The Story
Hannah & Jonny got in touch just after completing on their first home, an elegant 5 bedroom Victorian house in a leafy corner of North London. With plans to start a family on the horizon they wished to focus their time and resources on decorating a handful of key rooms they felt it was especially important to make immediately inviting and personal.
They expressed a love for having friends over for dinner and drinks every couple of weeks and imagined an ‘adults only’ zone in the main sitting room where they envisioned playing vinyl, mixing cocktails and chatting with friends. Downstairs in the snug, they imagined a warm seductive space, where they could retire to continue conversations late into the night at weekends, or unwind together with a film during the week. Upstairs in their own bedroom, they imagined a soft, serene space with an undercurrent of earthy sensuality inspired by some of the their favourite trips to Mexico and Andalusia where they married.
With these various inspirations in mind we melded diverse influences to create a multifaceted gem that flows from day to night and back again.
The plot twist came when baby Roman arrived not long after the project was completed, and as Hannah put it “The vision of regularly hosting friends has been great the limited times we’ve done it but what’s been even better is using the space every Saturday morning with our 11 month old son, playing records and enjoying a coffee instead.”
Our Services & Scope
Site survey & technical drawings
Conceptual design & spatial planning
Specification & sourcing of furniture
Vintage & antique sourcing
Custom window treatments & upholstery
Colour consultancy
Project co-ordination & liaison with team (inc. main contractor)
Our Conversation
• What surprised you most about working with an interior designer for the first time?
Both how fun and incredibly effortless Anouska made it appear to take our ideas and turn them into reality, magic!
• What did you discover about your style or preferences during the process?
Two things surprised me, the first was I like the use of colour way more than I thought. Whenever I looked at other peoples’ minimalist homes I dreamed about having something with that vibe but it didn’t feel right for us!
I also realised I’m totally ok with the house not having one uniform feeling. I spent some time at first thinking about how to make the rooms “match” or create a cohesive feeling within our home but the more we worked together on the different rooms the more I realised how little that mattered.
• What was your favourite part of the experience?
It might sound odd but the waiting once we had decided on all the pieces. I felt very excited to see it come together.
• Which elements or pieces in your home do you appreciate the most?
Our antique Dutch commode - it might be slightly impractical but it’s beautiful, a one off, and something I know we will have forever.
• After a long day how do you like to unwind in your living room or bedroom?
The best part of our day is the moment we can go into our bedroom. I didn’t realise just how important paint colour was until we painted our bedroom Solstice by Atelier Ellis. It’s so calming and the lighting provides the best atmosphere to unwind. I might read a couple of pages of a book but really that room sends me off to the land of nod.
• Last but not, describe how your new home makes you feel in a few words…
Peaceful and of course very happy.
