Houzz Tour: A West London Home Inspired by Travels

Unless you’re moving into your first-ever home, it’s unusual to come to a new house and need to start pretty much from scratch. But that’s exactly how it was for interior designer Juliette Byrne when she and her two daughters moved into their four-bedroom townhouse in the Fulham district of London six years ago.

Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Designer Juliette Byrne; her daughters, ages 18 and 21; and Jack Russell terrier Minty
Location: Fulham, London
Era: Victorian
Size: 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms

It was by no means Byrne’s first home, but the family’s previous property had been a barge on the River Thames in Chelsea. “As the children were growing up, I decided it was time for a return to land,” she says. “And I’d always loved the area, which has a nice community atmosphere and is full of little bistros and parks” — handy for walking the family’s “very barky” Jack Russell, Minty.

“I had very little on the boat, so most of the furniture is new to the house,” Byrne says, “though I did bring a few pieces left to me by my parents, such as my mother’s ladder-backed Hungarian desk chair and a pair of 1950s blue Italian armchairs.” Most of the other pieces were purchased locally, from a mix of independent interiors shops, bigger-name design stores and antiques shops. They’re all virtually on the doorstep of Byrne’s home or Chelsea studio, which makes shopping for her job easier, too. “I’m always out sourcing for clients and often see things for myself,” she says with a laugh, “but unfortunately my budget is not always so generous.”

The drawing room, at the front of the house, is Byrne’s space, while the open-plan living and dining area at the back is more her daughters’ domain. The drawing room has a decidedly tranquil feel. The portrait of the Tibetan prayer boy seen here is one of a pair and reminds Byrne of her travels. “They are calm and peaceful photographs,” she says.

Photograph: Trowbridge Gallery; rug: The Rug Company; wall sculpture: 1960s C. Jeré/Artisan House, Talisman; stool: shop in Los Angeles; sofa: vintage (find similar at Brissi)


“I wanted to create a home that was full of color and had a very positive feel,” Byrne says, reflecting on the palette, which was inspired by trips to the Far East and the Caribbean.

Black table lamp: Andrew Martin; coffee table: Zimmer + Rohde; floor lamp: Peggy, Gong


Doing up her own home has been quite different than working for her clients. “My working look is very much classic and muted,“ she says, “so for home I wanted to mix it up.”

Table: Moon Disk Drum, Valerie Wade; sofa: vintage (similar: Deep Dream velvet two-seater, Graham & Green)


The images above the sofa were designed by Byrne’s late mother, who was Hungarian. “They were from her portfolio,” Byrne says. “She originally worked for the Hungarian opera, designing costumes, and then went on to do artwork for advertising and film. I inherited all these and had them framed when we moved. They add lots of color and were the starting point for the house, really. I got a professional picture hanger to arrange them — it took an entire morning. Getting the heights and proportions just right is quite an art.”

Sofa: Mushroom, Robert Langford


Byrne describes her interiors style as “a bit of vintage, a bit of Habitat, a bit of Conran.” The trick to tying it all together into a coherent look, she says, is to stick to one era’s aesthetic for furniture, even when mixing old and new. Her preferred period for the house is midcentury.

Mirror, chair, lamp: vintage; trestle desk legs, Habitat (with custom glass top); textured grass wall covering: Altfield; flooring: walnut, Solid Floors


The house had already been extended at the back when Byrne bought it, “but it had some strange Gothic doors to the garden, which we replaced with bifolds,” she says.

She also had the place rewired, put in new walnut floors and redid the garden and kitchen. The cherry blossom branches in the vase on the table are from the tree in her garden.

Wall paint: Jaipur Dusk, Designer’s Guild; dining table: Dwell; floor lamp: Michael Reeves; chairs: Eames DSW, The Conran Shop; pendant lights: Romeo Moon, Flos


“We always have the doors open in the summer,” says Byrne. The garden was previously “a wasteland,” but she has transformed it into a neat and welcoming green space.

“The wooden strips at the end are a nice focal point but also good for climbers, and I have planted Clematis montana and wisteria, which are both sweet smelling in the spring and summer,” she describes. The cherry tree is just out of frame to the right.


The white kitchen units are from Magnet, but Byrne added Caesarstone countertops. The most striking detail in this room, however, has to be the built-in fish tank. “Everyone loves the fish tank!” she says.

“It was a window when we moved in, but the view overlooked the neighbors, so this was really just a good way to block in the window. The self-feeding tank is fitted with lights. It’s only accessible from the exterior, and someone comes to clean it regularly,” Byrne says.

Kitchen units: Magnet; dishwasher: Miele



“This is where the girls and their friends spend the most time hanging out. The house is always full of teenagers,” Byrne says.

The space, which is next to the dining area, is every teenager’s (and a few oldies’) dream. There’s a large TV, twinkly fairy lights for a cozy glow after dark and a vintage-style pink record player, which gets good use from Byrne’s youngest daughter, an avid vinyl collector. The silver-leaf wall covering has a slightly antiqued effect, which makes it warmer, Byrne says.

Zebra-patterned rug: made to order, Loomah; floor lamps: Best & Lloyd; corduroy chair: 1950s, The French House; brass side tables: Frette, Lombok; wall covering: Altfield


The cherry blossom wallpaper in Byrne’s room continues the Oriental theme dotted around the house and is enhanced by a flash of petal pink on the cushions. The jade-green cushion-topped bench at the foot of the bed is another 1950s heirloom from her parents.

Wallpaper: Ikebana, Knowles & Christou; wall paint: Stony Ground, Farrow & Ball


Chest of drawers: made to order, Brissi; rug: Jacaranda; table lamp: Heathfield & Co.


Byrne’s en suite bathroom is painted the same shade as the bedroom. The dyed sheepskin rug does the same job as a bath mat but adds an extra layer of style. The large-scale floor tiles are porcelain. “They look like stone but are more practical,” she says.

The built-in cupboards are made from MDF, but were spray painted with a satin lacquer paint mixed to match the walls. The delicate pendant light adds softness to the modern space. “It came flat packed, and each flower had to be hand built,” Byrne says. “It took nearly a day to assemble!”

Pendant light: John Lewis; floor tiles: European Heritage; similar bath mat: C.P. Hart



This bold bedroom belongs to Byrne’s youngest daughter, Bonnie; the African theme was inspired by a trip to Morocco.

Wallpaper: Lion, Elitis; table: Graham & Green



Eldest daughter Celia has gone for full-on glamour in her grown-up room. A mirrored chest of drawers with gold detailing — a reproduction from a local shop — looks wonderfully opulent against the dramatically floral wall.

Mirror: Graham & Green; wallpaper: Angelique, from the Florimund collection, Designer’s Guild

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