Adventurous Design Quest: Peaceful Victorian Home by photographer Paul Massey

British photographer Paul Massey has refurbished his Victorian house in Elm Groove 8 in Crouch End, North London which is now available to hire for locations. People think white is stark and cold, but often, its calming and settling, creating a perfect backdrop for other colours to pop. Why use white in your home? Well there are many resons: white projects purity, cleanliness, and neutrality, white aids mental clarity, encourages us to clear clutter or obstacles, evokes purification of thoughts or actions, enables fresh beginnings. But the biggest reason to use white is the fresh and peaceful harmony that neutral white creates in space.

This home is a study in simplicity, it has lovely large living room with open fireplaces, beautiful kitchen, main bedroom with stunning bathroom, attic bedroom with second bathroom and beautiful garden with summerhouse. Throught the house neutral pallete of white is used and combined with vintage pieces of furniture that Paul collected for many years. Paul proffers that to buy everything in one go for your home is a mistake. You need to take time with it, scour flea markets and browse second hand shops for pieces that speak to you, and portray a sense of belonging.

During refurbishment Paul knocked two rooms into one and removed the hallway to create a large living room. The Adam Richardson chair in living room is re-covered in old linen from Eastern Europe. The amazing chest of drawers in his bedroom is originally from a chemist's shop. The angular, hammam-style bathroom was designed by Paul and created using a tadelek, a traditional Moroccan plastering technique that he’d wanted to try for some time. Builders created the basic design in blocks and then it was covered with waterproof plaster.

Throughout his home, Paul has given salvaged household items a new purpose. In the bedroom, he’s used an old galvanised bin as a bedside unit, while in the living room, an upturned crate creates an unusual side table. This gives his home a stylish, utilitarian feel. There’s no doubt that the pure-white nature of this house makes an impact, but the true charm of Paul's place is down to his collection of characterful pieces from all manner of eras and locations. Put the two together and the final result is as far from clinical as you can get. People think a white house is going to be cold and characterless, Paul says. In fact, it’s very calming.

And I must agree that Paul brought life into this peacufuly white home and created a little piece of heaven. :)