Emma Ainscoughs recent clients discovered her in a storybookwell, sort of. A pink limewashed holiday cottage belonging to a viscount and viscountess, nestled in the picturesque British countryside and designed by Ainscough, served as a calling card for the London-based designer. Its cheeky, fairytale-like faade hinted at the creative interiors within: an ebullient blue bedroom clad in Folies Bergre wallpaper, a bespoke kitchen with a deep red-and-white checkerboard motif, a thick-stripe-walled dining room with a larger-than-life dried floral installation. I had kind of gone to town on that, laughs Ainscough. I was a bit worried that everyone, any future potential client, would think it was way too bonkers. But boldness was precisely what her new clientsa couple with two young childrenwere seeking for their home, a 3,000-square-foot Clapham renovation.Due to post-pandemic delays in London, the homeowners faced a challenge in planning commission approval. But construction eventually proceeded, with the houses lower ground floor being dug deeper to create a more expansive ceiling height and a larger reception room. The houses grand bones remained, providing an ideal ground for creative experimentation. Ainscough worked with architect Smith Brooke on the project.In the entryway, Edward Bulmers French Blue sets a serene tone. The bench cushion is upholstered in Lisa Fine Textiles Nicobar in Indigo. The accessories are antique, and the cat belongs to the clients.The wife was up for embracing a certain amount of color and pattern, which is what I love so much, enthuses Ainscough. And given the scale and ceiling heights of the Victorian house, it was easier to incorporate that without it feeling overbearing. In turn, the projects primary challenges proved to be spatial rather than style-related, as the designer worked to bridge former and future in the original house and its newly added extension. The lower ground floordark and dingy at firstwas transformed via a reconfiguring of the walls. Reimagining the kitchen, with DeVol Kitchens, provided a special challenge, since the space historically wouldnt ever have been a kitchen, notes Ainscough, who opened up the dining and kitchen areas to make it more family-friendly (and better lit, thanks to the double-aspect floor plan). Ceiling moldings, which upon first glance during the selection process appeared oversized, actually workedthanks to the houses proportionsto soften and make it feel less like a kitchen.The checkerboard floor in the main entryclassic of those Victorian housesfeatures Mandarin Stones Di Scacchi tumbled marble, set against Soanes Wild Tulips wall covering from floor to ceiling, which really sets the tone for the house beyond. The stair runner is Sinclair Tills Coir runner, and the Eloise mirror is from Sweetpea & Willow. Alfred Newalls Berwick console table with reeded drawers (left) holds a Penny Morrison table lamp with an Imogen Pope lampshade. The pendant lights are Beata Heumans Dodo Egg lanterns in brass, and the blinds are rendered in Flora Soamess Cornucopia fabric.The designer also tucked in some subtle references to the local neighborhood, a conservation area of London: When the family originally purchased the home, an old William Morris wallpaper went the whole way up the stairway, which was quite full-on, she shares. It was so English. While that wall covering wasnt to be preserved, a refined nod to that Arts and Crafts style was achieved with Soanes Wild Tulip wall covering papering the main hallway. In accommodating a young family, Ainscoughs brief meant carving out specialand sometimes smallspaces. Take the childrens rooms: The sons room, which pops with a monochromatic blue theme, was so slight that the designer didnt even know how we were going to get a single bed in it. The pair of bedrooms benefited from a bathroom shoehorned between them.Most PopularShopping27 Best Christmas Ornaments of 2024By Kristi KelloggArchitecture + DesignTour a Designers 100-Year-Old LA RetreatBy Vaishnavi Nayel TalawadekarBedroom15 Dreamy Baby Girl Nursery Ideas to Make Your Little One Feel Right at HomeBy Perri Ormont BlumbergThe DeVol kitchen cabinets and island are set against Paint & Paper Librarys Stone II paint. The backsplash tiles are Mosaic Factorys zellige tiles in blush pink, and the wall lights are Visual Comforts Clemente double sconces in black. DeVols Bum stools sit at the island, while the antique pendant lights above were sourced from Joseph Berry Interiors. The pendant lights above the sink are DeVols Frilly Cranberry Light, and the blind fabric is Howes Cypress Linen in Cocoa.With the same double-aspect layout as the primary suite, the dining and kitchen areas also echo the femininity of the room upstairs. The dining table was designed by Ainscough and, like the office desk, made bespoke by Made by Bill. The dining chairs are antiques sourced from Joseph Berry Interiors and clad with Pierre Freys Le Manach fabric. Beauvamps pinstripe Tiffany ruffle lampshade flutters above, and an antique black dresser sourced from Adam Lloyd sits at right.Most PopularShopping27 Best Christmas Ornaments of 2024By Kristi KelloggArchitecture + DesignTour a Designers 100-Year-Old LA RetreatBy Vaishnavi Nayel TalawadekarBedroom15 Dreamy Baby Girl Nursery Ideas to Make Your Little One Feel Right at HomeBy Perri Ormont BlumbergMeanwhile, the guest suitethough eaten into quite a bit to accommodate an ensuite bath in the primary bedroomevokes a hotel-like cool, clad in Edward Bulmers soothing Celadon shade. The playful powder room bursts with Parisian atelier Antoinette Poissons Guirlandes de Fleurs wall covering, a mix-and-match contrast to the Fired Earth checkerboard tiles. The playroom, located just beside the main sitting room, is presided over by a mischievous vintage Polish circus poster from Projekt 26 and outfitted with an upholstered sofa nook clad in Josef Franks fantastical Vegetable Tree print.Filled with pattern play, the playroom is also adjacent to the main sitting room. I was really mindful of what was going on next door, without them clashing too much, says Ainscough. Colorwise, they talk slightly to each other. The playroom area will evolve as the kids get bigger. The wall color is Paint & Paper Librarys Slate II. The joinery color is Little Greenes Woad, and the windows are cast in the same brands Bone China Blue. The wall lights feature Matilda Goads Raffia scallop candle shade; the rug is Evelina Kroons Korean Chives jute rug; and the two vintage posters were sourced from Projekt 26.A sweet wall coveringCherry Pie in Pink, by British designer Honor Addingtonadorns the walls in the childrens bathroom. The vanity is Neptunes Chichester undermount vanity unit with a Carrara marble top, and the wall mirror is from Oliver Bonas.Most PopularShopping27 Best Christmas Ornaments of 2024By Kristi KelloggArchitecture + DesignTour a Designers 100-Year-Old LA RetreatBy Vaishnavi Nayel TalawadekarBedroom15 Dreamy Baby Girl Nursery Ideas to Make Your Little One Feel Right at HomeBy Perri Ormont BlumbergDespite all the color and playfulness, Ainscough also created a quiet sanctuary with the primary suite through feminine touches and colors, like Farrow & Balls Dimity on the walls, Edward Bulmers Jonquil on the joinery, Pierre Freys La Pannonie on the headboard, and a custom bamboo silk rug by Pelican House on the floor. The subtle hues work together, gently offering up what she calls an escape from kid life. The home has a place for everyone.In the primary bedroom, Shaker-style closets feature braiding detail. The walls are cast in Farrow & Balls Dimity, and the joinery is in Edward Bulmers Jonquil. The headboard is clad in Pierre Freys La Pannonie. The daybed, a 19th-century antique with adjustable arms, is upholstered in Yarn Collectives Marci Mohair with a cushion in Bennisons Hibiscus fabric. A bamboo silk rug designed by Ainscough and made by Pelican House grounds the space.Art: Ruby BatemanA timber floor runs from the bedroom into the bathroom. The client was keen to keep that, says Ainscough, who aimed for a decidedly not clinical ambiance in the bathroom. Porter Bathrooms Carter double vanity unit is joined by Vendome single sconce wall lights from Visual Comfort.Most PopularShopping27 Best Christmas Ornaments of 2024By Kristi KelloggArchitecture + DesignTour a Designers 100-Year-Old LA RetreatBy Vaishnavi Nayel TalawadekarBedroom15 Dreamy Baby Girl Nursery Ideas to Make Your Little One Feel Right at HomeBy Perri Ormont BlumbergWhen the doors are open, the primary ensuite bathroom reveals an amazing double-aspect [view] from the front to the back of the house, says the designer. The towel rail and taps are from Lefroy Brooks, and the marble, which took quite a while, to find the right slab, is white cipollino from Porter London.Art: Tom AllportFor the houses extension, Ainscough and her clients wanted [it] to feel architecturally different to this house. It does feel different. Howe at 36 Bourne Streets Cypress, a paisley wall covering, provides a patterned backdrop in the home office. The custom-designed desk features plane timber sourced from old trees originating in London. Ceraudos Chiara dining chair, Soho Home lamps and wall lights, and a mix of retail and antique accessories complete the WFH setup.Beswick Stones Avignon limestone covers the floor of the utility room, which was carved out as a small space, shares Ainscough. The designer wanted to lean into this utilitarian feel down there, with Mosaic Factorys zellige tiles in brown and cream hues accenting the area and Farrow & Balls Dimity on the walls. A curtain featuring Ian Mankins Ticking Stripe 01 fabric hides away the washing machine and dryer.Kensington LeverneIn the daughters bedroom, a Living Quarters Creeping Toadflax wall covering provides a fanciful backdrop for a tented nook crafted of Ian Mankins Ticking Stripe in Rose. Edward Bulmers Pea Green is on the beams and woodwork.Most PopularShopping27 Best Christmas Ornaments of 2024By Kristi KelloggArchitecture + DesignTour a Designers 100-Year-Old LA RetreatBy Vaishnavi Nayel TalawadekarBedroom15 Dreamy Baby Girl Nursery Ideas to Make Your Little One Feel Right at HomeBy Perri Ormont BlumbergAn upcycled chest of drawers was repainted in Little Greenes Olive color, and the single beds feature Scumble Goosies Gustavian headboards. Ferm Livings rattan lamp duo shed light from above.Cozy was the prevailing direction for the sons bright blue bedroom, which is notably smaller than the daughters. Embracing the smaller footprint was key, shares Ainscough. Its often more successful than trying to kind of elongate and make things feel bigger. Rosi de Ruigs Bonbon stripe lampshade, bespoke cushions from the designer herself, and a round metal side table from The Masie provide red counterpoints.Most PopularShopping27 Best Christmas Ornaments of 2024By Kristi KelloggArchitecture + DesignTour a Designers 100-Year-Old LA RetreatBy Vaishnavi Nayel TalawadekarBedroom15 Dreamy Baby Girl Nursery Ideas to Make Your Little One Feel Right at HomeBy Perri Ormont BlumbergThe powder room on the lower ground floor showed to be one of the spaces where you can go a bit wild and surprise the guest with an explosion, shares Ainscough, who praises the clients for letting her embrace that and let me do my thing. Antoinette Poissons Guirlandes de Fleurs wall covering is accented by Edward Bulmers Azurite paint along with Fired Earths Forecast tiles. The antique brass taps are from Lefroy Brooks, and the mirror is vintage. Whilst its an explosion, says the designer, it still does tie in with the rest of the space.[This is one] of my favorite bedrooms, shares Ainscough of the guest room. We wanted it to feel like a bit of an escape or a hotel suite for guests. Edward Bulmers Celadon paint maxed out the size and height of the space, while a custom headboard with Pierre Freys Teddy Mohair in aubergine, House Nine Designs Nelly bedside table, and custom-designed throws and cushions provide deep-hued accents.Marigold checkerboard wall tiles from Bert & May line the guest bathrooms shower, while Farrow & Balls White Tie was used on the wall paneling. The sink is from Burlington, the taps are from Cast Iron Bath Co., and the wall light is Original BTCs Hector Bibendum wall light. The mirror is from Zara Home, and the candlestick holder is an antique.