A London Pied-a-terre

This decoration project took a bland, recently renovated apartment in Chelsea and transformed it, with a brief to create a warm, cozy and interesting interior for a couple who visit London occasionally.

The drawing room has stunning views looking across the rooftops of Old Chelsea. The large room was divided to create two separate seating areas, one centred on an existing fireplace, the other around a large television. Background colours, at the client’s request, were kept simple, airy and neutral, but pattern and texture brought in to the room in cushions, lamps and other furnishings.

The dark entrance hall was painted a deep plum colour and hung with 18th century architectural engravings to provide a dramatic arrival in the apartment. A series of bedrooms were decorated to provide soft, restful, gentle interiors for the owners.

Ben’s London house

Ben and Charlie live on the top floor of an old Georgian house in Bloomsbury that now provides the headquarters to a renowned artistic society. The flat was added and extended out of old attic garrets in the 1920s, and now provides a stunning, light-filled interior with a view over the leafy square.

The flat, in contrast to The Old Parsonage, uses layers of more contemporary fabrics, furniture and lighting – but combined with a bold use of antique furniture and engravings to create a mood that is at once modern and traditional, restful yet richly-coloured.

Chichester showhomes

We designed these interiors for two show houses at our architectural scheme, Roussillon Park in Chichester. The developer wanted to maintain our design integrity throughout the project, and to create show houses that had real personality – instead of the bland and lifeless product that one can so often encounter in the new homes market.

The budget was very tight; we shopped as much at IKEA as elsewhere. But by intelligent use of old and new furniture, simple colours and rich accessories, we succeeded in creating two houses that have been remarkably popular with potential owners.

It was a fun project for us, and we loved working on the scheme. After 2 years the show house moved and we were able to re-used much of the furniture but provide a new scheme with a wholly different personality.