A 19th-century Chelsea house brought to life with colour and pattern by Lonika Chande
“It's rare for properties to come up for sale here, and even though this one didn't have many original features left, it had really good bones," says Lonika Chande, of the mid 19th-century Chelsea townhouse she designed. The space had been untouched for 25 years, and, having worked with Lonika on a previous project, the clients knew she was the right person to breathe new life into it.
“It was really quite tired. The fireplace had been ripped out and none of the doors, cornicing or architraves were original,” Lonika explains. “The only things that were still in place were the corbels in the hallway.” The first port of call, then, was to restore what would have been there before: cast iron radiators were plumbed in, a smart breche marble fire surround was installed, and plaster mouldings were replaced. Each little detail was chosen in situ, to ensure it felt right in the space.
Given the apartment's footprint, the main living space needed to accommodate eating, relaxing and entertaining. “The room had to work really hard,” says Lonika. “so we had to be quite clever with the layout.” And clever they were: the sofa is tucked into built-in joinery to maximise the available space and create a pretty display, and much of the furniture serves a dual-purpose. Perhaps the finest example of Lonika's ingenuity in this project is the fireside chairs, which were custom made at the perfect height for pulling up at the banquette to create extra seating, and set on castors for added manoeuvrability.
“We also did a lot of opening up. We took down the wall between the sitting room and the kitchen, which meant both rooms got a lot more light thanks to the dual aspect,' Lonika notes. In fact, it is the banquette that creates the perfect through-thread between the comfortable living space and the practical kitchen area, gently bending the eye around the corner. ”The curved banquette was a non negotiable for the client. He'd found inspiration at Loulou's (the Mayfair members' club), and wanted to do something similar in a fresh, relaxed way.”
The theme of charming practicality continues upstairs in the spare bedroom, which houses a pretty box bed. “We positioned the bed underneath the sash window to maximise floor space, because we couldn't afford to lose any space around the bed. We also created a shelf behind the headboard which actually lifts up to reveal storage for clutter or extra books.” In the same room, Lonika designed a wardrobe that “appears to be freestanding, but has decent drawers and the depth of something built-in.”
As Lonika notes, there was a real synergy between designer and client in this project, and it is palpable in the project's outcome. “We've both shared things and opened each others' eyes to new ideas during this project. The clients love bold textiles and pairing unexpected colours, and really trusted us to tackle this project.”
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Lonika Chande | Lonikachande.com
Milo Brown1/11In the sitting room, the joinery was hand painted in a rich blue by Papers & Paints (7-077), and the internal cubby holes are in ‘Beresford Red’ by Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler. The joinery was made by RC Joinery.
The sofa is upholstered in ‘Peacock’, a heavyweight linen by Rose Uniacke. Most of the cushions were handmade for the project, but the central sofa cushion is from Penny Worrall.
Milo Brown2/11Lonika dressed the windows with relaxed roman blinds in a favourite Peter Dunham Textiles fabric called ‘Malabar'.
Milo Brown3/11The ebonised oak pedestal table is custom from Galvin Brothers. The striped banquette upholstery is Penny Morrison's ‘Multicolour Rustic Stripe’.
Milo Brown4/11The paint colour is custom by Papers & Paints, and is the “perfect sludgy colour to complement the banquette.” The roman blind is made from Flora Soames’s ‘Plain Stripe in Emerald’.
The kitchen was custom made by Patrick and his team at Apron Kitchens.
Milo Brown5/11The yellow tongue and groove shelving is painted in ‘Babouche’ by Farrow and Ball.
Milo Brown6/11“I love to paint the woodwork in the landing, stairs and hall a dark colour to give the space an identity of its own," says Lonika. The runner is a Sinclair Till coir called ‘Peacock’.
Milo Brown7/11In the small home study, the desk is built-in, and made by RC Joinery. The tongue and groove panelling is painted in ‘Green Verditer’ by Little Greene ("like arsenic but more intense"). The Roman blind fabric is Stroheim, ‘Chanderi’, with a red braid from Samuel & Sons.
The room can also fit a fold out single bed, for “occasional sleepovers!”
Milo Brown8/11Lonika used shiplap panelling in the primary bedroom, which adds character to the relaxed space. The headboard fabric is Schumacher, the bedside tables are antique and the cushion is made from a Guy Goodfellow fabric.
“We have a running joke in the studio that I’m on a ban from buying kanthas! We always use them in small doses in the projects, but I do have to reign it in,” Lonika jokes.
Milo Brown9/11In the same beforoom, butterscotch needle corduroy curtains from Rose Uniacke are trimmed with a woven linen tape from Schumacher.
Milo Brown10/11“The shiplap panelling continues into the bathroom, but we changed the colour slightly to define the two spaces," says Lonika. As this is the largest bathroom in the house, the couple were keen to incorporate both a bath and a shower, and Lonika had to configure a layout that would allow for both. The bath is an under-mounted bath, which “feels luxurious, but the shelf space means there's a place for candles and toiletries and nothing feels shoehorned in.” The floor is a herringbone by Lapicida.
Milo Brown11/11The bathroom cabinet is painted in ‘Drummond’ by Little Greene. The marble has a bullnose detail, which complements the bath fittings from Drummonds. Lonika added a shelf above the upstand so there was still plenty of ledge space with the double sinks.
