Film Tom Sandford

Editor David Potter

Portrait photography Jasper Fry
Interior photography Dan Glasser

Words Hannah Nixon

Growing up on a council estate, Reggie remembers racing through neglected stairwells and avoiding neighbours to reach his ‘safe space’; his home filled with food, family and laughter. Having first appeared on television aged eight, in the beloved early 1990s sitcom Desmond’s, Reggie’s acting and presenting career enabled him to buy his first renovation project at 18 and from there, his passion for design, architecture and rearranging furniture flourished.

When he bought his current home, an elegant double-fronted Victorian house on a tree-lined street in south London, he wasn’t fazed by the series of haphazard, self-built extensions at the rear of the plan. Cumulatively, they gave Reggie the opportunity to reconfigure the entire rear elevation. The façade, meanwhile, was repointed and retiled in-keeping with the vernacular of the street.

The interior has been transformed into a wholly contemporary, calming space, finished with impeccable details and clever joinery. Reggie’s personal collection of art and photography is on display throughout, with pieces from Catherine Hyland and Joshua Kissi, along with trinkets and presents from favourite brands such as A Bathing Ape. The walls have been treated with 30 layers of thin paint to build to a plaster-like finish, much to the chagrin of Reggie’s decorators.

Ritual takes a special place in Reggie’s day. Up at 5am, after working out in his home gym and making use of his steam room, he relaxes with a cup of tea in the front, east-facing living room, which glows orange as the sun rises. “The house represents a safe space to step away from the public persona, step away from who people know me to be, and for me to fully be who I actually am”, Reggie confides.

Having bought the house with a view to starting a family, Reggie has reframed its current purpose as a “hub for my community”. A community that’s made up of friends and family – including 13 nieces and nephews who commandeer the cinema room. As Reggie says, “It’s really gorgeous that the village that has defined me and helped shape me, has a place to congregate.”

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