A designer couple transforms a dark Victorian terrace into a bright family home

We never really wanted to live in a Victorian terraced house,” says Shay Alkalay, owner of an 1860s Victorian terraced house in north London. Bit strange for us coming from Tel-Aviv. The houses here are usually so dark and cramped with ugly features – and carpeted. But a complete transformation at the hands of Shay and his wife, Yael Mer, co-founders of award-winning design studio Raw Edges, means their home is now an inviting, open and bright family home.
The house, which the couple bought four years ago, was ready to be renovated. “We used to live at the Barbican in London, which was a bit like Tel Aviv, full of modernist architecture. When it came to the design of this place, we wanted the interior to reflect that,” says Yael who, along with Shay, moved to London 18 years ago to study at the Royal College of Art "Our aim was to make our house modern, to bring as much light into the space as possible, to level the floors - to really make it work for family life." The couple have two daughters, Neeva, 11, and Maia, seven, and a cockapoo named Ami.
The first step was to remove interior walls and unnecessary details - "The ground floor was at originally composed of three "staircase" rooms - extending the lower ground floor towards the garden and then building a spectacular loft. "Inspiration came from British modernist architecture and the industrial interiors of schools and hospitals," says Shay.
The front door now opens directly onto an open plan kitchen and dining area with comfortable seating area for reading and socializing. The expanded ground floor is the children's area, with a disco ball hanging from the ceiling, gymnastic rings and a drop-down projector for family movie nights. "The girls and their friends can do as much damage as they want and we don't have to see it," says Yael. The first floor houses the girls' bedrooms and a family bathroom, and the newly built top floor is a suite for Yael and Shay. Each floor has more or less uninterrupted front and rear aspect glazing, so light passes through the house.
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Lifestyle Sep 18, 2022 0 69 Add to Reading List

A designer couple transforms a dark Victorian terrace into a bright family home

We never really wanted to live in a Victorian terraced house,” says Shay Alkalay, owner of an 1860s Victorian terraced house in north London. Bit strange for us coming from Tel-Aviv. The houses here are usually so dark and cramped with ugly features – and carpeted. But a complete transformation at the hands of Shay and his wife, Yael Mer, co-founders of award-winning design studio Raw Edges, means their home is now an inviting, open and bright family home.

The house, which the couple bought four years ago, was ready to be renovated. “We used to live at the Barbican in London, which was a bit like Tel Aviv, full of modernist architecture. When it came to the design of this place, we wanted the interior to reflect that,” says Yael who, along with Shay, moved to London 18 years ago to study at the Royal College of Art "Our aim was to make our house modern, to bring as much light into the space as possible, to level the floors - to really make it work for family life." The couple have two daughters, Neeva, 11, and Maia, seven, and a cockapoo named Ami.

The first step was to remove interior walls and unnecessary details - "The ground floor was at originally composed of three "staircase" rooms - extending the lower ground floor towards the garden and then building a spectacular loft. "Inspiration came from British modernist architecture and the industrial interiors of schools and hospitals," says Shay.

The front door now opens directly onto an open plan kitchen and dining area with comfortable seating area for reading and socializing. The expanded ground floor is the children's area, with a disco ball hanging from the ceiling, gymnastic rings and a drop-down projector for family movie nights. "The girls and their friends can do as much damage as they want and we don't have to see it," says Yael. The first floor houses the girls' bedrooms and a family bathroom, and the newly built top floor is a suite for Yael and Shay. Each floor has more or less uninterrupted front and rear aspect glazing, so light passes through the house.

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