Photographer Malin Ngoie lives in this week's stunning Georgian home in Bromley South with her husband Serge, two daughters, two cats and a baby on the way. Light and airy, the house is styled to perfection with Scandinavian and vintage pieces creating a comfortably grand feel that most of us can only dream of achieving. We spoke to Malin to find out how she did it.
To view the house in full, go to the picture gallery below.
Malin's stunning Georgian home. Pic: Malin Ngoie
Congratulations on your stunning home. Can you tell us something about your decorative style?We brought a lot of our furniture from Sweden (where I am from) - also from antique markets and a few bits from good old ebay! We like the Scandinavian, Gustavian, light and airy feel. But I am also in love with retro things so those are thrown in the mix.
The house is so perfectly accessorised – how long did it take you to completely 'dress' the house after you moved in?
Not finished yet! I don't think we'll ever be. We always have new house projects, last year we built the greenhouse/orangery in the back garden. We dragged old reclaimed doors and windows all the way from Sweden to create my little 'studio'. We wanted it to look like it had always been there. This year we decided to turn the old shed into a beach hut café for our girls. A house is a never ending story I think!
Did you work with an interior designer or is it all you?
We do it ourselves, we both love houses and furniture.
Do you ever change the layout of the rooms?
Sometimes we add bits but once we cracked the layout we mostly work around it.
What's the best thing about living where you live?
The best thing about living in our house is the garden. It makes us all happy. Sometimes when we plan to have a picnic in the park we just end up picnicking at home in the garden instead - just as good and easier! Bromley South is a great area to live in: only 15 minutes to Victoria station, great schools, fab shopping centre and it feels like you are more in the countryside than in town.
The summer house for the children is amazing. Do they spend hours out there?
The kids love the garden and yes they play outside all the time! I promised to get the tent up in the garden in the summer holidays so they can go camping on their own with their cousins who live around the corner.
Where do you tend to spend most of your time at home?
We spend most of our time in the kitchen. It's cosy with the wood burning stove and underfloor heating in the winter and as it's on the lower ground floor it stays cool on very hot summer days.
The house is on the books of a locations agency. Has it been used a lot for shoots?
Yes, the house gets used a fair bit for shoots and filming. We've had all sorts of clients, from The White Company, Laura Ashley, Waitrose, Littlewoods, Country Homes and Gardens etc. I also shoot a lot myself here, that was one of the reasons why we bought this house.Is this your forever home?
I think it would be hard to leave this house - it is very special to us all.