On entering Lois Robb’s east London flat, you might be mistaken for thinking you’ve tumbled down a rabbit hole into wonderland. The compact hallway is entirely swathed in blue, from the walls and doors to the flamboyantly swagged tented ceiling. It’s the perfect expression of this young designer’s ingenious approach; ‘I made it myself from fabric and pressurised shower poles,’ she says, adding with some understatement, ‘ it adds some drama to the entrance while hiding the fuse board above’.
The flat is in Mile End, in a pub conversion on the edge of a conservation area, close to the Regent’s Canal and Victoria Park. Lois had lived in the area for four years so knew it well. When she first got the keys she was faced with the dated design of its early 2000s conversion, all laminate flooring and a peninsula island that clunkily divided the kitchen. But there were four large dual aspect windows in the living room and a spectacular view of the city.
The rest of the flat isn’t quite as rococo as the hallway; compact in size, with just one bedroom, functionality was the key consideration when she first took it on, she says. Her starting point, as always on projects, was the layout. Wanting somewhere she could entertain with ease, including a dining area where eight could sit comfortably around the table, and making the kitchen and living room feel like one big space were her aims.
‘Once the layout was set, the aesthetic decisions followed,’ she says, adding, ‘my only brief to myself was to aim for everything in the flat to be something I love.’ She built the scheme around some of her favourite materials – ones she had been keen to use but hadn’t yet had the opportunity to try in a client’s project. This included the marble tiles and zinc countertop in the kitchen, zellige tiles in the bathroom and limewash paint in the bedroom.
‘Some elements have been favourites for a long time, so I made sure to incorporate those and build around them,’ she explains. ‘I knew I wanted a marble splashback, and since tile is far more cost-effective, I took the opportunity to embrace the tile itself and create a pattern, rather than trying to imitate a marble slab.’ For the paint colours in the main rooms, she went for a neutral base to allow the flat to evolve over time with artwork and accessories.
While the renovation was purely decorative, almost everything was replaced or changed, from the flooring and radiators to the kitchen cabinets, bathroom fixtures and even the lighting positions. Lois relied on her trusted contractors, Andrew Penny, from her day job to make everything run seamlessly. Budgeting was a challenge as she’s used to working on projects with a ‘larger scope’, but, she explains, ‘it was also satisfying to use off the shelf items to create unique design elements and to put pieces I’ve collected over the years to use in the right context’.
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The living room is designed around a sculptural Noguchi shade – ‘key for evening lighting to keep a warm glow’ – and a striking vintage sofa which Lois sourced from Vinterior, recalling it was ‘difficult to find and shipped from Italy’. She particularly wanted something modular so that it could be configured perfectly; the rounded corner piece softens the space, makes room for the pendant and opens up the room. The large artwork is her own; she found the discarded canvas on the street near her house, took the shape from the pattern painted underneath, and drew the colours from the room.
The bedroom is even more personal, with both wardrobe and armchair treasured pieces from family. Lois had the Ercol armchair reupholstered in shearling and the pine wardrobe painted to match the room’s woodwork. From the fantastical front door to the pavement provenance of the artwork, in every corner of this pocket-sized palace there’s a story to be found. loishannahinteriors.co.uk, @loishannahinteriors
