Harriet Verney on her camp interiors and life within a converted Bible factory in Dalston
It’s a summer morning and the temperature is soaring as Harriet – a former editor at biannual fashion magazine Love – invites us into the three-storey home she shares with her musician partner, Cav, and their daughter, Marlow. The cooling interiors – think white-painted walls and floorboards – are welcome, as is the homemade iced coffee. As Harriet explains, she loves to host – and that was one of the reasons she was drawn to this place. “As soon as I saw it, I fell in love,” she says, pointing out its proximity to Dalston’s “strip”, the flexible layout and the spare bedroom for guests. “But when we moved in, I fell pregnant and the party plans went out the window.” That second bedroom, which opens to a peaceful pocket-sized courtyard, has since been claimed by her two-year-old.
As well as providing respite from the heat, the simple backdrop acts as a blank canvas for Harriet’s collection “camp and colourful” belongings. “It’s a mix of things I’ve been given and what I’ve been able to get my hands on,” she says. From a Sue Webster and Tim Noble neon featuring jumbled letters (they spell ‘Let’s Fuck’) to a Swarovski-crystal bed that weighs 23 stone, her most precious possessions are those she inherited from her late aunt, the inimitable hat-wearing fashion legend Isabella Blow. Having grown up at Hilles, the Gloucestershire estate on which Isabella lived, Harriet has her aunt to thank for her love of “beautiful but impractical” things. Little encapsulates this better than a cherished pair of silver cardboard tables originally commissioned by Isabella, which currently sit in Harriet’s living space. “My family used to have the whole set, which included chairs. People would often burn cigarette holes in them,” she continues. “But I’ve always loved them.”
Among the things we admire most is the soaring double-height living space, the mezzanine-level bedroom that “feels like you’re in the eaves of a church”, and the bright and airy interiors. “We didn’t do much to it,” Harriet says. “We just made it more of a home.” Watch our film now to join Harriet on a tour and discover how her versatile house caters to parties and parenthood alike – and what she’ll miss most about life on the mews. If you’re interested in viewing the place for yourself, get in touch with our sales team today.
RELATED ON THE MODERN HOUSE
A mix of materials results in fun, family-friendly flexibility in a Hove warehouse conversion
A couple’s self-renovated 1960s home built on to a 17th-century cottage in Somerset
Architect Ben Ridley on life in his low-energy house in Muswell Hill
Daniel Baer and Jassim Ahmad on minimal living at their courtyard house in East Dulwich
How architectural designer Charlie Luxton built a hidden home into a hillside in Oxfordshire
Pure 1970s glamour at an iconic modernist house, from sunken sofas to an indoor pool
Mark Bonshek and Sabba Khan’s playful Maryland home is a masterclass in materiality
How an architect couple transformed an old shop in Walthamstow into a restful wooden home
Two sisters share the story of their remarkable Patrick Gwynne-designed family home
Designer Sue Minter’s colourful country house in the Cotswolds