Tibbets Close, Southfields, SW19

This red brick Edwardian terrace on Tibbets Close, with terracotta panels, a gabled front and leaded light windows, has been brought up to date without losing what makes it special. Cornicing, picture rails, panelled doors and fireplaces have been repaired and retained, and a gentle refresh has reached the kitchen and bathrooms. Ochre-tinged cream walls and dark-stained wood suit the traditional proportions. The house provides 1,044 sq ft with three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a sitting room, and its west-facing garden gets the afternoon sun.

Hall 1.72m x 3.80m (5'8" x 12'6")

A tiled floor welcomes visitors, and the staircase, dark-stained with square newel posts and turned balusters, rises directly ahead. Beyond the tiles the original boards carry a runner down the hall, and the walls are hung with a few framed pictures.

Sitting room 4.47m x 5.02m (14'8" x 16'6")

High ceilings and a stove for burning wood give the sitting room its sense of ease, and the fireplace surround is original. A rust velvet sofa sits on a long, worn red Heriz rug, with a leather club chair nearby and wooden shutters fold back from the windows, while small glass lantern pendants cast a gentle light. The mix of old and mid-century pieces suits the proportions of the room.

Kitchen 2.79m x 3.99m (9'2" x 13'1")

Cream painted cabinets, oak worktops and a black range cooker give the kitchen a cook's character, and the garden is in view from the sink through its window. Brass sconces with pleated shades add a period note on the wall.

Principal bedroom 4.26m x 3.96m (14'0" x 13'0")

The principal bedroom is lit by a sash window and has a fine pair of period proportions. Picture rails and painted cornicing frame the walls.

Bedroom 2 2.67m x 3.81m (8'9" x 12'6")

One wall of the second bedroom is filled by a built-in desk; the room is long and narrow, a fine study in all but name, and it would still take a single bed against the far wall.

Bedroom 3 3.41m x 2.81m (11'2" x 9'3")

Smaller and squarer, the third bedroom looks to the street through a sash window and suits a child, with enough floor for a bed and a small chest of drawers.

Bathroom 2.18m x 2.97m (7'2" x 9'9")

Herringbone tiles line the bathroom, a quietly updated room in the same pale tones.

En-suite 1.67m x 2.20m (5'6" x 7'3")

The compact en-suite is fitted with a walk-in shower and stays out of the way of the bedroom.

The garden faces west, so it holds the sun late into the day. There is no parking provided with the house. In the low winter sun of January the bare trees throw long, soft shadows across the dry pavements.

Southfields station, on the District line, is the nearest Tube stop. Southfields has no main-line station of its own, though Earlsfield, Wimbledon and Putney are convenient for main-line services. The streets of the Grid were approved by the London County Council in 1891, and Coronation Gardens, a small historic park, commemorates the coronation of King Edward VII in August 1902.