The Ultimate Remix: From Factory to Family Home

This warm, welcoming family home was once a cavernous factory space. In fact, it was so large that it was possible to drive a car through the garage doors and around the ground floor of the property. “Not that we did that,” laughs Heidi Range, even though a bright red Ferrari is installed in a glass box in the living room.

Range, a former singer with the multi-platinum-selling group Sugababes, and her husband, Alex Partakis, were looking to buy their first home together when they found the space. It was one of four within the Loud & Western building, a 19th-century landmark in Fulham, west London, that once housed a commercial laundry serving the hotels of the West End. 

“At the time, it was a shell,” Range recalls. “The services stopped in the garage, so the entire property was without electrics and plumbing, and a temporary staircase connected the three floors through a rough hole in the ceilings. I was looking for a traditional Victorian house with period features, and this was definitely not it.”

To persuade her that the factory could be transformed into a home, Partakis commissioned an architect to draw up plans for the interior. “Alex is a property developer and loves a project, so he was coming at it from a completely different point of view,” says Range. “When I saw the plans, I was blown away. Starting with a shell meant we could create a home just the way we wanted it.”

The purchase marked the start of a substantial two-year renovation. “It was as large and complex a fitout as you can have without actually building a place,” Partakis explains. “And we wanted it to be luxurious and polished, rather than have a more industrial warehouse look, so that meant having to be precise in what we did.”

The end result is a light-filled five-bedroom home that, although 4,000 sq ft in size and spread over three storeys, has a cosy feel as well as being seriously impressive. Bespoke features include high-end joinery, a sweeping staircase and a roof terrace with views over London. 

Handsome double doors at street level open onto a large reception/kitchen/ dining room in which the interior designer Robert Young used furniture and lighting to create defined zones that are comfortable and relaxing. The layout follows the many windows, which, in the arched style typical of factories of that era, soften the look. 

The couple have two young daughters and Range loves the family space. “I can be cooking in the kitchen while the girls are playing in their den and, because we’re on the same floor and not cut off by doors, they feel secure that I’m not far away. I’m sure that’s one reason why they are happy to play independently.”

The bespoke Roundhouse kitchen is beautifully crafted to fit the angular space, with a triangular island separating it from the living and dining areas. Walnut flooring ensures a warm mood and, in the living room, a Georgian-style fireplace adds extra snug factor, as does the expanse of shelves for books and objects that surrounds that glass-boxed red 1972 Ferrari Dino. The box connects the living room to a large internal garage where the car is parked. “It’s done in such a way that it resembles an art installation,” says Range. “And you can’t see the garage on the other side.”

Upstairs, the principal bedroom suite includes two walk-in dressing rooms and a beautiful marble bathroom featuring hidden cabinets and a recessed shower for a stylish, uncluttered feel. There is also a laundry room on this floor. “It’s so practical not having to carry washing up and down stairs,” says Range.

On the top floor, as well as an office and a separate bedroom with ensuite bathroom, there is a cinema room with bifold doors that open onto the substantial roof terrace, a wonderful space for entertaining. “The view is a bit like Mary Poppins,” says Range. “We can see all the chimneys, but on Bonfire Night and New Year’s Eve, we see the different fireworks across London. And it gets the sun throughout the day.”

Meticulous attention to detail is everywhere in this home. “Every light fitting was positioned with a purpose,” says Partakis. “Floor boxes allow for lamps without trailing cables and every picture has a light above it. The chandelier has four spotlights focused on it, so it really shines.”

After enjoying their house for several years, the family are now looking for a life in the country. “And,” says Range, “Alex would like another project.”

Pictures from top: the open-plan living space; the bespoke Roundhouse kitchen; a bathroom suite; and one of the children’s bedrooms