Bushey Hill Road, London SE5

This beautiful house, on the edge of Camberwell and currently 

, was built just as the Edwardian style was emerging, in 1901. And just as it bridged two eras then, so today it carries on the tradition, its softly contemporary interiors set against original brick, stone and wooden features.

Take the gorgeous yellow kitchen with its bespoke walnut units, this bold pairing of colour and texture appealing to our more maximalist tastes. (Elsewhere – the burnt-orange bedroom, the forest-green dining room – paint has been used to even punchier effect.) We applaud the current owners’ commitment to leaving their mark, not least in the form of the tactile natural silk used to cover the drawing-room walls.

This dramatic domestic space is notable for its brickwork arch – and it’s not the only surprise feature here. Two stone fireplaces in the living and dining rooms, the latter best reflective of its turn-of-the-century heritage, bring an air of individualism to this otherwise quite classic building, a feeling underscored by the appearance of a stained-glass window in the ground-floor study. In contrast, the studio under the eaves at the top of the house is comparably restrained (though not without personality). We love the glazed partitions that open up the space and welcome in the light from the stairwell’s double sash window.

It’s not just the house itself that entices. Camberwell, full of under-explored eateries and independent shops, is thought to have taken its name (mentioned in the Domesday Book) from the springs and natural mineral wells here that drew those in search of their healing waters. And while this part of town may be 

buzzier than it was in 1086, there remain plenty of pockets of tranquility, from the expanses of Burgess Park to the pretty and altogether more private courtyard garden here. Bliss.

Lalia Saidy Khan

Homes

Decorated with a varied palette of colours and textures, there’s plenty to delight in at this house in Camberwell – and that’s before you’ve even stepped outside

A Polite Request

Inspiration of the Week: an Edwardian home in south-east London that’s a joy for the senses

Decorated with a varied palette of colours and textures, there’s plenty to delight in at this house in Camberwell – and that’s before you’ve even stepped outside