Reinvigorating an older property to suit the needs of a young family, while preserving the space’s historical character, is a complex task to fulfil, but for Gemma McCloskey, founder and creative director of design studio Cúpla, the aim was simply ‘to make the journey as fun as possible’.
As creative director and founder of Cúpla, McCloskey has previously worked on other gorgeous contemporary projects like the new Rixo flagship store in London, as well as creating vibrant lighting pieces inspired by traditional Murano glass techniques.
The lighting line was initially launched using McCloskey’s own apartment as an experimental space – one yellow and blue hanging lamp now takes pride of place in her bedroom. Other items in the brand’s ‘Caramella’ collection include intricate miniature tealights and mottled wall sconces; read more about the brand in our December/January issue, on sale now.
This charming Chiswick townhouse, located in a tranquil residential area, boasts an exterior with ‘an abundance of London red brick and beautiful Victorian ornamental features’, but the interior was let down by an antiquated and inharmonious layout. The principal challenge of the space was what McCloskey described as one of flow: ‘The original layout wasn’t ideal, the rooms felt very compartmented and disjointed’.
Through an innovative reconfiguration of the internal space, including a staircase refurbishment that added much-needed light to the entryway of the house, McCloskey described the extensive works (including a tricky navigation of pitched ceilings on the top floor): ‘It really opened up the internal layout.’
Another source of light was McCloskey’s careful selection of materials: custom Murano glass in her lighting pieces and green zellige tiles in the guest bedroom’s lightwell brighten and enhance the space. She describes the importance of materials in the project: ‘Once we had cracked the layout and architecture we moved onto the materiality and all the layers which follow to enhance and do the property justice.’
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In order to honour the traditional Victorian personality of the house, McCloskey worked with a palette of deep jewel tones ‘The client likes bold strong colours and wasn’t afraid for us to use them, which was great.’
This palette can be seen in the principal suite’s striking purple snug, where a warmly glowing wall sconce illuminates a plum-coloured moire wall covering and a cosy striped armchair in shades of purple and blue. The snug also features a matching purple rug and upholstery, along with a curved sofa in luxurious teal.
This snug leads onto the elegant main bedroom, where an enfilade seamlessly links three spaces, decorated in shades inspired by McCloskey’s sourcing of Italian Cipollini stone (‘cipollino’ meaning ‘onion’ in Italian, for the seafoam-green marble’s layered pattern.) McCloskey confesses, ‘My favourite stone.’
McCloskey describes the refurbished space as ‘strong yet feminine… a really classic interior which feels contemporary at the same time.’ Throughout the process of reimagining the space for family life, she worked closely with her clients: ‘They were a dream to work with and were very happy to be guided by us when it came to the interior design.’
The process was entirely targeted towards functionality, ensuring the space would live on for future generations as a treasured and charming family home. cuplastudio.co.uk
