When actress and writer Daisy Lewis, who is best known for her roles in Downton Abbey and Doctor Who, bought this Victorian terrace in east London it was a sorry sight. But, with many of the original features thankfully still intact, she embarked on a four-year renovation, sensitively re-organising the layout to create a modern space that still respects the building’s Victorian fabric. As her home comes onto the market, Daisy talks to us about combining old and new, why theatricality is vital to the space, and her garden lockdown project.Daisy: “Before I bought this house, I lived out of a suitcase really. I’m a bit of a commitment phobe when it comes to living circumstances, which I think goes hand in hand with being a creative. “I grew up in Dorset and when I moved to London, I’d stay with friends, often actors and artists, in the East End. I’ve always loved this part of London – it feels like my tribe is here. I always think that if Peter Pan was in his thirties, this is the part of London he’d live in. I rented a flat in Columbia Road for a bit, before moving to America for work.
“When I came across this house in Bethnal Green five years ago, I was living in America. My friend, the artist Philip Colbert, pointed it out to me. It was built in 1836 and is part of a row of terraced houses that used to be called Charles Terrace, although it now sits on Roman Road, right next to Victoria Park. I fell for the area really – it’s home to one of the oldest pie and mash shops and the market is amazing. I loved that it wasn’t totally yuppified and had some of the charm of the original East End. “The big question I asked myself when looking for somewhere to buy was, “who am I, how do I want to live and does the area represent that?” It was crucial for me to be around art and artists, and this area is right at the centre of that for me. My friend, the artist Henry Hudson, lives just down the street, and for me, the key to modern living is to find places that match the stage of life that you’re at. It was also just a 30-minute commute into the West End, which was ideal for work. “The house itself was deeply unloved, but the bones of it were great, with double height ceilings. The front of it was covered in a mad combination of pebble dash and crazy paving and it had five bedrooms upstairs, but the only bathroom was in the kitchen. Historically, these Victorian houses only had outdoor loos. It still had beautiful original features, although they were in need of a lot of restoration. “I bought it at auction. I’m one of those people who never does things by half, although I didn’t get to work straight away, as I had to save up. It was a very long process, as it was a complete gut job. I remember right at the beginning of the work sleeping on a blow up mattress with no windows and thinking “what have you done?” It was tough.
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发表于 2020-8-21 20:57:47
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