I met Xenia while I was shooting the products of a client. We used her latest home development as the location of a shoot, and I was super impressed by how well-finished and gorgeous this house was. In that meeting she told me she was building her dream home. I waited patiently for a year to see her dream being realised and oh my – what a dream house Xenia has built for herself and her family!
This house is magic in all its white splendour. This house gives you very different experiences throughout. From entering and walking through the path, you already get a very zen vibe. There’s a double height foyer that embraces you as you walk in. With the architectural staircase and the large round mirror to receive you, it pretty much blows you away from the get go!
Downstairs
The living room with its sunken couches and perfectly white shelving behind is a stylist dream! The curtains flowing into the space ignite my senses and I have suddenly fallen under Xenia’s spell. I’m now in a dream-like state and everything is perfection.
The large round concrete table is smooth and round, and is the perfect match for all the straight architecture lines that the house has. The soft seatings add luxury and relax the space, adding warmth and comfort. The minimal décor of a large drum on the wall and a beautiful large pot with a tree perfectly decorates the space by keeping the space minimal but creating strong statement simultaneously.
The kitchen is simple, functional but also luxurious.
Upstairs
In Xenia’s home, there are 4 bedrooms – 3 which are upstairs. The two kids bedrooms and her own.
Her own bedroom is minimal and understated, leaving the wow factor for the room besides hers – the cinema-room! And I really meant it when I say “cinema” – it’s massive! I am completely jealous of this space. A two-row cinema room with the comfiest couches that could easily fit at least 20 people. Xenia tells me that this is the family favourite hang-out space, and I can see why. I would probably lock myself in there for hours if I had this incredible space in my house! Seriously amazing!
And of course, we need to talk about the pool area. OMG! This pool is serious business. With its own (second) sunken living room inside the pool, this swimming pool is what dreams are made of. So incredibly beautiful and it goes so perfectly with the house.
Standing on her own two feet
When Xenia told me that she was building a house I knew it was going to be beautiful, but this home is really outstanding. It exceeds my already high expectations.
But more than the satisfaction of seeing this house finished, I have loved getting to know Xenia and her journey. From being a footballer’s wife in the UK, to leaving an unhappy marriage, finding her confidence and deciding to change her life for the better. This reminds me that homes are so special and mean so much more that pretty spaces and beautiful furniture. Building a home is personal. Sometimes it is the catalyst for a significant life pivot or the culmination of an intense journey of self-discovery. It can be how we find the happiness and confidence that we all need to in our lives.
Building a house is such a soul-searching process. When I visit these homes, I get to see a little peek of people’s different stories – their backgrounds, how they live, who they love, what they value and what they have done to get to this point in time. It really is like being a fly on the wall and allows me to observe how individual we are, yet how similar we are too.
Meeting Xenia over this year and understanding what she went through and how much courage it has taken to change her life has made me admire her greatly. Not only for the obvious reasons of setting up in a developing company and working hard to achieve success, but also for her tenacity and drive to be the best version of herself. She now stands firmly on her own two feet, and can be proud of what she has achieved with grace and love. That is a privilege to witness. And this house is a true testament to her story.
4 Comments
This house puts to bed any notion that a “white” house can’t be warm and wonderful. This house is seriously gorgeous. The photography is equally brilliant. I feel so inspired. May I ask what time of the day was the shoot done in the photos where light is streaming into the ground floor spaces? Was the timing of the shoot to “capture the light” streaming into the ground floor spaces ‘planned’ (or coincidental)?
Thanks for your lovely words! Nothing is by accident! I’d noticed the light was better in the afternoon so I timed the shoot to make the most of the natural light!
Please may I know what the flooring is?
Sorry I’m not sure!