Martin Hulbert transforms a Marylebone townhouse into a warm, glamorous house
Once upon a time, this Georgian house, overlooking a square in north London, was two separate smaller homes but, in the 1980s, they were converted into one. Then, in 2017, the present owners, having lived here for some time, asked Martin Hulbert and his business partner Jay Grierson to rearrange it once again, making it a more comfortable space in which to live and entertain.
The house faces north, which, combined with decoration that was feeling a little tired, had rendered it rather dark and uninviting. Bringing in warmth and light was the priority. This re-dressing was completed in 2020 and the house now features all the quiet, sophisticated details one has grown used to seeing in Martin and Jay’s work.
Martin’s talents were recognised by the doyenne of modernist luxury Mary Fox Linton, for whom he was a design director for 10 years. A previous winner of House & Garden’s hotel design award, he has worked with Jay under the name Martin Hulbert Design since 2010. They have designed interiors at Cliveden, Coworth Park, The Grove, and The Dorchester hotels, alongside residential work. Comfortable, contemporary spaces are their speciality. Glamour without bling; modernity with softness.
To this end, they started by partially gutting the place. The internal walls opening onto the staircase of both the drawing room and the library above were removed to create a focal point in which an exquisite mobile now hangs in perpetual shimmering motion. Throughout the house are a number of striking paintings, many of which were sourced with the help of art consultant Olivia Paterson.
Setting the tone for the grand rooms above, they wrapped the hall in mirror glass and laid oversized wooden herring-bone floors throughout the house for a cohesive look. The stairs lead straight into the first-floor drawing room and dining room. It is an area designed for entertaining, with walls and curtains in George Spencer Designs’ ‘Strie’ linen/silk, chosen to absorb the noise of parties. The owners’ existing sofa was chopped in half, so it can be moved more easily during gatherings. Delicate eggshell porcelain lights, designed by Martin, are positioned above side tables with mirrored surfaces to reflect their light and produce evening glitter. A new glass wall and doors were installed between the two spaces to allow a view onto the huge, atmospheric John Hoyland painting in the dining room.
On the half landing, parts of the kitchen were partitioned off to create larders and pantries hidden behind doors in a wood veneer; unembellished with handles, these function almost like panelling. The oak dining table was made by Scottish company Faolchú and, as the ceiling is so low, Martin and Jay commissioned Martin Huxford Studio to make a compact 1930s-inspired chandelier to hang above, which gives visual impact without overwhelming the space. This is the brightest side of the building so, for the curtains, they created a bespoke sunshine-yellow ombré fabric in partnership with Zinc Textile. ‘These appear to be bursting with light,’ says Martin. At the end of the room, a painting by Eileen Agar hangs behind a sofa.
The owners spend most evenings in the small library, a snug-like space next to the bedroom on the second floor. During the day, this part of the house gets the most light, a fact that Martin has capitalised on with a wall of mirror set with delicate glass shelves. A large chandelier hangs at its centre and the upholstery is in tactile, cosseting fabrics like mohair and felt in browns, gold and olive.
The main bedroom is entered from a wardrobe-lined corridor, which ends with a custom-made black console, over which is hung a print of Sigalit Landau’s Salt Crystal Bridal Gown. Inside, the bed is positioned to look out over the square, screened from the door by its high headboard in a mohair velvet. Across the corridor is the bathroom, with built-in storage and a freestanding bathtub. ‘Unlike many of our clients who want showers, the owner wanted a bath,’ says Martin. ‘We lay down in lots of them until we found a really comfortable design.’ Comfort, in short, is the watchword here, with each need carefully thought out and provided for perfectly to complete the original brief.
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Martin Hulbert Design: martinhulbertdesign.com
Lucas Allen1/6Limba-fronted units from Mundy Veneer, oak flooring from Havwoods and a ‘Searbhos II’ oak table by Faolchú are set off by worktops in Calacatta Viola marble, white Solus Ceramics floor tiles and Davidson London’s ‘The Goodchild’ chairs in Edelman leather.
Lucas Allen2/6An Eileen Agar painting, a sofa in Claremont’s ‘Velours Jaspe’ and an Alfred Newall ‘Bobbin’ table – with a Mangbetu pot from Evoke London – stand out against the far wall painted in Dulux’s ‘Summer Pecan’. HALL David Weeks’ ‘Sarus Mobile’ light, Dirk van der Kooij’s ‘Meltingpot’ table and Noémie Goudal’s Observatory print help establish a distinctive contemporary look
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Lucas Allen4/6The open-plan layout is light and airy during the day, while, in the evenings, curtains in Holland & Sherry’s ‘Andes’ wool sateen in spice can be drawn for a warm, enveloping feel. These tone with window treatments in Fortuny’s ‘Onde’ brown and gold cotton, a wingback chair in Rose Tarlow’s ‘Lugano’ burl mohair/cotton and a footstool in Jerry Pair Leather. A sofa in Fortuny’s ‘Brioso’ olive mohair velvet is enlivened by Designers Guild cushions. The ‘Oak Tree’ chandelier is from Cox London
Lucas Allen5/6Custom-built wardrobes and a pale runner lead the eye to a print of Sigalit Landau’s Salt Crystal Bridal Gown above a console by Martin Hulbert Design.
Lucas Allen6/6Curtains in Métaphores ‘Blackjack’ wool in the cachemire colourway, a mirrored wall and richly veined marble flooring are the backdrops for a custom-made basin stand with copper details, Duravit’s ‘Cape Cod’ bathtub and a bench seat in Zinc Textile x MHD 1’s ‘Northiam’ linen mix
