looks through a camera lens. Hence the name for the project ‘Aperture House’.
Secondly, he wanted to see a ‘ribbon’ of one colour run consistently down through one side of the house, down the stairs, tumbling like a ribbon or skein of fabric that Claire might use in her job in fashion.
In this way, both careers are represented in the fabric of the home – it’s quite high concept, but has worked very well in execution.
Skewed windows
Quiet luxury in the master bedroom with the secret bath hidden beneath a wide window seat. Image credit: French + Tye
The ‘modern take’ on oriel windows are one of the real delights of the scheme. Instead of being set straight into the walls, the new windows in the loft are angled with custom joinery, so as to direct your gaze to the best views.
The angling brings with it kooky visual interest and charm to the loft interiors.
Similarly, in the kitchen, the cabinetry is angled so as to open up vistas and sight lines through the house into the new garden and direct the gaze in the ‘right’ direction – cue more interesting shapes and views of lovely greenery.
The distinctive loft with its quirky angles is clad in black charred timber. Image credit: French + Tye
From the new L-shaped loft, at the back, the house overlooks a large area of back gardens with plenty of mature trees.
The large custom windows with dark frames are very carefully positioned and angled so as to frame views of nature – the mature trees – while excluding sight of tatty fencing and other people’s back yards.
The effect is magical. Surrounded by nature rather than neighbours, you feel transported, and could almost forget you are in sunny south Tottenham.
Bath with a view
The hidden bath with an artfully angled view. Image credit: French + Tye
Many of the windows have custom joinery window seats that double as storage – and there’s a special treat in the master bedroom.
Hidden beneath a lid within more custom cabinetry is a small bath – inspired by Japanese furo baths – in front of the large window, so you can sit in the bath and stargaze.
Marco explains, “As there wasn’t space for a bath in the shower room, I suggested several places whee we could put a bath in the master bedroom. Inspired by their visit to Japan on their honeymoon, Dom and Claire chose the option of a Japanese-style bath by the picture window, enveloped by greenery. This idea was then refined further to become a bath cum window seat.”
Dom adds, “There’s an electric blind for privacy while you get in, then you put up again once you’re in, and lie back, relax, and enjoy the view of the trees and the sky.”
Unsurprisingly, what was intended as a special indulgence for the adults, has become the kids’ favourite place to splash about. Another thing they all love to do is watch the green ring-necked parakeets fly past.
Dom says “Waking up to the carefully framed views of the trees and sky, brings us joy.
“It’s a delight watching the colours change through the seasons, too, and feeling more connected to nature through the views from the loft.”
Office in the sky
The skewed window in the loft office gives a perfectly framed view of neighbourhood trees and creates interesting angles in the room. Image credit: French + Tye
As well as the generous master bedroom on the new second floor, there’s a large office, as both Claire and Dom WFH, plus a shower room.
“We wanted a separate shower room not an en suite,” Dom explains. The office is large enough to feel very business like and airy.
“The views are great and there’s a full height, pocket door that Dom often shuts to get away from the hubbub of family life so he can get on with his picture editing.
He says, “The studio oriel gives more vistas of the mature trees, which gives a real feeling of being in a calm oasis within the city.”
On the ground floor, meanwhile, an industrial-style, solid-glass pivot door perfectly frames the view out onto more greenery in the small back garden.
Dom says, “Claire is used to working with manufacturers in her job, so with expensive items like this, we’d cut out the middle man and go straight to the manufacturer to save money.”
Bringing in the light
The shower in the loft has a spectacular skylight that lets you bathe in light while you shower. Image credit: French + Tye
Edwardian homes can be quite dark, but the new full-width, frameless glass roof on the ground-floor extension, and the roof lights above the loft shower and landing, allow light to pour into the house – and offer further glimpses of the paraquets going about their business.
There’s a cute little light well set in the floor near the top of the staircase too, and a large one in the roof of the new extension, which is reminiscent of the sky-framing installations of American artist James Turrell, which the couple admire.
All these mean that the house is light enough to handle the sophisticated, dark colour scheme they have chosen.
Ribbon of colour
The deliciously dark ‘ribbon’ of Fallow & Ball paint carries right up the stairs to the top of the house from the kitchen. Image credit: French + Tye
The ‘ribbon’ of colour Marco envisioned running down the stairs and into the kitchen has been executed in an elegant dark blue/black – Farrow & Ball’s Railings – which acts as a foil to all the other decorations and colour in the house.
This dark central core feels refined, and, as Dom points out, being such a dark shade it effectively ‘hides’ detailing such as the underside of the stairs, and services like the oven.
Marco explains, “The dark tones are continued externally through the use of charred timber cladding – Shou Sugi Ban – on the dormers and oriel windows.”
Dom was keen on Marco’s suggestion of the blackened timber as it was something he and Claire saw in Japan.
Oak panelling
The warm light oak panelling in the extension is both contemporary and classic. Image credit: French + Tye
A contrasting wall of light-oak wooden panelling with vertical trim in the new extension adds warmth and natural texture, this was an idea of Marco’s inspired by Asplund’s wooden chapel in Stockholm.
The use of oak is a master stroke, it feels more sophisticated and luxe than ultra-trendy ply, and gives a knowing nod to traditional wood panelling.
“It’s a tall, narrow house and the design leans into that by emphasising the vertical,” Dom says.
Doorways have been opened up to ceiling height, with tall, flush pocket doors hidden way inside the walls to keep visual clutter to a minimum.
Hiding the clutter
A ew oversized concentric ceiling rose and steel fire surround deliver drama in the play room. Image credit: French + Tye
Talking of clutter, the inevitable piles of books and plastic bits and bobs that accompany having three young children are nowhere to be seen.
The large kitchen island contains heaps of storage space for their stuff.
There’s room for more toys and books in the children’s bedrooms and in the play room.
In the latter, a dolls house sits neatly in a custom-made matte-black steel fire surround – there’s a matching fire surround in the sitting room too.
Throughout the house storage has been foregrounded in the extensive custom cabinetry.
Dom points to the storage space under the stairs and says, “This hole was made exactly the right size to accommodate this buggy.”
Detailing the existing house
The blue-black ‘ribbon’ of Farrow & Ball reaches up to the landing in the new loft. Image credit: French + Tye
He reflects, “Once we’d added the extensions with all their really nice detailing, we realised we needed to add some details to the original rooms to bring them up too, to match.”
So they introduced the steel fire surrounds, reinstated the plaster cornicing, and added oversized concentric celling roses in the play room and sitting room to bring the drama.
Family home
Custom cabinetry in the kitchen is angled to enhance sightlines through the house into the garden. Image credit: French + Tye
The first-floor layout has been left largely unchanged, with two bedrooms for the children – both painted in tasteful shades: no Barbie pink here – and a guest room to the rear with a bay window.
Dom says, “It was really important to us that we had somewhere for family and friends to stay.
“There’s no point in having a nice house if you can’t share it with the people you care about.”
First and foremost, despite looking sophisticated, elegant and design-led – this house is a family house, and Dom smiles fondly as he recalls, “The new floorplan on the ground floor means the children can run round and round. And they do.”
Baby in the loft
The prefect family home filled with character, light and laughter… Image credit: French + Tye
In true Grand Designs style, their third child, Ines, was born in the middle of the building works, when the family was living in one room in the new loft.
Dom says, “We just couldn’t afford to move out and pay £2,500 a month to rent somewhere else, so we were all squatting in our bedroom in the loft, with the bathroom next door.
“We had a real array of ancient cooking equipment to feed ourselves with, camping stoves and a baby. It was pretty intense. And our youngest was born in the middle of that.”
But the memories of the stressful parts of the build have faded as they can now relax and enjoy family life in the new and improved, super stylish version of their now four-bed home.
Dom smiles, “It was watching Grand Designs that got me interested in building design all those years ago.
“I’d draw little plans on paper and cut out little scale drawings of my furniture that I’d move around my plans. So it’s all come round in a lovely circle to have a house that is actually appearing in the magazine…”
We enjoy the bit of theatre created by the raised rooflight / lightwell in the passageway from the playroom and the long view through that passage along the oak panels / bench to the garden and trees beyond.
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