These are the pictures that show the stunning transformation of Jamie Laing and Sophie Habboo’s stylish new home in one of London’s most exclusive areas.
Former Made In Chelsea star Jamie, 36, took to social media to show off the new abode in trendy Notting Hill, west London which he and Sophie, 30, who is pregnant with their first child, purchased last year for £4.1million.
He took his 1.6million followers on a tour of the downstairs, proudly showing them a Mediterranean-style open-plan kitchen with a sprawling, marble-topped island at its centre.
Flooded with natural light courtesy of four skylights, the state-of-the-art kitchen leads onto a terraced garden on one side and an open-plan, living area tastefully decorated with family pictures and ornaments. It is hemmed in by lime-washed walls.
But before Jamie and Sophie moved into their dream home, the five-bedroom semi-detached property looked remarkably different.
Photographs from when it was being marketed last year showed that it had an old fashioned, cluttered look. The kitchen, which had an all-white finish, had a smaller island and no state-of-the-art range cooker, as it currently does.
The living room had an oblong marble table surrounded by wooden chairs while two large, comfy armchairs faced a pair of wooden patio doors that opened onto a small terrace overlooking an overgrown narrow garden.
The property had the feel of a suburban family home rather than the swanky, upmarket townhouse it has become following a 14-month renovation project that was overseen by interior designer Jojo Barr of House Nine, a leading interior design company.
Jamie did not show off the upstairs of the house but there is every possibility that it also looks strikingly different to how it appeared in photographs when it was on the market.
They show a main bedroom with red floral-patterned wallpaper with a bulky, outdated double bed at its centre and traditional bathrooms made up of a tub, toilet and sink.
Jamie has accumulated his wealth thanks to a number of business ventures, including co-founding sweet manufacturing company Candy Kittens in 2012.
His ancestor, Alexander Grant, also helped invent Digestives and is the founder of the McVitie’s brand.
Jamie has also starred on Strictly Come Dancing, Celebrity Gogglebox and The Great British Bake Off.
He co-hosts hit podcast NearlyParents with wife Sophie, which draws big advertisers such as cosmetic brand Max Factor.
His new neighbours revealed that the couple had ‘settled down well’ to their new life in Notting Hill and that they appeared to be enjoying their time in the well-heeled area.
One said: ‘I saw him out running the other day. They’ve got a lovely home but then so have a lot of other people around here. Nobody makes a big fuss about them because there are a lot of famous people living in this area.’
Another said: ‘The building work went on for quite a while, but that’s not unusual because there are a lot of rich people around here and there’s always somebody getting building work done.
‘There’s about three different major projects going on at the moment on the road where Jamie and Sophie live. They are always handled properly so that residents aren’t negatively affected. This is not the kind of area where you want to annoy your neighbours.’
Sharing his new house on Instagram, Jamie captioned his post ‘Just in time’ before tagging Sophie and penning: ‘My wife and I bought our first home and started renovating it…
’14 months, 10,000 arguments and nearly divorced later, we’ve finally finished.’
Sophie announced to fans she is expecting her first child with her husband Jamie back in June.
The loved-up couple tied the knot in a lavish Spanish wedding in 2023.
In a joint interview with The Standard, the couple revealed how an article about their fruitless house-hunting journey was spotted by the former owner’s grandmother.
She proceeded to call up her grandson to insist that she had discovered the perfect buyers for his place, with Sophie and Jamie happening to book a viewing at the property the same day.
While Jamie admitted that he was hesitant about the house at first, Sophie fell instantly in love and even threatened her husband with divorce if he didn’t agree to put in an offer. Before the day was out, their offer was in.
He said: ‘When we walked in, I was not sure at first. Sophie turned to me and said, ‘If we do not put an offer in, I am going to divorce you’. That was the clincher.’
Sophie explained to The Standard how the kitchen had been the most important room for her to get right, saying: ‘I always wanted a massive kitchen with a big island. For me, that is the heart of the home.’
While Jamie’s favourite indulgence is the kitted-out cinema room, with a striped carpet, high-end speakers and a bar, complete with huge jars of Candy Kittens – his confectionery company.
Speaking about his love of the lavish room, he said: ‘I grew up obsessed with films. So, to have our own cinema, where we can curl up with popcorn — that is the dream.’
The pair’s relationship developed from friendship into romance in 2019, going on to get engaged two years later and eventually marrying.
