readers’ homes
STRETCHING THE IMAGINATION
Anzia and Paul Charney’s exciting new home is a contemporary take on the classic Arts & Crafts style
WORDS DEBBIE JEFFERY
PHOTOS PHILIP VILE
It was never our dream to build a house,” says Anzia Charney, who spent two years in rented accommodation house-hunting with her husband Paul before finding a dated property ripe for redevelopment. “We saw some very overpriced, conventional homes – nothing that we could really imagine ourselves living in. Th e n we viewed a rundown house in an ideal location.”
Shown by an estate agent, the North London property benefits from a gate at the bottom of the garden leading into fifty acres of publicly accessible forest. “I’m a Cockney, so this part of Mill Hill feels like being out in the country,” says Anzia of the rambling villagecum-suburb, which is located just 10 miles from Charing Cross. “We fell in love with the garden, but the house hadn’t been touched in 30 years, and the layout was awkward and higgledy-piggledy. We just didn’t have the heart to tell the elderly owner that we were thinking about knocking it down to rebuild.”
Design decisions
Anzia and Paul discovered that it would cost almost as much to renovate the existing house as to replace it with a more energy efficient new build and reclaim the VAT. “It was Paul who made the decision that we should take the risk and start again. A couple of architects were recommended to us but came up with some fairly standard Georgian-style designs,” says Anzia. “Then we met with Robert Hirschfield Architects and connected with them straight away.” Located in North London, the residential and commercial architecture practice focuses on creating spaces that enhance people’s lives and contribute to a better, more sustainable built environment. “Robert took all of our ideas into consideration, especially the need for light,” continues Anzia. “Paul’s three children come to visit, but mainly it’s the two of us and our cockapoo, Bella-Boo. So, we could include a few luxuries like his and hers bathrooms and dressing rooms, along with a balcony and private sitting room for our bedroom. We wanted a bar room and home cinema, and we asked for a laundry chute – everything was designed around our idea of a dream home.”