The mix of old and new is always in the question.  Almost everyone has this situation happening in their homes. Even if your home is brand new, there definitely still is something vintage hidden or displayed. Whether it’s a gorgeous silverware set, a vase inherited from your grandma, or just a lovely buy from a thrift shop there’s always something old and new in your place. Therefore today I’m sharing an amazing house in London which has this mix and it’s arranged I’ll say – perfectly.

“We have the spirit of minimalists but the taste of maximalists,” says the architect Spencer Fung about the house he shares with his graphic designer wife, Teresa Roviras, and their two children. Set in a quiet tree-lined street of imposing red-brick houses in north London, it was built in 1895, an era of late-Victorian fussiness. Today it is a serene and monochrome place, from the pale hand-polished plaster of its walls to the grey French marble of its kitchen and downstairs floors. The downstairs sitting room features two French country chairs found at an antique market, while the coffee table, bookshelves, star-shaped occasional tables, and Georgian-inspired sofa were all designed by Fung.

Fung designed the hefty oak and iron furniture in the garden, which contrasts against the delicate bushes of Hydrangea ‘Annabelle’ flowers.

The main bedroom next door is light, empty and serene, with a headboard and side tables, both in pale oak, also designed by Fung.

Fung’s favored monochrome and mix of textures is evident in the study, with its dark Spanish desk, half curtains in Belgian linen, black and white Ikea rug, and a long limed oak wooden sofa. A nest of rush-seated stools, found at the antique fair at Kempton Park, on the outskirts of London, are arranged in front of it.

Victorian milk jugs, cake stands, toast racks, candlesticks, and jelly molds are stacked high in the tall glass-fronted cupboards – another Fung creation – a testament to a serious antique-stall habit. “I love arranging objects,” she says, “though these days I have very little time; my main focus is my children’s toy and clothing website Hedgehog.”

Fung describes his taste as quite clinical, clean, and pure. “But at home, it’s mixed up with Teresa’s warmth,” he adds, “and we both like old things”. The result can be seen vividly in their dining room. Here a simple, chunky, limed-oak table, designed by Fung, is surrounded by antique dining chairs from Roviras’ family house in Spain. These have been painted black, and their old velvet seats replaced with black linen. The artwork above the fireplace was painted by her father.

Vintage dental cabinets in the bathroom are filled with coral and scent and oil bottles designed by Roviras, who has created iconic packaging and graphic identities for some leading fashion brands.

The texture is very important to Fung’s aesthetic, so he took great pains to choose the perfect marble, with just enough fossils and figures, for the floors and sitting room fireplace, which he also designed. Above it stands a 1930s metal Crittal window into which antiqued mirror glass has been inserted. With its oak built-in cupboards, star-shaped tables, and traditional rush matting, this is a room that cleverly combines ancient and modern.

French marble dado and basin surrounds feature in the master bathroom, with basins by Duravit and taps by Dornbracht.

Fung’s experience designing the shops, barns, spas, and restaurants of the organic food and lifestyle brand Daylesford was put to good use in the kitchen, which features a honed French marble floor, island, and kitchen bench. Apple and pear poster by Enzo Mari from Hedgehog.

Photography by Richard Powers| Interior Descriptions by Georgia Henry

Found on Vogue.com