News and Press releases

Labour of love

28/06/2009

By JANET CHRISTIE. For Denise and Mark Parker, buying a grade A-listed Georgian townhouse presented a learning curve as steep as the elegant mahogany banister that arches up from basement to attic in their Edinburgh New Town home. Number 14 Northumberland Street is a classic – with high ceilings, intricate cornices, marble fireplaces, a flagstone floor and 12-paned sash windows – and restoring it to its original splendour became a real labour of love that took the couple eight years.

Moving from London to Edinburgh with Mark’s banking job, the couple fell in love with the location and architecture of the capital’s New Town and jumped at the chance to buy the six-bedroomed home that was originally spread over the ground and upper two floors of the property.

“I always wanted to live in a townhouse because of the architecture, the dimensions and symmetry,” says Mark. “It’s very beautiful and well thought out, but can accommodate modern design too.!

Restoration work started immediately and the couple initially turned their attention to the extensive, damaged plasterwork.

“We had a real learning curve finding out about Georgian houses – the cornices for example. We had to find out how they were made and get them fixed piece by piece. Each room took two weeks because they were smothered in hundreds of years of thick white paint but once that was removed you could really see the detail of each separate piece. It was well worth it. It’s beautiful,” says Mark.

Other original features dating back to the building’s 1808 birth are the marble fireplaces and flagstone hallway. Stripped of its shiny veneer, the markings of the stone were revealed by the light that bursts through from the cupola above.

“The hall is knocked about a bit because it’s been here for 200 years. It’s the same with the doors. They are original and look it. If you even out the bumps you lose the character,” says mark.

“If you want a new house, go and buy6 a new house,” adds Denise.

Back in Georgian times curves were prized and this house was the J-Lo of its day with three internal curved walls. Mark’s theory is that the bigger the first owners’ budget, the more curves they could afford. Another attractive feature is the double doors between the elegant first floor sitting room and a parlour at the back, now the master bedroom. Immediately below, the dining room is joined to the day room by a discreet butler’s pantry, for this is a house that would have required servants in its heyday.

When the chance to buy the basement flat arose the couple snapped it up and returned the flat to its original layout. A staircase leading down was reopened and the kitchen relocated to the south-facing back of the house were a glass and steel extension with sliding doors lets the room open out on to a paved garden, which is a real sun trap. A kitchen by Underwoods of Knightsbridge twins shiny Miele ovens with Shaker-style doors, a traditional yet contemporary combination that would satisfy the Georgian love of symmetry. With its granite and walnut island, this space soon became the hub of the house.

“Because it’s grade A-listed, you can’t just knock down walls and move doors. And nor would you, because the beauty is to keep the original Georgianality. You also have to comply with modern building regulations but we found there was nothing we weren’t able to do because we were sympathetic,” says Mark.

While the property is true to tits Georgian origins, Denise’s flair for design brings it back to the future. Designers Guild textiles feature throughout, with Zoffany and Noblis wallpapers adding texture and classic Farrow & Ball chalky colours being the natural paint choice. Among the off-whites and greys (the Bones, Stones and evocatively named Elephant’s Breach), there are bold aubergines and sepias, while luscious lime green and pink soft furnishings throughout add a bit of zing.

The furniture is simple and elegant, whether traditional or modern; the kitchen table is an oak Conran, the dining table is a classic Chalon. In the master bedroom the bed from And so To Bed is traditional in shape, yet rendered in steel that marries a decadent French air with contemporary chic. Lights are a particular passion for the Parkers and the horsehair and horn chandelier from Ochre, along with the crystal droplet chandeliers in the master bedroom, are typical of the timeless statement pieces that look perfectly at home in this historic building.

Walking through this home you get a snapshot of the couple’s travels.

“When we go on holiday we like to bring a little bit of it back home,” says Denise.

A huge sun-bleached conch shell from Turks and Caicos Islands waits on a bathroom shelf for the tide to come in, while a beautiful dappled Murano vase recalls a journey on the Orient Express from Venice to Paris (although it was shipped home rather than being entrusted to the parcel rack) and a meal in a triple Michelin-star restaurant in south-east France inspired the dinking room’s French influence. While the food was dazzling, it was the ornate candelabra that caught their eye and the couple sourced one of their own. Meanwhile, a white painted chest in a bathroom was found a little closer to home, at the bottom of the garden, which is proof that style can be found right under your nose if you know where to look.

“I like individual, unusual pieces that don’t look contrived. It’s not a show home and things should be chosen particularly for you,” says Denise.

A case in point is the artwork by Matthew Draper and Jock McInness, Scottish paintings that steer clear of anything tartan or twee. McInness’ “Harbour at Sunset” is a quintessentially Scottish coastal scene, while Draper’s “The Haar” captures the Parkers’ adopted city in its early morning robe of mist, the nuances of light on the architecture captured in a shimmering-pastel panorama.

The artworks will provide a fitting memento of their sojourn in the city when the parkers return to London shortly, passing custody of the house onto the next owners.

“We’re sad to be going as we’ve just got the house finished. It’s beautiful and we’re very proud of it,” says Denise. “We’ve been very lucky to live here.”

*14 Northumberland Street, Edinburgh is on the market at offers in the region of £1.9m. Viewing by appointment with DJ Alexander, 0131-652 7313.

SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY, 28 June 2009

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