Ready for my close up
Like the best actors, Kilburn Lane has played a number of different roles. Once a post office (the original post box still stands outside) and a hairdresser’s, it now fills the role of an eclectic family home. On the corner of a Victorian terrace, Kilburn Lane has original wraparound windows, wooden floors and even a vegetable garden. Furnished with vintage film paraphernalia and a glorious mishmash of kooky furniture, this is a home with looks and personality. If Zooey Deschanel were ever looking for a London pad, we reckon she’d feel right at home.
The directors
Your hosts work in the movie business. He’s a film editor while she’s a production designer, and you’ll see her influence all around Kilburn Lane, from the veritable library of art books to the offbeat furniture.
High production values
Kilburn Lane is endlessly versatile, combining the cosiness of a cottage and the urban chic of a New York loft simultaneously. The open plan living space has a definite early sixties vibe, with a revamped Chesterfield and the grooviest of lamps. The kitchen diner looks out onto the garden, and in summer months, open up the doors and saunter into the garden, where you can soak up the last sunbeams before bed.
The stylishly modern staircase takes you up to the first floor, where you’ll find a luxurious bathroom in pearly white and rich wood, with a truly enormous roll top Victorian bathtub. The master bedroom has mirrored shutters, an ancient chest and original floorboards, as well, of course, as our crisp White Company bed linen. A pull-down ladder leads up to the top floor, which your hosts have christened ‘the sleep pod’. Low ceilings and alabaster walls make this the hangout of choice for adventurous kids and cool teens alike.
The direction
If you want open space, then head for Queen’s Park, where lawns and tennis courts await, and on Sundays, a farmers’ market offers rich pickings. The local gastropubs are waiting to entice you in, and you’re just a stroll away from Notting Hill, and the famous Portobello Road antiques market. You can catch a bus into central London from the end of the road, twenty four hours a day, or if you’d rather take the tube, the journey from Queen’s Park to Covent Garden takes less than twenty five minutes.
