E1 Varden Street

As some of you will be aware, I occasionally feature property that is for sale. This is intended as a slight diversification from talking about styling and other news from the interiors industry.

This feature looks at a very special property which is located in London’s busy East End. An area which I know well, thanks to previously being a resident of Aldgate East.

You would be completely forgiven for walking right passed Varden St, or indeed for not knowing where it is. It’s cushioned behind the Royal London Hospital, in-between Whitechapel High Street and the lesser known Commercial Road. The houses are ‘on street’ period Georgian properties built around 1810 and were originally intended to support the hospital - residents included surgeons and doctors.

Once overlooked and part of East London’s notoriously undernourished East End, the area has of course in recent years seen much improvement, and houses on Varden Street are one by one being restored to their former glory. As recently as 2005 the houses were threatened with demolition, and in 2007 saved by the Spitalfields Trust.

This particular house is currently owned by designer Pedro da Costa Felgueiras, and is on the market with Aucoot.

“During the vast renovation of this once dilapidated house, da Costa has employed traditional materials and methods throughout, staying as true as possible to the history of the building. He hand-mixed all the paints himself using mostly linseed oil and antique powder pigments to ensure historically accurate colours.”

Split over a traditional Georgian three storey layout, the house offers petite but perfectly formed accommodation for those with an acute eye and taste for historical detail and character.

“This is an incredibly rare, three-bedroom Georgian townhouse, painstakingly and thoughtfully renovated by historical paint expert, Pedro da Costa Felgueiras of Lacquer Studios. Were it not for the modern concessions, like underfloor heating, it would seem as if the house had been plucked directly from the early 19th century. The award-winning home, with its beautiful walled garden, is perfect for those wanting a peaceful refuge close to the City.”

Could this house have been treated and renovated with more love? we think not. It appears de Costa has tended to every aspect of the renovation with the upmost care and thought. The house now stands as one of the most dignified restorations of a property that we have come across by an individual.

The lower ground floor offers a traditional everyday-dining and kitchen area, and we love that de Costa has retained the traditional exterior WC at the end of the garden.

Upstairs the Ground Floor offers more formal reception rooms, which have been decorated beautifully. De Costa’s work as a specialist lacquer restoration expert and paint historian are very apparent throughout the house, with attention to historical detail and a coherent colour palette throughout.

We couldn’t resist featuring this property.

Discover more via Aucoot website here.

Words: Rory Robertson, and Aucoot.

Photography: Aucoot.