Apart from an abundance of arched windows, the Victorian villas in Hampton Court are all slightly different. ‘There’s not really a set style,’ says Sophie van Winden, co-founder with Simone Gordon of Owl Design. The duo were commissioned to enliven the interiors of one such home, owned by a couple of avid art collectors who first came across their work in the pages of this magazine.
The house was being renovated by architects ADE, so Sophie and Simone were able to have input into the interior architecture. ‘They had designed these beautiful, big arches on the back, which referenced buildings nearby, as well as an arch that was already at the front of the house,’ Sophie recalls.
The house is arranged over three levels; a ground floor with an open-plan kitchen, living room and snug, plus a front reception room that Sophie and Simone kept more traditional in deference to its original features. Down a curving staircase, the basement, with its impressively high ceilings, is home to a cinema, library, bar, office and bedroom. On the first floor are more bedrooms and the luxuriously appointed main suite.
The clients were clear on what they liked: clean, gallery-like spaces with pops of interest and sculptural shapes. And what they didn’t: pattern, especially stripes. With this in mind, Sophie and Simone started developing a design that emphasised geometry and colour, building a palette of vivid, carefully chosen shades that would tie the rooms together, while giving each its distinct personality.
They had a PDF of the clients’ art collection to guide them, so particular shades and colour-pairings – playful hues including mint green, claret and electric blue – started finding their way into the spaces. The vibe of the early 1980s and the Memphis movement were also sources of inspiration – ‘their era of growing up, which is similar to our own’, Sophie notes.
All that the homeowners kept from their previous home were the dining chairs and table, everything else was sourced by Sophie and Simone, or custom-designed by them. ‘They came from a much smaller house, and none of it worked,’ says Sophie. The joinery and custom pieces began evolving into sculptural works of art ‘rather than just furniture’. ‘They really like that concrete look with white walls and pops of art. That’s what we wanted the furniture – like the blue kitchen island – to be: those pops coming through.’
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Blue is a thread that runs through this house, subtly connecting the spaces; in different tones, it appears everywhere from that punchy kitchen island to the soft cornflower-hued tub in the main bathroom and the vivid electric shade lining the archways. It’s paired with unexpected colours, such as pistachio and peach, creating an energising atmosphere that suits the family down to the ground.
‘They’re very energetic people,’ observes Simone. ‘They love hanging out with the kids, socialising, watching the rugby or having friends over for cocktails.’ Sophie notes that although the couple wanted their home to have a gallery-like feel, they didn’t want it to be po-faced, precious or untouchable. Joyfully family-friendly, you won’t find any ‘stupidly expensive’ ceramics on the shelves, just a mix of toys and art pieces.
Simone agrees: ‘It’s an uplifting place where you can feel homely and comfortable.’ While the family are busy, they’re also quite calm, and the house has been designed to suit that, with different areas supporting a variety of moods and uses, and enough room ‘for everyone to have their own space’. owldesign.co.uk
