Shortlisted for Livingetc's House of the Year 2026, See Inside a Grade II-Listed Apartment Full of Clever Details

Showcasing studio founder Irene Gunter’s trademark use of warm colors, clever storage, and ideas that make each space supremely liveable, this Grade II-listed apartment feels both personal and lived in. As with all Gunter and Co projects, there is a clever balance between on-trend ideas (stainless steel worktops in the kitchen) and aesthetic choices that will last for years, making an overall scheme that is truly timeless and well-crafted.

And when it came to sifting through the many entries for this year's House of the Year in Livingetc's Style Awards, this one leapt easily onto the very short shortlist. "Every space seems so layered, so interesting, so full of stories," says Livingetc's editor Pip Rich.

"The brief was simple: to reconfigure the interior flow so that it allowed the park views to sing," explains Irene, and here she takes you through the project in her own words.

Kitchen

"The use of different finishes brings richness, from marble and brass to the fluted panelling and glossy tiles in the kitchen and dining space cabinetry," Irene says. These sorts of details are what made the home stand out to our judges.

The original kitchen and dining room were one space, while a separate sitting room was poorly situated, overlooking neighboring buildings. "Our biggest structural intervention was to remove a partition wall between the kitchen and dining room and to then introduce some steel interior glazing," says George Gardner, who was lead designer on the project. "This created an open-plan, generous, and connected look across the three spaces, delivering a cohesive heart of the home and allowing the greenery of the park to be seen throughout."

A bespoke curved marble island acts as the centerpiece, balanced with the practicality of stainless-steel worktops, a material specifically requested by the clients, who had used it in their previous home. "It’s a pre-scratched stainless steel, so the patina is already built in. This, and the added benefit of a welded sink that is completely seamless, provides an effortless, stylish and not remotely industrial feel," says Irene.

Dining Room

Texture is all in this space, where curtains and tablecloths sweep the floor, alongside a fabric pendant light and upholstered dining chairs providing a sense of deep comfort.

"We were looking to find the balance between what’s classical and what’s modern," Irene says, of the romantic way the curtains and tablecloths pool on the floor (classical) and the scalloped silhouette of the chairs (modern).

An illuminated vitrine features zellige interior tiles in a vibrant red, in contrast with the pale pink cabinetry, adjacent to which "metal doors, in powder-coated green paint, provide a profile you might find in a 1910 Paris apartment," says Irene.

Living Room

The sweep of rooms across the apartment feels personal and lived-in; new pieces comfortably rubbing shoulders with a smattering of antiques. The color palette was inspired by the clients’ contemporary art collection and features blush pinks in the cabinetry and forest greens in the wall coverings, alongside grounding tones of warm timber and occasional pops of brightest red.

The overall effect is thoroughly modern, most noticeably so in the sitting room. Here, a large painting forms part of a sliding system across a TV and shelving unit, which spans an entire wall.

"We had to work around the size of the artwork to ensure the scale of the joinery perfectly complemented it," says George. This wondrous piece features travertine carved stone dividers between its shelves, which are essentially bookends that stand up beautifully to the design language required by such an elongated piece.

Study Area

One of the things that makes every Gunter & Co project so delicious is that every corner has been designed to function, but in the smartest and most beautiful way possible. At the edge of the living room is this charming little desk area, showcasing once again the red accents that enhance the whole space.

Warm pinkish wall tones complement the vibrancy of the artwork in this corner, where a bespoke desk by Gunter & Co brings a nod to vintage style.

Main bedroom and Guest Bathroom

The bedrooms are a masterclass in refined comfort, as Irene explains: "In the rooms without direct park views, such as the west-facing principal bedroom, which was not an exuberantly light-filled space, we decided on a cocooning environment, layering in plenty of crafted detailing, from textured wall coverings to leather-wrapped wall mouldings."

"This room took a lot of effort to get right," says George. "We repositioned the dressing door to allow for a more generous space, while the back wall has been panelled in a luxurious green fabric with leather verticals. The detailing is superb."

Detailing is rife elsewhere too, and you can see the guest bedroom reflected in the mirror of the guest bathroom. It is enveloped in a Chinoiserie wallpaper, giving the impression of a hand-painted mural. "This is gorgeous and much more cost-effective than commissioning an artist," says George. Indeed, it’s just one of many clever, inspiring details that give this apartment identity.

Irene describes her design approach as ‘instinctive,’ and in this apartment she and George leant hard into this impulse, discarding the cheap, basic skirting boards but keeping the elegant coving; the beautifully detailed architraves were retained, while the flat, uninteresting doors within them were replaced. Overall, the effect is of a gilded space that flows, comes together and just works. Full of character and charm.

See the House of the Year and other homes on the shortlist here.