Victorian house with terrace in London

Yellow kitchen, green bedroom, pink study and purple nursery — the house of architect Siri Zanelli proves that there is no such thing as a lot of color

Photo: Margaret Delange style: Kirsten Visdal

When purchasing this Victorian mansion for herself and her family, Norwegian architect Siri Zanelli understood that its reconstruction would be quite difficult. The space hiding behind the brick facades desperately needed renovation. The work began with the expansion: two additional bedrooms appeared in the house, now there are only five, two bathrooms (originally there was one bathroom), and a basement.

Photo: Margaret Delange style: Kirsten Visdal

Photo: Margaret Delange style: Kirsten Visdal

The public area is located in the annex, where the yellowish brick wall of the original building is adjacent to the new brickwork. In order to let in as much sunlight as possible and create a connection between the interior and the garden, the architect provided an attic window. In the design of the kitchen, the emphasis is on different types of wood. Elm facades are combined with oak furniture, fir ceiling beams and window slopes lined with pine.

Photo: Margaret Delange style: Kirsten Visdal

Photo: Margaret Delange style: Kirsten Visdal

The main character of the interior was the color. Deciding to experiment with bright colors, the architect turned to designer Dagny Thurmann-Moe from Koi Studio, who helped develop the color palette. Each room was assigned its own shade. The kitchen was painted yellow, typical for Norwegian houses, the master bedroom turned into a green oasis, and the living room was filled with cheerful ochre tones.

Photo: Margaret Delange style: Kirsten Visdal

Photo: Margaret Delange style: Kirsten Visdal

Photo: Margaret Delange style: Kirsten Visdal

Photo: Margaret Delange style: Kirsten Visdal

The hostess’s office is made in a dusty pink shade, which on the one hand lifts the mood, and on the other – adjusts to the working mood. To emphasize the bay window, the designer painted the window frames in a delicate cornflower blue color. The rooms of the sons — Storm and Odin — are decorated in lilac and pastel green tones.