Inside Wimbledon's most beautiful homes
In conversation with the Wimbledon local reshaping the world of interior design
Good morning, Wimblers — we’re now in the final stretch before Christmas! I hope that everyone has bought their presents (or at least most of them) and that we are enjoying the festive cheer.
I’d like to take a moment to remind our readers of the wonderful initiative run by The Alexandra: on Christmas Day, The Alex opens its doors to those who would otherwise be on their own. From the hours of 11am–2pm, the pub will be serving a free Christmas lunch to those wanting company and some good scran. Check out our article below to read about why The Alex does what it does.
The story of the pub that saved Christmas
Good morning, Wimblers — it’s officially December! Christmas truly is upon us, and Wimbledon’s festivities are in full swing.
This week, we’ve got a feature with Juliana Custers, a local leading architect and interior designer with a deep connection to Wimbledon. We’ve also got your usual news snippets and some great recommendations to see you through to Christmas! There’s no property of the week this week because of our feature — happy reading!
We have a new Wimble reader call-out below: If you have any pressing questions about Wimbledon and the surrounding areas, drop us an email and we’ll do our best to answer you. We’ll then collate the answered questions and post them in an upcoming edition: zak@thewimble.com.
Ask The Wimble❓
This is a call-out to our readers to ask The Wimble all of your burning questions about the area. These questions can be about anything: Do you know when X bus route will return? Do you know how many strawberries are consumed at Wimbledon each year? Do you know when X restaurant is opening? These questions are entirely up to you. Our job is to answer as many of them as possible! So click the button below and ask away! To make things a little easier, please use the subject line: ASK THE WIMBLE.
News snippets 🗞
👏 Merton’s 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign has concluded, with more than a dozen events that brought hundreds of residents together to highlight the impact of violence against women and girls, while promoting the #WeSpeakUp White Ribbon message encouraging everyone to challenge sexism. The campaign began with a community event at AFC Wimbledon (which we mentioned in a previous edition). The 16 days saw pop-up stalls and book displays across Merton Libraries, the National Trust at Morden Hall Park, and Merton College, as well as several training sessions attended by over 150 people. Read more about it here in the borough’s press release.
🔥 Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters tackled a fire at a block of flats on Summerhill Way in Mitcham. A four-room flat on the second floor was destroyed by the fire. One person left the building before the brigade arrived. A man was taken to hospital by the London Ambulance Service, according to their press release.
🚨 Reports of a stabbing at Colliers Wood Underground Station were made to police at 10.30am yesterday. A man was treated at the scene for a head injury before being taken to hospital. British Transport Police (BTP) officers also attended following reports of a fight between three young men involving knives, and a man in his 20s was arrested at the scene on suspicion of carrying a dangerous weapon. The station was closed for part of the day. Read more about the incident here.
This week’s Wimble sponsor ⛳️
Caddi Club is gearing up for Christmas. Make sure to check out all of their events and packages for the festive season here. Caddi Club is the biggest indoor golf venue of its kind in Europe. Aren’t we Wimblers lucky to have it on our doorstep? But even if your golf skills leave much to be desired, Caddi Club is a great place to hang out, grab a drink, meet some friends or just get some work done.
The Wimble’s to-do list 🥳
💞 Date and Skate: Today is the day! This event at the Quarter’s ice rink invites couples, friends and families to glide across the real-ice rink under twinkling lights while a live local choir fills the air with beautiful Christmas classics. How romantic! Book your spot here.
Where: Wimbledon Quarter
When: Thursday 18 December, 7–7.45pm/8–8.45pm
🎶 Christmas Sing-a-Long Concert: Tomorrow evening, conductor Georg Tormann leads you through a selection of Christmas hits, including: Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, Merry Christmas Everyone, Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town, The Fairytale of New York, O Holy Night, White Christmas and more. If you fancy a proper sing-along, then this one’s for you. Tickets can be bought here.
Where: New Wimbledon Theatre
When: Friday 19 December, 5.30–7.30pm
🎭 Christmas Puppet Workshop with Polka: Join Polka Theatre for a two-hour hands-on puppetry workshop at Wimbledon Quarter. In this family-friendly session, you’ll design and build your own adorable festive puppet, guided by Polka Theatre’s expert team. Children and grown-ups will get to explore the pillars of puppet making with a heartwarming mini-show to end the day. Tickets are £12.50 per child. Book your spot here.
Where: Wimbledon Quarter
When: Saturday 20 December, 10am–2pm
🏃♀️ Wimbledon Common Christmas Run: Who says getting fit has to start in January? This picturesque run covers both 5k and 10k distances. Festive kit is highly recommended! Fees range from £15–120. Book your spot here.
Where: Wimbledon Common
When: Sunday 21 December, 9.30am–12.30pm
🍻 Pub Quiz at the Dog & Fox: This is the final pub quiz before Christmas. You know what that means… that means it’s your last chance to get your smartest friends together and win big before Christmas Day knocks you out. See you there!
Where: Dog & Fox
When: Wednesday 24 December, 7–10pm
‘We don’t say no; we just make it happen’: Juliana Custers on the power of interior design 🏗
Juliana Custers is an interior architectural designer whose eponymous company is reshaping the way we think about our homes. Born in South Africa, Custers and her family moved to Wimbledon when she was just five. After gaining a degree in architecture and a subsequent career in interior architectural design, Custers decided it was time to take a leap of faith and start her own business. Two years later, and her Wimbledon-based interior architecture and design studio is going from strength to strength. This week, Custers sat down with The Wimble to talk about everything from her own personal journey to the profound impact a person’s home can have on their quality of life.
The Wimble: Talk me through your early life. Did you always want to work in architecture and interior design? Did your childhood in Wimbledon play a part in your decision?
Juliana: I decided I wanted to work in interior design when I was young — maybe seven. Every weekend, I’d rearrange my bedroom and find new ways to change the space, much to my mother’s delight. Apparently my grandmother used to do exactly the same thing, which I love. I never actually knew her, so it feels as though this instinct for creating and reshaping spaces was somehow written into my DNA.
Wimbledon was a great place to grow up. When we first moved here, we lived right next door to Cannizaro House, and having the common and the sprawling green spaces certainly made for an adventurous childhood. I also think Wimbledon was just an interesting and safe place to be growing up. Of course, the buildings and architecture here are amazing, and it’s hard not to be inspired by just walking around.
Apologies if this sounds a bit ignorant, but how does it work? What is the process for redesigning someone’s home?
We’ve got quite a clear process — it makes life a lot easier when you know where you’re going. The brief, which we call the discovery, can take a little bit of time as you get to know your client. It’s really important to understand your client and their vision as early as possible. I’m working on a project right now that’s taken two years, and I’ll still refer back to the original brief to make sure all of the requirements are being met. Another part of the initial process is asking those hard questions: What happens if we knock down this wall, and what happens if we don’t? Is it the best idea to redo the entire house and start from scratch? Is your budget really in line with your expectations? Transparency is key when taking on projects as big as ours.
After the discovery phase, we work on design development, making sure everything in the brief is translated into design, then onto technical design and construction documentation, and then finally we work closely with the contractors, craftspeople, furniture makers, and joiners to bring life to the vision.
OK, let’s say that I’m a Wimbledon homeowner who wants to have my house completely gutted and remodelled. I also want a specific marble on every counter. Can you do that?
Everything is possible. I’ll go a step further: let’s say the client, in this case that’s you, loves travelling to Argentina. We might then source Argentinian wool and have a blanket woven specifically for their home. If another client fell in love with the atmosphere of a small gîte in France on their honeymoon, we’ll look beyond Pinterest, seeking out pieces, artwork or objects from the very towns or fairs that evoke that memory. At its core, our work is entirely bespoke; that’s how it becomes truly yours. If you want your home fully reimagined or made personal and uniquely yours, that is very much within our remit.
And let’s say I’m an avid book collector, and I want my library to have a first edition of The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford. Can you get me that?
Of course we can. Absolutely. It’s all part of the job. The whole process is a very personal experience. For example, a client of mine might say, “When I move in, I just want everything to be ready. I want the beds to be made, and I would love a roast dinner to be in the oven for when I arrive.” That’s not a problem. We can do that — roast dinner included. We’re a small team, but that makes the relationships with our clients that bit more personal. Interior design is the main arm of our company, but in small moments we work a bit like a private household; we can arrange for the whole house to be packed up, white-gloved, labelled, put away, then unpacked, clothes steamed and hung, art hung in the right place and then for a chef to be there on the move-in day.
I think the takeaway is that we don’t say no; we just make it happen.
It’s been two years since you launched Juliana Custers. What has this journey been like?
The job can be hard at times, but it’s incredibly rewarding, especially when our clients see that we’ve gone above and beyond for them and they fall back in love with their home. I was living in Marylebone when I decided to move back to Wimbledon and start this business. At the beginning, it was very much a kitchen table startup. For the first few weeks, I worked alone, but then I realised that I needed some help. I hired a few amazing designers and we moved into the spare room in my parents’ house. But still that wasn’t enough space. We just kept growing and taking on new projects. We then decided to take over my father’s old architectural studio, and we’ve been there ever since; it’s all very low-key, golden retrievers and all.
We’ve worked on homes across Clapham, Balham, Wimbledon — several times — as well as Chelsea and Tunbridge Wells, with new projects continually emerging.
But the greatest privilege of building this business has been the freedom it affords: the ability to choose the right projects in the right places, to assemble the right team, and to base ourselves in an environment that supports the way we want to work.
And, finally, what message would you give to our readers who are thinking about redesigning their homes?
The biggest message I can impart is that interiors should bring joy. We work around the idea of finding what a client’s joy is and then making that joy part of their home. We don’t have a cookie-cutter approach because a person’s joy is unique and deeply personal. Why I love interior architectural design — and what I do for a living — is that it enables me to create these magical spaces that people can have for years to come. If I’ve done my job right, I shouldn’t be seeing you for a refresh within the next five years. One of the biggest investments you can make into yourself is your home, and it’s so worth it. Not only will you see returns on your property’s value, but it does so much for your mental and physical wellbeing.
Check out the Juliana Custers website for more photos and information.
Question of the week 🔍
Last week, I asked you what year Henry VIII visited Wimbledon. The answer: 1546.
Q: Which of these books was authored by a Wimbledon resident?
You’re up to date 👋
Thank you for reading this week’s edition. I hope that you enjoyed our interview with local interior designer Juliana; check out her website for more info. I hope that everyone is ready for next week’s festivities. If you’re making a journey outside of London, please remember to check the trains are running properly! I’ve made that mistake before… trust me, it’s not fun. We won’t have an edition out next week (as it’s Christmas and there’s not much to report), but we’ll be back the following week with a round-up of The Wimble’s best stories from 2025. Merry Christmas to all of you and thank you for your support this year!