House Tour: a Perfectly Restrained London Terrace

Photographer Charlotte Bland has quite the eye for beautiful things and has the home to prove it

I met my friend Charlotte Bland eight years ago when I fell in love with her photography (mostly of her home) on Instagram, where we somehow started talking, I invited her to dinner, and she miraculously accepted.

This was long before Eric and I bought our home and I started my .@goodboneslondon account, when my days involved wrangling an infant, a toddler and a 7-year-old, and cooking the rest of the time.

Over the years, Charlotte’s been a bright spot in my London life. She’s also one of the most talented photographers out there. Her interiors and food photography are second to none (she photographed my beloved Bedford project, my lighting range and a million other beautifully shot things you’ve seen) and the images she’s casually captured of my home over a bowl of pasta on a random Saturday night are some of my absolute favourites. It would make sense, then, that her home would reflect what is clearly an incredible eye.

Charlotte and her husband Matt moved into this home as a rental over 12 years ago. It was a blank canvas and Charlotte often told me she wished they could just buy it and live in it forever. Sometimes wishes do come true — last year, their lovely landlady decided to sell and they scooped it up. This means that while they’ve lived in and loved on this home since 2014, they haven’t been able to meaningfully alter it; instead, it’s been filled with treasures.

Here is a photo essay of Charlotte and Matt’s gorgeous two-up-two-down in Dulwich Village, complete with all the sources and stories.

You can follow Charlotte and see more of her home at @charlottebland and purchase some of her prints on her website.

a selection of Charlotte’s prints that are available to purchase on her website.

Tiny Cat stares down from her perch. The framed images on the left belonged to Charlotte’s father.

Little treasures Charlotte's picked up at various brocantes and vintage markets, and a look at her springtime garden.

The kitchen is my favourite kind, a simple affair. Charlotte repainted it a few years ago in some favourite colours: the walls are Warm White and the cupboards are Quiet Grey, both by Atelier Ellis. She’s hoping to one day extend the kitchen (perhaps to the side), replace the timber worktop with something harder-wearing and somehow incorporate a fridge that is bigger than their current under-the-worktop mini fridge. All in good time.

Validating my love of a timber knob! The tins come from various antiques markets in Italy, while the splatterware is from Ivo Angel.

Charlotte’s kitchen table was inherited from a great auntie Wena and serves as an excellent spot for lunch and basil growing. The splatterware is Ivo Angel.

The mid-century piece at the end of the kitchen was an eBay purchase. The screen print is by Louise Sheeran. The lampshade is old school Matilda Goad. The green demijohn was found at a French brocante. The glass lamp base is Jarapa. The white bowl is from Fabulous Vintage Finds. Charlotte found the lemon at the Arezzo vintage market, and the sardine at The Beaux Store. The plates are mostly Ivo Angel and Mud Australia. The stacked espresso cups are from Margot.

One of Charlotte’s photographs.