Upper Brockley Road, London SE4

What’s luxury to you? A superyacht? Champagne on ice? Perhaps. For us, it’s found a little closer to home, quite literally. Look to the spaces of this house on Upper Brockley Road – currently 

A little bit of what you fancy is our interpretation. And in this Victorian townhouse, with four bedrooms and as many storeys, such an approach has been executed flawlessly. There’s pattern, but not too much: smatterings on the dining-room curtain, say, or the cleverly clashing prints of quilts and bedlinen against plain walls. We particularly like the almost psychedelic swirls of the paper lantern shades in one of the downstairs reception rooms.

A touch of texture has been injected too, lending extra luxe to spaces: A rattan chair here, a rough stone basin there, glossy tiles and a glass-topped table – all these and more play with the light that bounces round this house so beautifully. There’s the contrast of smooth plaster and rough brick, of painted floorboards and rush runners. It feels considered without being contrived – and gets a big thumbs up from us.

Upstairs, thoughtful details add to the air of comfort and grandeur. Is there anything more spoiling than a bedroom with a rolltop tub in one corner and walk-in wardrobe with beautiful big windows in the other? We don’t think so. Superyachts and champagne? Keep ’em. We’re happy with sunshine in south-east London.

A Polite Request

Inspiration of the Week: living in the lap of luxury in south-east London

Pattern and texture combine to create a sense of sheer sumptuousness in a home that seems made for self-indulgence