Since founding her eponymous studio in 2017, Lonika Chande has won a devoted following for her colourful interiors. Based in south London, she creates spaces that are richly layered and expressive, combining antiques and contemporary pieces with hits of characterful pattern. Her aim is for a home to feel as if it has been collected over time. ‘For me, how a space feels is as important as how it looks,’ she says. ‘Proportion and flow underpin each project, allowing a more instinctive use of colour, texture and materials to emerge naturally.’
Chande credits her mother, the artist Lucy Dickens, with inspiring her style. ‘She has a wonderful instinct for colour and textiles, and my grandmother was an antiques dealer, so I always had an awareness of art and objects,’ she explains. ‘We moved house quite a lot when I was a child, and each home was layered with pieces my mother had collected, which has influenced the way that I think about interiors.’
After completing a history degree, Chande studied architectural interior design at the Inchbald School of Design in Chelsea, then worked for decorators Juliette Byrne and Caroline Holdaway before going solo. Today, she’s inspired by travel and art. ‘I spend a lot of time in galleries, and my palette is often informed by artworks. I recently visited painter Rose Wylie’s exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts – that kind of freedom and boldness can subtly filter into my work.’
What are her recent projects?
Working with Chris Dyson Architects, Chande has designed a house in Highbury, north London, which started out as a makeover for a few rooms and expanded into a full renovation. ‘The home’s generous proportions allowed us to be brave,’ she says. ‘We restored and highlighted original detailing, and added bespoke joinery, colour and texture to create warmth and individuality.’ In complete contrast is a mid-century London townhouse. ‘It had little architectural detailing to anchor the interiors, so the approach was more about adding soul than restoring it,’ Chande explains. ‘We introduced wallcoverings, handcrafted furniture and tiles to build depth and texture.’
What is she currently working on?
What's everyone reading?
An Arts & Crafts house in the Kent countryside whose owners admire the 19th-century design movement. ‘We’re leaning into the spirit of the period through considered joinery and natural materials, balancing these with a modern sensibility,’ says Chande. An unusual triangular house presents a different challenge; rather than resisting the geometry, she is embracing it, ‘carving out charming nooks’.
She says: ‘My approach to colour, pattern and texture is intuitive. I gravitate towards natural materials such as timber, stone, linen and wool – I love how they soften over time rather than feeling overly “done”.’ lonikachande.com
Expert advice
Lonika Chande on how to be confident with colour and patternBegin a design with a painting or textile. Artwork has a way of fusing unexpected shades, and pulling colours from something you love creates combinations that feel personal and slightly offbeat.
Be brave in your colour choices in smaller rooms – a downstairs loo or study, for example. They’re less of a commitment, so treat them as little jewel boxes. I also like to use bold colour and pattern in unexpected places, for example the back of shelves or inside cabinets.
The secret to making strong colour contrasts work is balance and depth. Natural materials such as linen, timber or stone soften a combination that might otherwise feel too sharp, or I might introduce a third, quieter tone between two bold colours.
When layering patterned textiles, scale is always the starting point. If I’m using a large-scale print, I’ll balance it with something smaller or more tonal, so they’re not competing. Contrast works best when each fabric has a little breathing space.
