Comments on: Before & After In Fournier St https://spitalfieldslife.com/2025/02/07/before-after-in-fournier-st-i/ In the midst of life I woke to find myself living in an old house beside Brick Lane in the East End of London Thu, 13 Feb 2025 16:39:41 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.2 By: Jo N https://spitalfieldslife.com/2025/02/07/before-after-in-fournier-st-i/#comment-1692256 Thu, 13 Feb 2025 16:39:41 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=202275#comment-1692256 Lovely piece, and so inspirational.

I’ve only ever lived in Victorian houses, and they did have that same door convention of opening into the room to shield the entrant momentarily. Perhaps the C19 owner of this house was just very bold – or maybe there’s a north/south divide on this as most of my Victorian homes were in Manchester and Cheshire.

]]> By: gkbowod https://spitalfieldslife.com/2025/02/07/before-after-in-fournier-st-i/#comment-1690131 Fri, 07 Feb 2025 20:21:17 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=202275#comment-1690131 I experienced happy satisfaction upon seeing each of the beautiful rooms brought back to life. Too few stories exist of this type- property history with before and after pictures. Thank you!

]]> By: Cherub https://spitalfieldslife.com/2025/02/07/before-after-in-fournier-st-i/#comment-1690041 Fri, 07 Feb 2025 15:04:43 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=202275#comment-1690041 I am impressed at the way the modern pieces of furniture blend in with the history of the building’s interior. Here in Switzerland old and new rub alongside each other frequently and it works well.

]]> By: Lynne Perrella https://spitalfieldslife.com/2025/02/07/before-after-in-fournier-st-i/#comment-1690034 Fri, 07 Feb 2025 14:34:30 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=202275#comment-1690034 THIS is thrilling! This is not just a story about restoration — it feels like rebirth. The fond old building was so deserving of lavish care ……. and obviously recieved it, in waves. I’ve attended enough “preservation” meetings in my time to know the phrase, “When it’s gone, it’s GONE”.
And, alas, many of those meetings were for the purpose of discussing lost causes, and tilting at
decrepit windmills. Like it or not, everything cannot be saved. But, seeing an endeavor like this gives us a spark, and renews our hope.

In the late 70s we moved from a perfectly fine suburban split-level home (with a lawn), to
3,000 square feet of “raw space” in Lower Manhattan. The first time we toured the place, my husband said it looked like “Berlin, 1940s”, and couldn’t wait to leave and go to lunch. But I couldn’t get the place out of my head or my heart, and we ended up renovating it and reclaiming those wild windswept streets near the Hudson. I wouldn’t change a nail, or a wad of steel wool, or a band aid. It was glorious. Long live preservation.

]]> By: A Pilkington https://spitalfieldslife.com/2025/02/07/before-after-in-fournier-st-i/#comment-1689982 Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:39:28 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=202275#comment-1689982 What a transformation. It’s incredible how an apparently derelict building with so much history can be brought back to life.

]]> By: CAOR https://spitalfieldslife.com/2025/02/07/before-after-in-fournier-st-i/#comment-1689901 Fri, 07 Feb 2025 06:34:14 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=202275#comment-1689901 Some accuse the trust and current owners of gentrification: I think preservation, respect and care would be more apt. Bring it on.

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