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Designed for extra seating and to complement the small window, the built-in bench has become the family’s go-to spot. The Artemide mini Anglepoise lamp (£400) sheds light on nighttime reading. Other lampshades, bought while traveling (to places including Bangkok), serve as cherished mementos.

Alex and Jean filled the living area with furniture from their previous homes. New double-glazed timber-sash windows and custom shutters—a £38,000 splurge—flood the space with light.

The kitchen flooring is 24” x 24” DalTile Chadwick Charcoal Tile and the wall tile is by Heath Ceramics.

Sunflowers from her front yard and fresh produce add more color to the original turquoise kitchen, which includes an antique chair and breakfast table, mementos from her first apartment in New York.

An arched opening was added to connect the kitchen and breakfast nook, and gain sightlines to the yard. Seamus refinished the fireplace mantle and added square zellige Zia tile in ‘Nana’s Lipstick’ to the surround. Gubi Semi Pendants hang over the island, and the sink has a Devol Ionian Bridge Tap.

“The house is kind of crooked, with rough floors, and no fancy finishes—but it has lots of personality,” says architect Francisco Mesquita Moura.

The existing Macael marble counters were polished to restore its original appearance. The cabinets were refinished, and additional tiles installed to accommodate a new opening for the fridge. The sink was relocated, and the space left by the old sink was replaced with a built-in wooden cutting board. The floors are terrazzo.

Each twin bed in the bunk room over the back porch gets its own Morgan Black sconce from Crate and Barrel. The rest of the furniture was sourced by the homeowners.

reat Barrington

After: The kitchen’s countertops and backsplash are “all those 1950s-30s enamel card tables,” Geoffrey explains. “That was a decision I made early on; it took me a year and a half to collect them all.” The beams were a great surprise; they were hidden away in the ceiling. The appliances are former Consumer Reports test appliances bought at auction, and the ceiling lights are a custom design, intended to look mid-century.

The homeowners chose knotty alder cabinets and concrete countertops, starkly contrasting with the rest of the home. A white tile backsplash draws attention to the black faucet and barstools.

A skylight was added to bring in more light, and the existing ceilings painted Benjamin Moore ‘Black Tar’ for contrast. The island pendant is the Schoolhouse Ray 17” Pendant and the stools are the Artek Aalto High Chair K65.

Studio Becker Xu streamlined the kitchen by building all of the appliances into the millwork. The budget-friendly countertops are a Formica solid surface.

"I believe that if there’s a place for everything then nothing is out of place, and I’ve tried to incorporate that into a lot of the furniture design and functionality,