The standout Notting Hill flat of the founders of Farm Girl restaurant

Owen Gale

When Rose Mann and Anthony Hood, the founders of Notting Hill restaurant Farm Girl, first encountered this two bedroom split-level flat in Notting Hill, it was the architectural work of Alex Michaelis - his last project before starting his firm Michaelis Boyd - that set the place apart. A double-height ceiling criss-crossed with exposed beams, a mezzanine bedroom, and a two-storey wrought-iron staircase are just some of the standout features. But the couple have certainly made it their own since buying it two years ago, breathing a youthfulness into its bones with the help of interior designer and friend Gina Brennan, for whom the project was a first after serving in the design team at Soho House.

The pair wanted to create a space where they could relax with their two bulldogs Bronte and Bear, host friends and, from time to time, work from home. “We entertain here a lot,” says Rose. "Ten to twelve people can fit around the table, and in winter, we light the fire and roast a chicken or make a big curry.”

The four Farm Girl cafes they run - the first of which is a short, leafy walk away on Portobello Road - are known for their healthy Antipodean-inspired menu and beautiful interiors, designed by House & Garden designer of the year Beata Heuman, who is a good friend. The Farm Girl look extends to their home, where there are touches of Beata’s work - cushions in her ‘Marbleized’ fabric pepper their living room - but it’s Rose and Anthony's characterful collection of objects, particularly African furniture and art, that really bring the place to life. “Anthony lived in Johannesburg for six years and has a large collection of African artefacts,” says Rose. Gina considered their collection in her scheme, painting the walls white throughout, with earthy green and beige accents in the fabric. Sourcing furniture that would create a contemporary, rustic look.

The house needed little structural work, the only concession being the removal of a wall between the kitchen and sitting room to create an airy open-plan space. Bamboo lamps from Amsterdam hang in a cluster above a bespoke dining table by Matthew Cox, next to a seven-foot ficus plant. Gina sourced the dining chairs from Amsterdam, and upholstered them in Colefax & Fowler fabric. In the adjacent living area a fireplace has been created from three limestone slabs found on a farm. Pale wooden floorboards from Notting Hill’s Treehouse Flooring run the length of the space. The kitchen is delineated by dark Geneva limestone floors on which a marble-topped island with space-saving cubby holes, also by Matthew Cox, forms a focal-point. Delicate blown-glass pendant lights from Holloways of Ludlow hang above. On the walls smart wooden cupboards are painted in ‘Studio Green’ by Farrow & Ball. On the window sill boxes by Charlie Day are filled with herbs for cooking.

“I used to be more into fashion, but now I much prefer to go rummaging at Kempton Antiques Market,” says Rose, who finds joy in sourcing beautiful things. The small red bedside tables in the bedroom are a case in point, on which sit Viola Lanari lamps with scalloped Matilda Goad shades. The bedroom makes the most of period details; a bay window at one end now contains a charming window seat. On the bedroom’s other side a turret-like nook with three sash windows proved to be the perfect place for a small free-standing bath. Ideal considering the awkwardly-shaped master bathroom was too small for one. Instead Gina designed an oversized shower with a Crittal-style enclosure.

The spare bedroom on the mezzanine level above is reached by following a gallery wall that runs along the walls of the staircase (Rose credits Harry Eagle for the framing). Half of the mezzanine overlooks the sitting room below, and the other is behind the privacy of a wall the couple added. Under the stairs is a small office space where Rose and Anthony work with bulldogs Bronte and Bear in tow.