Look Around This Stylish South London Home
Photography: TARAN WILKHU
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Look Around This Stylish South London Home

When interior designer Richard Angel decided to overhaul his family home, he set out to create a welcoming and inviting space full of elevated design credentials and a decent dose of cool. Here, he shows us around the finished project…
By Georgina Blaskey /
Photography: TARAN WILKHU

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The Property

This large five-bedroom Edwardian home, in the heart of the Streatham Lodge Conservation Area in southwest London, is home to Richard Angel, the co-founder of award-winning interior design studio Angel O’Donnell. This leafy suburb of woodlands, nature trails and formal gardens is filled with late 19th and early 20th century houses, often characterised by gabled fronts and ornate decorative details, including stained glass and carved timber. Well-loved and well-lived-in, the family home has been a sanctuary for Richard, his wife and three children. Even so, he knew its tired walls, worn furniture and oddly configured kitchen and bathrooms needed a total rethink.

The Brief

The property needed an injection of colour, pattern and texture – in short, a complete aesthetic overhaul that would breathe new life and personality into the space. The aim was eclectic not uniform, considered not conspicuously designed. Richard got to work refurbishing the fireplaces with new tiles and hearths, reinvigorating the rooms with a palette of aged pink, pale toffee and ruddy red, reworking the bathrooms with bespoke vanities and walk-in showers, and treating every room to a mix of new, vintage, upcycled and custom-made furniture and window treatments. This time, he was the client – both driving the project and the one being driven.

The Hallway

"The hallway has always felt generous, like a large architectural hug, but after years of meeting and greeting, the off-white walls were looking drained, the fireplace a bit fusty, and the carpet worn and tired. So, we laid wooden floors, painted the walls a warm biscuit colour and restored the fireplace with glossy green finger tiles and a large stone hearth. Now when you walk through the door, the space says, ‘Welcome home.’”

Mirror: Naga Round Mirror, Liang & Emil

Green Finger Tiles: Kit Kat Fairy Tale Green Apple, Tiles-Direct

Table: Late 20th Century Granite And Lucite Circular Dining Table, Vinterior

Artwork: Georgia Stoneman Gallery, Abstract by Pop Art Pioneer Richard Smith

Spot table: Vallarta Stool, Anthropologie

Chair: Lovett Chair In Cinnamon Velvet, Soho Home

The Living Room

“The team paired a pillowy sofa with a pair of vintage Jindrich Halabala armchairs, upholstered in fabrics of densely embroidered leaves and moss-green velvet. The sculptural swoop of the bentwood arms contrasts nicely with the softer pieces in the room. Other vintage finds include a multicoloured Moroccan Berber rug and a pair of Italian-mirrored side tables. For added pops of colour against the biscuity base palette, we created a gallery wall with collectible artworks by Julian Opie and renowned abstract painter Sir Terry Frost.”

Sofa: Truman Large Sofa In Hedgerow Linen, Andrew Martin

Armchairs: Jindrich Halbala Model 410 Art Deco Modernist Bentwood Armchair c.1930, Vinterior

Fabric: Forenza velvet in Marjoram & Chiraco in Serandite, Romo

Mirrored Side Table: 1970’s Italian mirrored cubes, 8 Holland Street

Table Lamps: Frome lamp in Azure, Soho Home

Rug: Moroccan Berber, Nain Trading

Lounge Chair: Ellis Chair In Pewter Mohair, Soho Home

Side Table: Lava Table In Bronze, Ecco Trading

The Kitchen

“This whole space was redesigned to maximise storage, improve flow and create an inviting central point where the family could eat, do homework and catch up on the day’s events. Again, it had to feel homely and accessible, a proper family kitchen with lovely design features, like polished stone worktops, solid wood units, sleek woven-cord seats, and a painstakingly restored Everhot stove. They even built a new mantle above the stove for a portrait of our dog Belle to sit on.”

Breakfast Table: Jeanette In Oak, Kave Home

Chairs: Wishbone Chairs By Carl Hansen, Mobelaris

Dog Charcoal Portrait: Special Commission By Catherine Reed

The Dining Room

“The walls were painted a dark chalky red, while the fireplace was subtly highlighted in a satin version of the same colour. These different surfaces – coupled with the custom-made dining table with polished granite top – absorb and reflect light in different ways, so the room is always changing from day to night. When the sun sets and the log burner is flickering, the room becomes a warm and inviting haven perfect for entertaining friends and family.”

Carver Chairs: Goddard Dining Chair In Pebble Velvet, Liang & Eimil

Dining Chairs: Hayward Chair In Fern, Soho Home

Dining Table Base: Misty Base In Rustic Oak, Julian Chichester

Sideboard: Frank Guille For Austin Suite 1960s, House Of Twenty

Console Tables: Luca Console Table, Graham & Green

Lamps: Gannet Lamp In Pebbled Aquamarine, Visual Comfort

Antler Chandelier: David Hunt Lighting

Log Burner: Chesneys

The Main Bedroom

“We designed the half-height upholstered wall to extend the full length of the room. Doing so covers the chimney breast and levels out what can sometimes be an awkward protuberance. It also freed up the opportunity to put in a super-king bed with large bedside drawers and lamps. This custom-made feature unifies the space which, along with the putty pink walls, moss-green velvet and 60s-inspired ceiling light, feels quietly stylish and cosily inviting.”

Ceiling Light: Evergreen Chandelier In Antique Brass And Opaque Glass, Eichholtz

Bedside Lamp: Phoebe Stacked Lamp In Antiqued White Ceramic, Visual Comfort

Bedside Tables: Collins By Michael Berman, Theodore Alexander

Headboard & Bed Base: Bespoke In Warwick Plush Moss Velvet

Artwork: Georgia Stoneman Gallery, ‘Child I’ And ‘Mother’, Lithograph, G.W. Bot

The Bathroom

“A complementary palette of pale grey marble, smoky blue tiles, dark moss-green tiles and dark oak visually connect the bathrooms in the house, while a bespoke bobbin mirror in this en-suite adds a playful element.”

Mirror & Vanity Unit: Bespoke Design By Angel O’Donnell

Green Shower Tiles: Luminous Lime Musk Gloss Porcelain, Minoli

Floor Tiles: Carrara Square Marble Mosaic Tile, Topps Tiles

Wall Lights: Long Roddy In Nickel, Pooky

Brassware: Edwardian Range In Nickel, Lefroy Brooks

The Study

“All the walls, ceilings and shelves were painted in a pale leafy green. Applying one colour everywhere cleverly melts away awkward nooks and crannies. We then used an assortment of leatherbound classics and a vintage Eames chair with hot-red leather backrest and seat to provide flashes of complementary colour.”

Desk: Marena Desk In Oak, Soho Home

Desk Chair: Original Charles Eames For Vitra, Retrouvis

Desk Lamp: Clemente In Hand-Rubbed Antique Brass, Visual Comfort

The Loft Guestroom

“Playful elements abound in the loft room – from the abundant foliage of the Arts & Crafts headboard to the pleated lamp shade, striped bolster cushion, spearmint throw, and red bedside table with bobbin-like legs. These whimsical elements thrive against the cool grey walls.”

Ceiling Shade: Indian Recycled Paper, Artisans & Adventurers

Bedside Lamp: Ellie Table Lamp With Pleated Shade, Pooky

Bedside Table: Huxley Side Table In Brushed Red, OKA

Headboard: Bespoke In GP & J Baker Nympheus In Stone/Pistachio

Striped Bolster: Velvet Cushion, Christina Lundsteen

Sideboard: Mercer In Reclaimed French Oak, Soho Home

Circular Mirror: Kristjana J Williams

The Rounded Guestroom

“The feel-good atmosphere continues in the next bedroom with rainbow-like arches of rust velvet, sprouting flower motifs on ceramic lamps, and animated squiggles on custom-made curtains and bolster. Even the abstract artwork by Ian McKeever exudes a fun energy that unites all the seemingly disparate shapes and patterns in the room.”

Bedside tables: Marcel in medium oak, Soho Home

Bespoke bed: Ice velvet in terracotta, Fabric from Kirkby Design

Bedside lamp: Ellie table lamp with pleated shade, Pooky

Chair: Kemper chair in Geo bronze, Liang & Eimil

Curtains/Cushion: Synchronic in Black/Earth/Bleached coral, Harlequin

Artwork: Georgia Stoneman Gallery, ‘Colour Etching F’, Ian McKeever

Photography: TaranWilkhu.com

Visit AngelODonnell.com. Richard’s home is currently for sale. For enquiries, contact Angel O’Donnell on +44 (0) 203 488 3797.

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