A firefighter’s pole in the kitchen and a slide down the stairs? Nobody said minimalism couldn't also be fun.
Get the look: The Redondo sofa is by Moroso. This is Thonet’s No. 21 rocking chair. The Knot floor cushion from Habitat is similar to this. The Spotlight rug is by David Rockwell for The Rug Company. The artwork above the fireplace is by Thierry W Despont.
THE PROPERTY
An eight-bedroom house in west London, constructed with a ground floor beneath two circular towers and connected by a staircase ‘bridge’. There’s an entrance hall, WC, kitchen-diner, living room and office on the ground floor. The first tower has a bedroom, shower room and utility room on the first floor, and the main bedroom suite, with a shower room and separate WC on the second floor. The other tower has three bedrooms and a bathroom on the first floor and a further three bedrooms and bathroom on the second floor. Each tower has a roof terrace and garden and there’s also a courtyard garden with an outdoor swimming pool on the ground floor.
LIVING AREA
The property’s curved towers are linked by an external covered staircase – the bridge – to avoid blocking out light from the neighbours. The radical shape has turned the house into a talking point.
Get the look: The vintage lounge chair and ottoman are by Charles and Ray Eames for Vitra. The 606 Universal shelving system is by Vitsoe.
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Inside, the decor has an almost powdery softness, given definition with black-framed internal and external glazing. The plaster has a rustic honesty plus it absorbs sound beautifully. Elsewhere, surfaces are gently tactile, from the deep quilting of the sofa to the silky pile of the living room rug, but it’s the collection of artworks that provides the real drama in the space.
KITCHEN
Despite the serious materials and design, there’s a whimsy to this west London property, thanks to the three-metre firefighter’s pole descending into the kitchen and the children’s slide that run alongside the staircase.
Get the look: The kitchen is by Bulthaup. The artwork in the niche is by Emily Young. The Douglas Fir flooring is by Dinesen.
But there is nothing kitsch to see here. Pale wood floors, bare plaster walls and a series of organic spaces give it a softness and serenity. It’s meditative, despite being a family home.
Get the look: The kitchen is by Bulthaup. The Form bar stool by Normann Copenhagen is similar to this.
STAIRWAY
The owners of this property installed a slide on the inside of the staircase, offering a fun – and quick – way down.
Get the look: The staircase and slide are both bespoke. The crash mat is by Craftwood.
HALLWAY
Each artwork has been painstakingly sourced. The shapes of the house are organic, with every curve and corner functioning as part of a whole.
Get the look: The Love artwork is by Harland Miller. The chair was an antique find.
BATHROOM
The curved wall of the family bathroom nods to the property’s organic shapes but was also created for practical reasons – the property needed to fit into a tight space between existing houses.
Get the look: The bath is from The Water Monopoly.
MASTER BEDROOM
The bedroom sits in an oval tower, so the furniture curves into the space, being gently hugged by the walls.
Get the look: The bed is by Hastens. The Calvo side table is by Lee Kirkbride. The Iona tall cheval mirror is by Pinch.
The porthole windows in the bedroom add to the ocean-liner look.
Get the look: The leather armchair is from Soane London.
See more of the designer’s work at michaelisboyd.com
Photography ⁄ Paul Massey
