A formerly disjointed coach house in Hackney becomes a peaceful oasis
“It's a very calm space," says property project director Lisa Phillips of her Hackney coach house. "I love that when you shut the gate, it becomes an amazing oasis and I can pretend that I'm in the middle of the countryside.” That statement itself feels immensely satisfying, given how long the road was to get the house to its current state. An architect friend, Debby Kuypers, had advised Lisa to live there for a while in order to figure out what she wanted to do with it, but the layout was very strange. The front door opened into the living room, and the bathroom was downstairs, cutting into the kitchen, making it an awkward L-shape. Upstairs was equally bizarre, with no bathroom, and access to the guest bedroom through the main bedroom.
When Lisa began to move things around, she began with the front door. It was her mother who pointed out the natural place for it, and her father who measured the wall brick by brick to see if it would work. It did work, and the approach to the house is now through a charming courtyard garden. The rest of the layout followed suit. A wall of French doors was added to the living room, and the bathroom was demolished and moved upstairs, where Lisa fully reconfigured the space to include two bedrooms that are accessed separately from one landing. The process was messy, dusty, long and dirty, and Lisa camped in the house throughout.
There were some real low points along the way: the French doors themselves were not delivered until three days after the opening in the wall was created, so that Lisa had three nights of sleeping in a house with a hole in the wall – in winter. There was also a lengthy period during which there was no kitchen or bathroom; Lisa was scouring Deliveroo for the healthiest meal options and showering in the gym. Best of all, when the floor was laid downstairs, Lisa couldn't walk on it so had to use a ladder out of her bedroom stable door to climb down and collect her food deliveries.
However stressful it may have been, it was in many ways one of the best periods of Lisa's life, as the project was a true family affair. Each weekend, for months at a time, Lisa's dad and brother would jump on a train from a village in North Lincolnshire on a Friday night – armed with home-cooked food from her mother – to demolish walls, load skips or put up stud walls. They got stuck in to every aspect of the project, right up to the plumbing in the new bathroom. “It was genuinely a lovely time where we all really bonded and connected,” says Lisa. “Everyone was dirty and tired and exhausted, but they never grumbled about it. They were all just so up for it, weekend after weekend.”
There are touches in every room that bear witness to the family ties. The metal bannister was made by Lisa's dad; the front door and sensible layout is of course all thanks to her mum; but the real embodiment of the family is in the living room. Next to the sofa is a tactile side table, crafted from twisted metal and buttery soft leather; her dad did all the metalwork and her cousin upholstered it. It is a thing of real beauty, and the story of its creation only heightens its appeal.
When it came to the interiors, Lisa turned to her former colleague Evelina Mamedovaite, who set up her own interior design business in 2021. The pair met working at Fortnum & Mason, and Lisa originally called Evelina in to help when design decisions on the bathroom became overwhelming, before deciding to hand over the interiors to her entirely. Evelina also worked on the bespoke design for all the new windows and doors. “I just love the feeling in the house," Evelina says. "It's like a little country retreat in the city.” This is exactly what Lisa wanted from the house: somewhere that spoke to her Northern roots and love of being in nature. Evelina tackled this by bringing in textured elements, such as rough band sawn wood flooring from Solid Floor, light switches from deVol and lots of linens, cotton and hemp.
“I wanted to have a sense of home that was quite restrained," Lisa adds. “I can often feel overwhelmed by the busy nature of London.” For this reason Evelina was the perfect choice to decorate the house. She cites Rose Uniacke as a source of inspiration for creating a peaceful atmosphere through interior design. “I always start with key words for each project when I get to know a house," explains Evelina. For this one, it was words like “humble, cherished, grounded, honest, refined.”
Both Lisa and Evelina agreed that they wanted to find and commission pieces that would last. For Lisa the finished result “feels ethical; I couldn't live surrounded by throwaway pieces”. As Evelina remarks, “I knew that this was not going to be her forever home. In a few years time, she'll move on. When we were choosing a lot of the pieces, it was with that in mind, so we made sure to choose things that can travel with her.” The cabinet that houses the TV and other trinkets in the living room, for example, is far too tall for the space, so, with the future in mind, Evelina simply had the legs cut down and they can be added back on for wherever Lisa lays her hat next.
For Evelina, it was important to create a thread throughout the house, and colour and fabrics were a key way of doing this. "I want the spaces I create to feel quite painterly,” she notes. In this house, a palette of buttery yellows and ochres fits in well with the earthy tones that Lisa loves. Certain textiles have been used in multiple places. “We used the Howe 36 Bourne Street ‘Cypress’ wallpaper in the bedroom and then a fabric version of that in the bathroom,” Evelina explains, as well as repeating a variation of Rose Uniacke velvets in the bathroom, spare bedroom and in the dining space. “I didn't want anything that felt too in your face or too obvious,” she continues, “because it feels like a slow house in a way. I never want a house to feel like a designer has come in and done it, I want it to feel much more lived in and natural.”
Christopher Horwood1/12The house opens into the kitchen and then flows into the dining area and living room beyond. All the ground floor walls are painted in ‘Shaded White’ by Farrow & Ball and ‘Tate Bute’ light band sawn oak floors from Solid Floor run throughout the entirety.
Christopher Horwood2/12The kitchen joinery is in ‘Drop Cloth’ by Farrow & Ball, with dark bronze handles from Cordea Ironmongery. The tap is a Perrin & Rowe design.
Christopher Horwood3/12A vintage bistro table and pair of wrought iron chairs can be moved easily between the garden and kitchen to provide space.
Christopher Horwood4/12An early 19th-century late George III period mahogany secretaire bookcase hides the TV and Evelina chopped the legs off to have it fit in the space. This is paired with an antique chair, hemp-covered Ikea sofa and burl coffee table from Petra Madalena, which sits on a jute rug from Armadillo.
Christopher Horwood5/12The side table was a collaboration between Lisa's family, made by her father and cousin.
Christopher Horwood6/12The bannister was also made by Lisa's dad and its shape echoes that of the stairs.
Christopher Horwood7/1236 Bourne Street's ‘Cypress’ wallpaper in ‘Cocoa’ sets the tone in the main bedroom. A Regency mahogany three door wardrobe sourced from Ron Green sits along one wall, alongside an antique urn stand as a bedside table. The rounded-edge headboard was upholstered by Lisa's cousin.
Christopher Horwood8/12Looking back from the master bedroom to the landing.
Christopher Horwood9/12In the spare bedroom, Lisa's cousin again handled the headboard. A Pinch ‘Soren’ globe light hangs over the bed and a George III mahogany chest of drawers with blind-fret canted corners and ogee feet – also from Ron Green – provides storage.
Christopher Horwood10/12The bathroom is a lovely room, thanks to the interior window that allows light to flow in from the landing. Here, Howe's ‘Cypress’ print has been used to create a pretty shower curtain. The sink skirt is the same Rose Uniacke velvet as is seen under the stairs on the ground floor.
Christopher Horwood11/12Zellige tiles from Emery & Cie add texture to the bathroom, paired with sleek sanitaryware from The Water Monopoly. An antique mirror adds a lovely touch.
Christopher Horwood12/12The bathroom window allows the light from the stairwell and landing to flood in, with a Vaughan lantern grounding the area.
