An elegant London townhouse, with interiors inspired by a famous Chelsea members’ club
It takes vision to imagine that a pair of tired-looking, split-level flats could become an elegant home optimised for entertaining. But for the owners of this one – a couple in their late fifties whose main home is in the country – an appetite for a project and a base in central London allowed them to appreciate the potential offered by the building when they first saw it, particularly as it is located in one of Chelsea’s prime streets.
Design studio Taylor Howes was given the not-insignificant task of turning the Victorian properties back into a single, four-storey house. As the owners’ children are now grown up, they gave the studio’s co-founder, Karen Howes, creative freedom to come up with a sophisticated scheme, without the need for the practical concerns of a young family. She established a narrative inspired by the nearby Chelsea Arts Club, which, she explains, is ‘such an iconic place. The owners were drawn to the quirkiness and eclecticism of it, and they wanted to channel that slightly clubby feel.’
The ground floor of the building was taken up mainly by a shop, which presented a further challenge for the designers. What remains of it is now given over to the practical concerns of city life: a smart coatroom, and a shower room in which to wash the dog after a muddy walk. The main living spaces are up a level on the first floor, where the reception room has been designed as a sociable setting for conversations that flow late into the night, reading, or watching television.
A wall of bespoke shelves is filled with books and objects, which give a sense of a room that has been added to over time, and the top of the shelving unit is finished in bronze, a detail which extends around the room as a picture rail. ‘It functions as a hanging rail system, so that art can be moved around flexibly without the need to redecorate,’ explains Karen.
Through a set of pocket doors lies one of two intimate kitchens made to specification by Extreme Design. The room is colour-drenched in ‘French Gray’ by Farrow & Ball, from the kickboards to the ceiling, and grounded with walnut parquet flooring. Art is also a feature here, ‘although we arranged pieces as collections of things as opposed to one or two paintings, mixing ceramics with oils and pastels to get lots of different textures into the space,’ says Karen.
As construction got underway, traces of a green William Morris wallpaper, which Karen thinks dated back to the Victorian era, was uncovered around the top staircase. Rather than simply reinstating something similar, the studio opted for a more abstract interpretation, commissioning a bespoke stair runner from Stark inspired by the pattern, which flows up the stairs and on to the top-floor landing. ‘We wanted the house to have an element of the Arts and Crafts movement to it, and what I think of as “old Chelsea”,’ notes Karen.
Up in the bedrooms, Karen used a long-admired embroidered wallpaper by Pierre Frey as a tactile feature wall in the main bedroom. ‘I’m not sure if it’s to do with the Bayeux Tapestry [being displayed in the UK], but we’re doing a lot more of them now,’ she says with a laugh (indeed, tapestries are a recurring feature around the house, hanging in both the guest bedroom and the central staircase).
In order to retain the wallpaper as a focal point here, the television is hidden in a pop-up unit. Between the bedroom and the en-suite bathroom, wardrobe doors lined with a textured wallpaper create an interesting transition. ‘It’s a bit of a cheat,’ says Karen, ‘as it looks like straw marquetry, but without our having to go to quite that length.’
The lower ground floor, with its own bathroom and kitchen, can be used as an apartment by the owners’ children when they come to stay, but is predominantly used for hosting. Karen notes that the Arabescator Rosso Orobico marble chosen for the worktop informed the bronze satin fronts of the units, enhancing the opulent feel of a members’ club.
Throughout the house, spaces have been left for the clients to add their own artworks and objects. ‘We like to see homes grow with their owners, with their travels,’ says Karen.
The layered look and pattern-rich feel of the house is a departure from the usually sleek aesthetic for which Taylor Howes is known. But, says Karen, ‘This isn’t a transition for me - it’s my natural taste. I love lots of colour and texture and it’s not far off what my own home is like. Together with the clients, we went on a great journey.’
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2/11The star of the main bedroom is the feature wall in Pierre Frey’s Hana wallpaper, which is embroidered on straw. The lamp bases are by Henry Holland Studio. The wardrobes are covered in a geographical wooden veneer pattern by Lizzo.
3/11A Soho Home vanity in burl and Carrara marble makes a statement in the primary bathroom. The pair of clam-shell mirrors by Porta Romana are backlit to give an ambient light source. The marble floor tiles from Mandarin Stone were carefully configured to create a unique geometric pattern.
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5/11The bespoke runner from Stark pools on to the top-floor landing, and recalls the slice of William Morris wallpaper buried in the building.
6/11The walls of the guest bedroom are painted in Etruscan Brown by Edward Bulmer. The tapestry behind the tonal headboard was commissioned using a fabric by August & Co. The bedcover is from Toast.
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9/11Artworks in the reception room were sourced from Catherine Miller, Musée Homes, Abigail Ahern and Lucinda Dalton Gallery. The library was crafted by Taskworthy and finished in smoked, limewashed oak to match the pocket doors to the kitchen. The L-shape sofa is upholstered in Tiger Mountain by Dedar.
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11/11The bedroom in the basement is wrapped in a woven wallpaper by Holly Hunt and features an oak headboard and bedside niches with adjustable shelving.
