Rich colour and Gallic sophistication meet in this spacious London house, creating a family pad that packs a certain je ne sais quoi…
Get the look: This is Caravane’s Victor sofa. The cabinets were made bespoke. These are Hollo coffee tables from Petite Friture and the Form 2 rug by Tom Dixon for The Rug Company. The vases are from a selection from Anthropologie and Holly’s House. The grey throw is from Cologne & Cotton. The cactus candle is from Zara Home.
THE PROPERTY
A four-storey Georgian-style house in north London built in 2001. There is a cloakroom, large kitchen-diner and family living room on the ground floor and a dining room/library and formal reception room on the first floor. On the floor above is the master suite and a further two bedrooms and a bathroom, while the top floor is used by guests and has three bedrooms and a bathroom.
LIVING ROOM
This Georgian style house has beautiful architectural bones. Looks can be deceiving, though, because despite its period elegance, their home was built in 2001 (based on the footprint of an original Georgian house that stood here previously).
Vast, sink-into sofas from Caravane and a pair of circular coffee tables, which were a bargain from French store Petite Friture, give the living room a cosier feel. The interiors are owed to interior designers Bunny Turner and Emma Pocock of Turner Pocock.
Get the look: This is the Vera Cruz side table by India Mahdavi. This is Caravane’s Victor sofa. These are Hollo coffee tables from Petite Friture and the Form 2 rug by Tom Dixon for The Rug Company. The grey throw is from Cologne & Cotton.
KITCHEN-DINER
In the kitchen, simple Ikea units were restyled for a decidedly upmarket feel. New side panels were cut, bespoke kickboards added, while beautiful mouldings completed the look.
Get the look: This is an Ikea kitchen. The bench is by Ben Whistler. The table was made by I & JL Brown. These are Originals Stacking chairs by Ercol, spray-painted blue and Original BTC’s Titan pendants.
The bench was built bespoke and covered in what looks like expensive leather, but is actually plastic. You can spill jam on it and it’s fine.
Get the look: This is an Ikea kitchen.
DINING ROOM/LIBRARY
Inside, generous rooms and four floors provide ample space, but pose something of a design challenge too. When it comes to big properties, how do you lose that rattling-around feeling?
One trick was to give each level a clear identity. The ground floor, with its kitchen-diner and living room, is dedicated to family life, above are the grown-up reception rooms, the second storey contains bedrooms and the master suite, while the top is reserved for guests.
The home owners another trick up their sleeve – embracing the dark side. They knew deep colours would create much-needed character. Now, the master suite is a rich blackish-blue, while the dining space rocks a squid-ink shade.
Get the look: The walls and joinery are painted in Squid Ink emulsion/ eggshell by Paint & Paper Library. This is Oka’s Petworth dining table. These are Tulip chairs by Eero Saarinen for Knoll and Beat pendant lights by Tom Dixon. The gold vases are from Zara Home.
FIRST-FLOOR LANDING
This chaise is an heirloom piece that has been re-covered in bright fabric that’s the same shape as stair spindles.
Get the look: The sofa is upholstered in 362436 linen in Berry by Studioilse at Christopher Farr. The walls are painted in Lamp Room Gray estate emulsion by Farrow & Ball. This is the Quad pendant light by Original BTC. The owl is from Zara Home.
MASTER BEDROOM
The master suite was three tiny rooms originally, but it was made into something extraordinary that stretches the whole width of the house.
Get the look: This is the Miconos wall light by Artemide. Find the Paille japonaise RM 101 12 wall covering by Élitis at Abbott & Boyd. The studded headboard and chest of drawers were made bespoke. The mattress is by Tempur. The bed linen is from The Linen Works. The David vase is from Rockett St George.
MASTER EN SUITE
The en-suite bathroom is separated from the master bedroom by a window partition. Blinds can be pulled down for privacy.
The bathroom is painted in the same tone as the bedroom. The floor tiles match the carpet too. In this way, the bathroom looks as though it’s part of the bedroom.
Get the look: The floor and mosaic tiles are by Casa Dolce Casa. The divider is painted in Farrow & Ball’s Black Blue estate eggshell.
To further help the bathroom flow from the bedroom, the vanity unit was designed like a dressing table. It’s mounted on little wood feet to give it the feel of a sideboard.
Get the look: The dark wall is painted in Thunder Blue emulsion by Sanderson. These are Kartell basins. The vanity unit was made bespoke and painted in Black Blue estate eggshell by Farrow & Ball. The vanity unit legs are by Swedish outfit Prettypegs.
See more of Turner Pocock’s work at turnerpocock.com. Visit agence-mind.com for info on the architect’s work.
Photography / Paul Massey
