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The Househunter 30/10/15

So first of all a huge thank you to everyone who voted to get the Mad House onto the shortlist for the Amara Blog awards. We won! It was, as I believe the saying goes a “glittering star-studded ceremony” at The Ham Yard Hotel, in London, and I drank far too much champagne and didn’t eat quite enough canapes and spent the taxi home wittering inanely to the taxi driver about how happy I was. As you do.

Anyway, enough about me…. well for now anyway. Wanna see a house? Here’s one to get you thinking. An all-white house. Would you? Could you? Should you?

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This three bedroom flat in west London was designed by Claire Lloyd, formerly of Australian Vogue, and is on the market with Domus Nova for £3,500,000. I have to admit I love the idea of it but I’m not sure I would actually do it.

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Having said that my house has white floorboards – which I absolutely love and would do again – and started off with all white walls. And yes, I do have lots of pink accents but I’m not sure I could ever go the whole way and do the white furniture thing.

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Added to which I have been gradually adding more and more grey as the time goes by and I find I really love that too. If this were my house, I might be tempted to start off like this but I would definitely want a few rugs. And, perhaps, instead of the pink I would add lots of tall green plants.

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I do love the zen-like calm of the bedroom though. Now, in an ideal world I would show you a house for sale that is all dark but I haven’t been able to find one in time so, instead, here are two shots of my sitting room. One, as we first painted it, in white, and one, as it is now, dark grey. Which do you prefer?

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Or the dark one? In the bottom one the sofa has changed but otherwise all the furniture remains the same.

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Kate Watson-Smyth

The author Kate Watson-Smyth

I’m a journalist who writes about interiors mainly for The Financial Times but I have also written regularly for The Independent and The Daily Mail. My house has been in Living Etc, HeartHome and featured in The Wall Street Journal & Corriere della Sera. I also run an interior styling consultancy Mad About Your House. Welcome to my Mad House.

20 Comments

  1. Congratulations on your win, that’s fantastic and you were in good company too. I’m with you on the white decor, I love the floorboards and walls, but I couldn’t go for the whole white furniture thing too, especially with a messy little toddler x

  2. Well deserved champagne! Your blog is amongst my favorite addictions (wine, gardening, art, books) and prompted me to cast a vote. Note: never participate in online voting/polls due to ensuing spam, etc. but your creative eye just begged for this recognition of a job well done. Congrats from across the pond…

  3. Love the depth the grey paint gives the interior. We’re looking to go down that route too and are already nicknaming the intended room, The Snug. By the way, a well deserved win. Your blog has been so inspiring while we’ve been doing our kitchen extension.

  4. Massive congratulations my dear and so well deserved!! It was a pleasure to finally meet you as well, we must really get a cuppa at some point and have a good ol’ natter. As for the all white home – no chance I could live like that, I prefer my colours bold 😉 And with that said, of course, I’m in love with your dark grey living room – as beautiful as it was in white, it just looks super cool now – pink chaise FTW. xx

  5. Congrats on your win!
    Interesting questions here. I prefer your white scheme but only because the grey scheme is too dark and overpowers the soft colours of your furniture. The pure white interior photos you show are really stylish but would be perfect in stronger Australian light in a beach house. I can quite see why the Australian designer would choose this. In the more subdued English light I think softer more subtle colours work best.

  6. First off a huge congratulations on the award!! Well deserved!
    Not sure which version of your room I prefer (I would love to have them both), but love the sunken step down bit.

  7. Just started getting your blog a few weeks ago. LOVE your writing style/humor.
    Like your parlor with the grey walls…. xo

  8. It’s amazing how the colour grey can warm a room up, I LOVE your grey room (and everything in it!).

    Many many congratulations on your win, well deserved – the only blog I make a “point” of reading every day 🙂

  9. Congrats on your win! Your blog is the best interiors one around by a mile!
    Your sitting room is fabulous. Both pics look great but I do prefer the drama of the darker walls. Do you mind saying what colour it is please?
    Kind regards

  10. Knew you would win, Kate ! Huge congrats. At least the taxi driver can keep up with Mad House now ! Love your blog ~ always inspiring , informative , and sigh-worthy ! Love all your funny comments too .
    As for the ‘white house’ , would I , could I ?
    Ohhhh, absolutely totally yes and yes !
    I’m off to buy it when I win the euromillions tonight. Adore your sitting room with the dark walls, Kate, and love it with the white walls too. Would have to go for a mad twice-yearly paint-job – grey, characterful and cosy for Autumn and winter and white for spring sunshine and summer. Either way you have a gorgeous home. Enjoy your success, Kate, and hope the fab champagne-feeling keeps you fizzing all weekend.

  11. I’m with Sarah! Your living room went from bland to beautiful in a lick of paint….. Let’s face it, anyone can do a white room, but it takes talent & guts to use colour well.

    Congrats on winning the award! Well deserved….

  12. Prefer the grey by miles, love the idea of all white but couldn’t live it, would feel cold all the time

  13. It’s no surprise that the all white look is a no from me! Looks good in order to sell though, like a fresh blank canvas, and the simplicity highlights the architecture, those wonderful windows!
    Congratulations on your win, and it was a pleasure to meet you. Great night wasn’t it?!

  14. Kate congratulations. I didn’t doubt you would win but am delighted for you. Your blog is fabulous so a very deserved prize.

    It’s rare to see ‘before and after’ photographs of spaces painted in white / something else so it’s very much appreciated.

    I do love the white photographs and the London flat but it’s just not for me and I would neither have it at home nor specify it on work projects. I love the darker contrast in your own house – it gives so much more character to your room. Thank you.

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