There couldn’t be a better environment for a little Leo than a space filled with trees, birds, lizards, a baby orang-utan, fish and chameleons. So no wonder two-year-old Leo Tollgård adores his nursery. But when his parents, Staffan and Monique Tollgård, first moved into this west London apartment, their starting point was effectively a big, white box. “It had been done up in the Eighties by the minimalist architect David Chipperfield, but the minute we opened the door onto this long hall, we could picture it with a child zooming up and down on a bike,” says Monique. “And that is exactly what Leo does now.”
Many couples adapt their existing home when a baby comes along, but the Tollgårds went flat hunting with family life in mind. After moving here in spring 2007, they spent six months reworking the space – and they love it. There is a communal garden in the square outside, the location is central (and a five-minute cycle to their offices) and the proportions are generous, with four-metre high ceilings. “Previously, we lived in a four-floor Victorian town house, so we were actively looking for lateral living space, with one staircase,” says Monique.
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