So as you may know, I used to work at AO as the Editor of AO at Home (now AO Life). I still write for their blog as a contributor and I still do some consultancy work with them as a freelancer and so when I was contacted to see if I might help out whilst they had a little blogger meet up in London, of course I wasnβt going to say no. Especially considering AO were one of the official sponsors of the LivingEtc House Tours and the blogger meet up revolved around seeing some beautiful homes that graced LivingEtcβs pages over the years.
The full Northwest London tour had 7 different homes that could be viewed but as there was a bit of travelling between each house, we only saw 4 of them on the day as we were travelling down from Manchester that morning. Some of the other bloggers got to see the first two as well but for me, the tour started at House 3.
To be honest, that was absolutely fine because it ended up being my favourite of all the ones we saw (although there was a close second which Iβll share with you on Wednesday).
The property itself was basically my dream house. It was Victorian, enormous and filled to the brim with original features, gorgeous flooring, stained glass and amazing eclectic finds. This was a house in which following trends was not apparent but everything had so much personality, so much interest around every corner that I was ooohing and awwing my way around.
Check out the living room β a big black feature wall with an olive green velvet chesterfield (I TOLD you, dream house for realz).
I loved this whole grouping of items. That lamp! Omg. And all the moulding on the walls. Ugh. I die.
I snapped a pic of myself in front of this enormous mirror with itβs funky little console and mix of copper items on the table. Thatβs Amy from AO and Hannah from Hannah in the House behind me.
In the other sitting area, lots of vintage paintings in mismatched ornate frames line up behind a sofa filled with bright prints.
I fell hard for a pair of these vintage French wall lights as well that flanked a fireplace. They were huge and just awe-inspiring.
In the kitchen, the star of the show was this huge display cabinet filled with quirky finds.
And little details like these little boho elephants hanging from doorsβ¦
Going up the stairs was a treat with all the incredible stained glass and metallic wallpaper panels and an ornate vintage chandelier greeting you on the landing.
And then at the top of the stairs, this pretty little pink pompomβd lady with her beautiful backdrop of pale blue and that stunning vintage brass leaf wall light and another crystal chandelier.
Into the bedrooms⦠the first, in Farrow & Ball Calamine (the woman who owns the home worked for them for years apparently).
In the second bedroom, a stunning silver metallic wallpaper and an incredible vintage light (I pretty much loved every single light fixture in this house β can you tell?).
I honestly hope that when Iβm a much older lady who has travelled the world, this will be the kind of home that I live in.
Stylish, worldly but so much fun. And you know what I noticed as well? This was not a βperfectβ house β it was lived in, loved, imperfect. There were cracks in the walls, peeling paint, scuffs, the rugs were well used β and it just goes to show that you donβt need perfection to get perfection. This house was clearly loved and I loved that about it.
Stay tuned because on Wednesday, Iβll be sharing another one of the houses we saw which I also found fun and inspiring.
Anything that catches your eye? Iβd love to know what you think of this amazing home.
Loved this one!!! Itβs funny, because you managed to see things I had missed. It was such a stunning and huge house that I felt I needed way more time to take it all in. Lovely photos, they make me want to return :-) xo
Oh yeah, so much fun and so stylish!
SOOOO love this! those bedrooms are awesome and i love that wood and white floral nightstand and see a diy in my future.
This is my favourite house from the tour too. I saw it a couple of years ago as well and even though the owner is a stylist, a lot of it was unchanged. That black wall was teal and purple before β I much prefer the black.
It is used for location shooting and is in an ad (for insurance, I think) that is on TV at the moment.
I think if I lived here, I would never want to leave.
Wow, so much eye candy to take in. I love touring homes and those are amazing ones to see in person! xo
I love this home too! It has that feeling and design that you can only get after years of collecting and loving a house! I canβt wait until my home feels like this too!
β¦for once. Iβm speechlessβ¦
OMG, I am dying! This is literally my favorite home tour on the internet! That stained glass! The black wall! The sconces! The silver wallpaper! The chandelier! I donβt think thereβs a single element that I didnβt love! (Please pardon my excessive exclamationsβ¦ But Iβm SOOO glad you shared this tour!)
Beautiful photographs, and it was fabulous to meet you. I hope to see you again soon!
SERIOUSLY, DAAAAAMN. Again, this home is so perfect! The silk. Oh the silk. And the little pom poms on that hot pink chair. And that living room. It has me sliding off my seat. Serious eye candy! PUT IT ALL IN MY EYES AND MOUTH! #ThatsWhatSheSaid
Morning, iβm off work [for 2 days very giddy] so iβm sat with a cup of tea looking through the archiveβs.
,I love this house, Iβve kept the Living ETC mag that it was in, itβs just beautiful xxx
Oh it was just spectacular! Definitely my dream house ;) Yay for 2 days off!! Enjoy yourself ;) You deserve the break xx
thanks for sharing
Hi! I was wondering if you knew of could find out the maker of the white chandelier in that second image (the black room). That would be amazing! Thank you!
good article,