We’re going to do another house tour today. I’m thrilled to show you round the home of Caz Roberts, creative director of Grazia magazine, which was featured on those pages a couple of weeks ago. Caz and I used to work together at The Independent and when I saw her gorgeous place I immediately asked if I could bring you all round on a virtual tour.
She asked the photographer, Chris Tubbs, who kindly gave his permission as well, so come on in. We’ll start with the kitchen because just look at that. I am always saying to clients that you don’t have to paint a whole wall or floor a whole floor -as it were – and here is a perfect example. Caz has used tiles to great effect to create a rug in the middle of the room which, even better than zoning the space – which is the practical reason to do it – serves no purpose other than to be decorative.
And we can’t leave that room without stopping to admire the bar stools. Caz said she found them on ebay from a seller in Croatia and they had been in a club for years. I’m so jealous of them I could spit. The green and brass just sets off the concrete worktop and industrial look a treat.
The house itself is a terraced cottage dating back to the 1900s and Caz extended the ground floor to create an open plan kitchen living space that linked to the garden, and turned the loft into a third bedroom. She also replaced the kitchen and bathroom.
The worktops are made from poured concrete and left to set for a month before they can be used, which, I have to admit, is what has always put me off the same look. I’m not sure I could go a month without a worktop as that usually means no hob or tap or sink either. It’s something that needs to be done either before you move in or as part of a big job for which you move out. And something else to bear in mind – we did discuss this with our builder a couple of years ago and he said that as the units were Ikea they might not be strong enough to support a heavy concrete worktop. It would be easy enough to prop them up from underneath, he said, but it would add to the cost of the job.
In addition to the vintage barstools, Caz added an old haberdasher’s unit from Castle Gibson for storage and some ultra glam brass pendants from Retrouvius.
The sitting room area is also light and airy with the silvery sofa and retro Danish chair. The minimal lines are given warmth with the flowery cushion and wooden crate which came from RE – re-found objects – which is a great place to find unusual and interesting objects that are a little out of the ordinary.
And this is a clever idea if you have a bench in the kitchen and a lack of storage. The wire crates underneath are perfect for storing all sorts of things. This is great if, like me, you use the kitchen table as a desk. You could slide all the work under there at the end of the day and clear the table in about five minutes flat.
At the front of the house Caz has created a dark and cosy living room painted in Little Greene’s Obsidian, which is almost black at night. It’s the perfect retreat from the rest of the house and makes a great space for cosy evenings around the wood-burning stove.
The bedroom is light and bright and minimal. Try Norman Cherner if you want a chair like this – don’t we all? And the pile of magazines on the floor just adds a splash of colour.
Finally the graphic black and white bathroom is luxurious thanks to the brass towel rack and the art deco mirror. Also – tip – square tiles are coming. If you want metro tiles then the new look is stacked vertically – and we are going to be looking at bathroom trends from Milan later this week – or square is the new subway.
So all that remains to be said is Caz, when can I move in?
All images by Chris Tubbs with kind permission. Follow him and Caz on instagram
I just love it all. I also like your kitchen bench ideas. I have been searching something like this finally found your post. Hope it will helpful for me . And i am work here like you. If you had more insight i will greatly appreciate it. Thanks for the sharing such a helpful article.
Love it all, though I am SO not minimalist myself: hence a repeat of the general cry, ‘I want that fabulous glam bronze ceiling; what is it?’.
I love the library/sitting room ceiling against the dark walls. Do you know if it’s been painted, as opposed to foiled, what paint was used?
I loved it to, weirdly my least favourite space was the dark room which would usually be my favourite. Understand the thinking behind it but just does not work with the rest of the house, which is my idea of heaven.
Just the essentials … and what essentials!
I loved it too but what did she do to the dark sitting room ceiling?
Love the minimal but not stark feel to this house. But wow! wow! wow! did you see the sitting room ceiling? Looks like a kind of gilded bronze finish……sigh.
Love it all. So nice to see a mix of something light and minimal next to dark and eclectic, with there still being a lovely flow between the rooms. And big yes to square tiles!
Love the kitchen bench idea. I am always searching for a solution to the kitchen table/daytime desk problem, like you I work from here!