An elegant and airy London apartment by Hugh Henry
‘One day I was lying in here on my yoga mat and I suddenly wondered whether Hugh had chosen that central cushion for the sofa – it looks stronger and more geometric than the others – to go with the dark wood in here,’ says the owner of this elegant flat in one of London’s loveliest tree-lined terraces. ‘But I think he works more on instinct than calculation,’ she adds. She was right and her interior designer, Hugh Henry, confirms it. ‘Not thinking... but doing’ is how he describes his work style.
The two know each other’s taste well. Hugh has worked on the owner’s various houses for more than 30 years and greatly respects her eye, as well as her decisiveness. When she bought this flat five years ago, the pair chose furniture and paintings from her previous home that would fit well in these lofty rooms. ‘She is wonderful!’ says Hugh. ‘And the only one who will come to a meeting at 8.30 in the morning and have everything decided by 9 o’clock. She has a very busy life.’
The owner had first seen the flat when she came to dinner here. It then belonged to a friend. ‘If ever you decide to move, ring me,’ she had said and the call duly came. And no wonder she was keen. In the main drawing room, floor-to-ceiling french windows open onto a broad terrace overlooked by trees. For much of he year you can see nothing beyond their leaves, a truly glorious outlook. The light in here is beautiful, and so is the space.
Hugh has painted the living room panelling in three different tones of a creamy off-white, which he mixed himself, to give a calm interior. ‘We start with a commercial paint in the nearest colour to the one we need and then add the little that is missing,’ he says. ‘You don’t want the colour to look too new.’ At the tall french windows, curtains in a heavy silk from Fleurons d’Hélène, with tete de versailles headings, match the cream of the walls and complete the calm theme.
The colour makes a good background for the owner’s collection of modern art, Chinese ceramics and furniture of many different eras. A French nineteenth-century banquette and stools, all upholstered in raspberry needlepoint, match the colour of the arabesques in the 1880 Amritsar carpet. ‘Over the years, we have wondered about the ideal place for the French stools, but I think we have found it now,’ says Hugh.
The wall at the end of the room is dominated by an immense nineteenth-century mahogany bookcase and there are also two comfortable sofas, a pair of exquisite gilded mirrors and a Chinese Huanghuali altar table holding two modern metal lamps from Rose Uniacke. It is a wonderful melange of items. ‘We simply chose the best of everything from her previous home, and with things as good as these you don’t want to over-decorate,’ says Hugh, with characteristic understatement.
Across the broad, marble-floored hall is the book-lined library, with a darker, more emphatic carpet and curtains in Jasper by Michael S Smith’s ‘Carre Stripe’. Four Louis XVI cane-backed walnut chairs stand around a circular mahogany table and there is a jib door in one of the bookcases, which leads to the kitchen. This has blue-painted units and in one corner is a little breakfast space, with a built-in banquette, an Eero Saarinen table and chairs overhung by a vintage lamp from Christopher Howe.
Re-crossing the hall, past a Chinese embroidered panel and another of the gilded nineteenth-century stools, a corridor leads to the main bedroom, which shares a terrace with the drawing room. Here, a handsome Agra rug with a strong dark central panel provides a contrast to the cream walls and framed Indian embroidery that hangs above the bed. A pair of pale blue upholstered Louis XV chairs make a comfortable seating area with the sofa at the end of the bed.
Hugh has designed the bathroom next door to echo the panelling of the drawing room, in two different marbles and there is a bank of storage hidden behind the mirrored wall. For storage on steroids, the owner’s dressing room beyond is a dream of organisation. Its cedar wood cabinetry provides a place for everything and includes an upper tier for clothes for a different season.
A pretty guest room with walls and curtains in Bennison Fabrics print ‘Samarkand’ is yet another example of the perfection of the finish everywhere, seen in the many subtle details the camera cannot show. For all this, the owner lives easily among her possessions, doing yoga on the drawing-room floor, with her desk and computer ranged behind a sofa. Hugh has created a calm cocoon for an active modern woman.
Mlinaric, Henry and Zervudachi: mhzlondon.com
Simon Brown1/12Louis XVI chairs surround an eighteenth-century mahogany table. Similar styles can be found at 1stdibs.
2/12An armchair and side table form a cosy corner by the fireplace.
Simon Brown3/12A jib door opens into the kitchen.
4/12Pale blue cabinets and stainless steel appliances make for a sleek, modern kitchen.
Simon Brown5/12A vintage Jean Royère pendant light from Christopher Howe hangs above the Eero Saarinen ‘Tulip’ table. French company Edition Limitée produces contemporary pieces that are similar in style, such as the wrought iron and opal glass ‘Artemis Chandelier’ by Vincent Collin, which costs €7,850.
Simon Brown6/12A mahogany bookcase holds a collection of Chinese ceramics and an owl plate by Picasso. Similar Chinese vases can be found at Yorkshire-based company Shimu, which sources and restores antique furniture and accessories from China, and commissions new pieces. Also see this expert’s guide to collecting Chinese pieces.
7/12A soft colour scheme is enlivened by rich details, like the statement lantern and blue and white umbrella holder.
Simon Brown8/12A framed nineteenth-century Indian embroidered panel hangs above the bed.
Simon Brown9/12Two Louis XVl chairs, covered in a pale blue moire silk, are placed on either side of the fireplace.
Simon Brown10/12The dressing room was designed by Hugh and made by Orwells. It is lined in cedarwood with hand-finished bronze rails and knobs that pull out to become hooks. The antique hanging lamp is one of a pair found at Christopher Butterworth; its twin hangs in the main bathroom.
11/12The space is enlarged by a large mirror and pale colour scheme.
Simon Brown12/12A pair of eighteenth-century carved and gilded mirrors hangs on the wall beside the chimneypiece. The curtains are in a cream silk, 'Faille Antoinette', by Fleurons d'Hélène from Tissus d'Hélène.
