The owners of this house in Holland Park had a strong vision when it came to updating it to suit life with their young family and they knew who to turn to in order to realise it: interior design studio Albion Nord.
The firm’s creative directors Camilla Clarke and Ottilie Stride led on the project, with Camilla recalling how her clients ‘wanted our signature aesthetic – a sanctuary, a home that blended elements of styles old and new, that was distinctive and timeless.’
The Grade II listed, double fronted white stucco townhouse sits on a street of similar villa-type houses. The five-bedroom property is over 4,000sq ft covering the ground and lower ground floors and leads onto a large private garden. The proportions are grand, but the mix of materials, softness and texture that Camilla and Ottilie deployed make it feel inviting rather than austere.
First, the duo had to address the layout, making some subtle but significant alterations to improve the flow, such as relocating the original entrance, embracing the lofty ceiling heights with panelling and adding a large inset antiqued mirror to enhance the light in the space. A beautiful bespoke chandelier hanging over a travertine table nods to the sense of glamour (it was hard to find a vintage example that was big enough to hold the space), with boucle stools adding softness and texture.
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Two impressive double doors open up onto the living space while a secret jib door disguised within the panelling leads into a powder room. They also reworked the space so that the principal bedroom suite ran the full length of the building from front to back and all five bedrooms gained their own en-suite bathrooms.
They also spent a huge amount of time designing the kitchen and dining area to ensure it would function as a space to cook, eat, entertain and dine in throughout the day as well as into the evening.
‘It needed to be informal enough to relax with family and children in the day but also feel special enough to entertain guests in the evening,’ explains Camilla, adding, ‘we looked to bring the two rooms together using bifold doors that fold away seamlessly to create one large and impressive space. The rooms deliberately feel as one through palette and composition.’
Curated artworks, antiques – many of them sourced from Albion Nord’s own Collectors’ Edit – and bespoke pieces from their Makers Line shape the spaces, adding personality and suiting the architecture of the building. A curved sofa and armchair from Sedilia is paired with a Henry Holland floor lamp, vintage travertine side table and a large bespoke stained oak, live edge dining table.
The colour palette throughout is soft and neutral, with lots of layered textures and natural materials: pale oak floor, linen, sheers, cotton, wool, alpaca, velvet and bouclé to give a soothing, elevated feel.
Lighting is a crucial design element, with the designer’s balancing the desire for a ‘relaxed and soft, not stark and bright’ with the need to effectively illuminate each large room. Contemporary pendants with long arms reach out into the space, creating a striking juxtaposition with the traditional bones of the building. These were supplemented by low level lamps, plus lighting in and above the joinery and floor lamps for a warm, even glow.
Camilla is particularly proud of the principle bathroom, which was designed around the geometry of a circle. ‘This approach lent itself to the architecture of the room whilst also representing the idea of being whole, balanced and complete – a core ideal in wellness,’ she says.
They chose an unexpected mix of materials including fluted oak panels, tadelakt plaster walls for its water-resistant qualities, limestone flooring and Calacatta Vagli marble, combined with brass sanitary ware from Waterworks, specifying the latter not only for its warmth and the patina it gains over time, but also to reflect the brass accents used elsewhere throughout the scheme.
Albion Nord’s thoughtful approach has done justice to the beautiful bones of the building, without any aspect of the scheme feeling overly precious. Given their design-savvy clients’ original brief keywords such as ‘earthy’, ‘warm’ and ‘zen’, as well as stipulating a design that was ‘youthful, cool and sexy, relaxed and not too formal’, the finished result definitely hits the mark. albion-nord.com
