This Joy-Filled, Multi-Generational Home Is a Masterclass in Layering Hues, Yet There's Barely a Colorful Wall in Sight — "It's Full of Delight"

Designer Lonika Chande has played with a palette of nearly every shade going, yet still manages to make this home feel put together

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Bespoke kitchen with rich wood cabinets, blue shelving and green island with red bar stools
(Image credit: Milo Brown)

Interior designer Lonika Chande is known for her love of jewel-box color. She’s spoken before in Livingetc about how she pairs crimson with turquoise, mustard with bright green, and all while still managing to make her schemes look considered and curated.

But she has out-Lonika’d herself with this modern home in Chelsea, west London, where primary colors stretch across joinery, and sky-blue curtains hang behind a red chair. How did she manage to conjure such an extraordinary palette?

Corner of a living area with wall of joinery in bright blue, a red and pink geometric rug, a bright pink armchair and burl wood side table

"The house is very uplifting with a lot of positive energy, in big part thanks to the colors we’ve played with," says Lonika. The artwork is by Wayne Pate. (Image credit: Milo Brown)

"We didn’t use much color on the walls, which were mostly left light and bright, creating a more calming backdrop," Lonika says. "And no color ever appears just once.

We made sure the house as a whole felt cohesive by reusing a blue that might be in an artwork in one space and as the upholstery for a cushion in another." The overall effect, she says, is an "uplifting home with a lot of energy. It feels really positive."

Dining area with red oval table, blue chairs, overhead pendants and a rattan sideboard

"We played around with rugs to zone this space, which worked well to demarcate it from the open-plan play area right next to the table," says Lonika. (Image credit: Milo Brown)

Wall of wooden joinery with handful of doors in yellow and green

"By using grown-up pieces like the Buchanan Studio chair, it means this part of the open-plan kitchen and living space doesn’t jar as the kiddy area," says Lonika. (Image credit: Milo Brown)

In fact, all of the hues you can see on display here can be traced back to one starting point: the artwork by Sean Pressley, already owned by the clients, now hanging in the formal living room, of a man having his beard trimmed in a barber’s chair.

"It had so many fantastic colors in it," Lonika says, referencing the bright red gown, the mustard background and the subjects’ trousers in blue and green. "We kept coming back to it, and reusing those tones in different ways throughout the home."

Living area with figurative yellow print, geometric rug, blue and wood armchairs and orange coffee tables

"Knowing the kids would hardly be in here, we could be a little less practical with the material choices, such as using mohair," says Lonika. The artwork is by Sean Pressley. (Image credit: Milo Brown)

Bedroom with grasscloth wallpaper, blue geometric headboard, pink throw and wood bedside table

"This space was really designed as a retreat, with calming colors and just the occasional addition of pattern," Lonika says. (Image credit: Milo Brown)

The 1960s house had very little architectural detail. "But it was very open, with lots of skylights, so all that light gave us the opportunity to layer in plenty of patterns without them seeming too much."

Her clients are a multigenerational family, with the owners taking over the whole of the very top floor — where Lonika has installed a home bar and coffee bar "so they can stay up there and escape when they need to" — a grandmother having her own space on the first floor, and two little boys getting a playroom that adjoins the dining area.

Living area with panelled wall, green sofa, round wood coffee table and green and orange striped rug

"We called this the sun room as it has dual-aspect windows and we wanted to keep the palette light and bright to enhance that," says Lonika. (Image credit: Milo Brown)

"The owner wanted to be able to see the boys playing from the kitchen," says Lonika. "So we built joinery into the play area but kept it mostly in a wood finish so the area can be tidy and calm and, once the children have grown up, it will no longer feel like a nursery."

Bathroom with ochre wall tiles, red shutters, black bath and blue rug

"The owner really wanted a space to hang out in, and if space allows I’ll always try to include a chair in the bathroom," Lonika says. "It’s such a nice addition." (Image credit: Milo Brown)

In a way, the house, with its myriad colors and so many curated corners, is also a little like a play area for the grown-ups — one where imagination is indulged and creativity enhanced. "I love that there are always lots of details to look at, to catch your eye and inspire you," says Lonika. "It’s a home that’s full of delight."

Pip Rich
Executive Editor

The editor of Livingetc, Pip Rich (formerly Pip McCormac) is a lifestyle journalist of almost 20 years experience working for some of the UK's biggest titles. As well as holding staff positions at Sunday Times Style, Red and Grazia he has written for the Guardian, The Telegraph, The Times and ES Magazine. The host of Livingetc's podcast Home Truths, Pip has also published three books - his most recent, A New Leaf, was released in December 2021 and is about the homes of architects who have filled their spaces with houseplants. He has recently moved out of London - and a home that ELLE Decoration called one of the ten best small spaces in the world - to start a new renovation project in Somerset.