London can be a cold, dark and (often) rainy place. For Georges and Michèle Maria, the founding duo behind design studio MariaGroup, who are based in Lebanon but also work on projects across Europe with London-based interior designer Claudia Skaff, it can sometimes feel like light is the city’s most valuable commodity.
That is why, when it came to working on this Victorian property in the capital for a couple and their three older children, getting the light just right was their biggest concern.
‘We play with light architecturally, but also with every decorative choice we make,’ says Georges. Their first concern was the layout of the apartment – small rooms, all leading off one, long, shadowy corridor. Walls were knocked down to create larger broken-plan spaces, and the generous windows were aligned with the new bigger, relocated doorways to ensure that there was no obstruction when it came to the flow of daylight.
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Then, thoughts turned to creating a colour palette that enhanced every last ray. All of the walls were finished in an off-white shade, with the ceilings boasting a coat of pure white. ‘We even selected the yellow rug, which is like a burst of sunshine in the living room,’ adds Michèle.
The aim was not just to flood this home with brightness, though. Texture and materiality are key to creating different qualities of light.
As Michèle says, ‘the focus was also on cosiness; building an atmosphere that is well-adapted to London days and nights’. From the contemporary twist on wooden panelling that lines the corridor to its removable rattan ceiling (made to hide the cabling for this home’s tech upgrade), this is a place where natural materials are favoured.
Especially when it comes to the light fixtures themselves – each one was picked to produce a subtly different glow that transforms the ambience.
It’s an approach that Georges describes as an act of ‘finding what is practical, but also poetic’. This combination of logical and magical thinking is second nature for the brains behind MariaGroup, who all pride themselves on the amount of research that goes into each of their design decisions.
‘Our style is a very educated one,’ says Michèle, who points to the mix of modern, vintage and custom-made designs that can be found throughout this interior. This is not a home where inspirations come from one particular era; instead, its creators have chosen to tirelessly pan for the nuggets of gold that make a home special. That make it shine. As Michèle puts it, ‘Our clients don’t want a style, they want a lifestyle.’ mariagroup.com
