• London Townhouse +
• Overlooking Green Square +
• 3 Bedrooms +
• Private Garden +
• Designed by Emilie Fournet +

A canalside position, just removed from the refined ebullience of Upper Street, and arrangement around an exotic, award-winning public garden, are just two of the many reasons Arlington Square is considered by many to be Islington's finest.

In the peaceful south-western corner of the square a Grade II listed home has been the fortunate beneficiary of an exacting, sensitive and joyful renovation, under the colourful direction of designer Emilie Fournet. The result is a wonderfully holistic endeavour that successfully ties contemporary considerations for family life with spatial arrangements, hues and patterns that make it a home for every season.

The houses of Arlington Square are, despite their rightful Victorian classification, Georgian in every sense of the architectural style. Yellow brick set in Flemish bond with stucco at ground and lower ground levels, they are without bay and therefore benefit from a large front courtyard and thoroughly useful coal stores beyond, for bikes, wine, bins and more.

The formal entrance is at raised ground level, where the traditional corridor and staircase beyond are dreamily lit by the stained-glass panes of a landing window. From here into the retained double reception, original features and cornicing has been painstakingly renewed by Stevensons of Norwich.

In the front living space, an original marble fireplace has been revealed, refurbished and paired with a sister piece in its adjoining study. Original shutters adorn the six-over-six sash windows and double doors from one room to the other are left open, allowing the east-west orientation to fill with light in the mornings and afternoons.

At the rear there is great use of space in the division of a large utility into separate boot room and storage cupboards, and a shower room with a guest WC.

The colour scheme throughout is an act of theatre; every autonomous space seemingly has its own distinctive shade, though references skip from one to another. It's a thoughtful selection from Paint & Paper Library, Mylands, Farrow & Ball, Little Greene and others; warming and cocooning in some rooms, light-enhancing and calming in others.

The first-floor front room is arguably the piano nobile, with its elevated views of the garden square from a pair of floor-to-ceiling sash windows. The opulent dusty pink of the walls and skirting is wonderful against stained-pine floorboards and the owners' hardwood antiques. This room finds itself employed as a study, library, dressing room and as an occasional third bedroom.