A 9-Foot-Tall Playhouse (Squiggly Slide Included) Is One of Many Fun Features in This London Home
When Jordan Cluroe and Russell Whitehead of 2LG Studio were recently tapped to bring their signature witty interiors, candy-colored palette, and modern style to an Edwardian-era home in southeast London, the clients knew exactly what they would do with the pair of rooms at the front of the historic property.
As parents of three kids under age 6, their vision was to turn the light-filled area into a whimsical playroom complete with a giant Scandi-style treehouse (what better way to use up those soaring ceilings?). “It's like a den taken to the max,” says Whitehead, laughing. “We knew their taste, but we wanted to push them out of their comfort zone further. They entrusted us hugely,” adds Cluroe.
And so up went a 9-foot birch climbing frame complete with squiggly slide, below which recycled vinyl flooring acts as a cushion. “We got a big roll and then cut a shape into it ourselves. It sets down just like a mat,” explains Whitehead of the inexpensive wonder material. (In another crafty—albeit high-design—move, Whitehead hand-drew and screen-printed a pink loopy wallpaper in collaboration with Custhom Studio that appears in the hallways.)
Dedicating significant square footage to a kid zone meant that the lounge across the hall remains positively grown-up, with a cocktail cabinet and DJ decks—though the candy-striped pendant light and squiggly sofa (a favorite 2LG motif) keep things from getting too serious.
Toggling between fun and function carries over in the serene kitchen, where powder blue arched cabinets bookending the sink create storage and a sleek architectural detail (the pantry and utility room tucked just out of sight provide more behind-the-scenes organization). Cluroe cites the zigzag pink tiled wall in the adjoining sitting area as another clever design moment: “Although it’s a hard material, it almost looks like fabric.”
Likewise, wallpaper in the kids’ bedrooms features hand-applied metallic fragments that artfully catch the light—without being too cutesy. Longevity, as Cluroe notes, was top of mind when creating a timeless base throughout the home: “[The clients] wanted something they could make changes to in the future. The small beds look really playful, but you could easily swerve into a more teenage feel [with different furniture].”
True to form, Cluroe and Whitehead got creative with repurposing old toys the kids had outgrown but that still held meaning, using Gorilla Glue to make a rainbow “wreath” of plastic paraphernalia around a mirror that looks just as cool in a non-kid-dedicated space. (Another easy DIY artwork: the framed woodland scene in the alcove that’s actually a sheet of mounted gift wrap.)
In the kids’ shared bathroom, a poured resin floor creates a threshold-free surface that’s a dream to clean—so bubbles can spill over in the enormous baby blue tub without much worry. And really, blurring the lines between grown-up fun and child’s play is what the home is all about.
