Just a stone’s throw away from Hyde Park, our client spied the potential in a dusky, dull apartment that had seen better days. Our brief: the wholesale transformation into a warm, sophisticated and comfortable pied-à-terre – but with budget and programme as important as form and function.
A refurbishment done nearly a decade ago had given the apartment a moody, glamorous makeover that was at odds with some of the original minimalist specification that had been left extant. We agreed that a more neutral, warm approach to these all-important connected spaces was the key to the transformation. The flooring in both spaces had to stay, so we focused on bringing both rooms back to a more neutral starting point using textured vinyl wallpaper on all walls as well as the sliding doors.
We commissioned a new lacquered kitchen in a warm neutral using an age-less contemporary Shaker-style design. The hero of the room was in fact the Dekton worktop and splashback. The softly textured waves are reminiscent of travertine, but impervious to the ravages of time, tabasco or turmeric.
We used a contemporary stepped deco cornice around the perimeter of the reception and dining room, subtly adding sophistication to the architectural register. Stripping out the dark leather and bronze trimmed cladding on the faux chimney breast allowed us to use fluted suede panels from Dutch makers Alphenberg and create an impressive but less dominant architectural elevation in the room.
We changed some of the existing downlights to art spot lights, decreasing the ceiling acne and lighting only what we wanted to light. Adding a pair of ceiling pendants and the dedicated Anvers pendant over the dining room helped to zone the living and dining areas of the room and create soft pools of light in the evening. These pieces from CTO combine glass, metal and alabaster and are beautiful when lit or at rest.
The dining table takes inspiration from the red thread of solid curves, with a satisfying single pedestal and a beautiful marble top offering functional sculpture as the first view on arrival into the room.
The Rene from Meridiani is both comfortable and elegant, offering ample seating opportunity without dominating the room. We chose a matching coffee table and one of Meridiani’s most recent armchairs, Oscar. Gorgeously oversized, Oscar owns his corner of the room. The scheme is deliberately tone-on-tone, with slubby, textured fabrics adding a tactile level of interest in addition to the accent colours scattered through the seating area.
Stacie McCormick’s abstract artwork was one of the last items chosen for the apartment, but certainly the most satisfying. The trip to her Notting-Hill studio resulted in the choice of a piece that captures the client’s affinity with the sea and creates a compelling internal view to rival the city-scape beyond.
It’s tempting to think of this transformation in seasonal terms. From a moody, burnished Winter we have ushered in Spring. Golden, sun-lit, with the teal wash of the ocean and the occasional flash of wild-flower colour.
