Get home decorating inspiration from Milly von Westenholz who explains how she totally re-designed her family home in Brackenbury Village – everything from the beautiful kitchen, to space for the children and their paddling pools

Who lives in the house?
My husband and I and our three boys (Otto, 7, Ferdy, 6 and Albie, 2). As well being our family home, I also run a children’s clothing company called Toto London with my business partner Rebecca Freeland from the house.

The Resident: The living room makes the most of all the property’s beautiful period featuresThe living room makes the most of all the property’s beautiful period features

What condition was the property in when you bought it?
The house was rather drab and the previous owner had had lots of lodgers. The upside to this was plenty of bathrooms and loos! However the kitchen was very small for such a big house. What made us fall in love with the property was all the original features – ceiling roses, mouldings, marble fireplaces and beautiful folding doors between the reception rooms.

What were the major changes you made?
A side return and extension to the kitchen. We also built an extra room above the kitchen to create
a lovely master bathroom. We totally re-designed the west-facing garden, taking out the crazy paving and plethora of plants for a more classic and simple look – box hedging, bay trees and lavender to create a lovely entertaining space and plenty of room for sand pits and paddling pools!

What did the home have to achieve in terms of both style and function?
The aim was to create a fun and vibrant family home where we could all be together and also have our own spaces. The extra large attic room became a wonderful bedroom for the two bigger boys with dens in the eaves and lots of shelves for lego. It is also the best place to view the Ravenscourt Park fireworks from.

The Resident: An open-plan kitchen provides lots of space for all the familyAn open-plan kitchen provides lots of space for all the family

How did you do this?
Together with a great local builder called Alex Findlater, we created a wonderful bespoke kitchen with a large conservatory roof. His expertise in carpentry meant we could incorporate lots of hand-built cupboards and extra storage. For all our carpets and fittings we used the Carpet Store on Goldhawk Road.

What were your influences when choosing the interior schemes?
I love fresh prints and bold wallpaper, especially those which feature palm trees, leaves or coral. Calm aquas and warm greys are a must in a busy family home.

How long did it take?
It took about about eight months in total to get everything finished.

What were the biggest challenges?
Living in the attic room with a two year old whilst being seven months pregnant was a challenge. We cooked all our meals on a little electric oven and used the shower as a larder!

The Resident: The bedrooms are calm and stylishThe bedrooms are calm and stylish

What’s your favourite room?
The master bedroom is a wonderful bright room with a large bay window and amazing mouldings and ceiling roses. When you lie in bed all you can see is trees and as Dorville is such a quiet street there is never any noise.

What do you particularly like about the local area?
Brackenbury Village is a very unique place. There is a very strong sense of community and this is even more prominent in Dorville Crescent. If you have children then you will find that being able to walk to Ravenscourt Park in under five minutes a total lifesaver. Also there is The Anglsea Arms, which in our opinion is one of the loveliest pubs in London – to have it on our doorstep is a dream.

What is the home’s biggest selling point?
The wonderful sense of space and light that you get in every room of this house makes it so special.

Who should live in this property?
A family who wants to settle in a lovely house covered with red roses in a special area surrounded by all the best schools.

This home on Dorville Crescent W6 is available to buy for £2,495,000, freehold. Contact Philip Wooller 020 8811 2929; philipwooller.com

The Resident: Dorville Crescent is a lovely street near to Ravenscourt ParkDorville Crescent is a lovely street near to Ravenscourt Park