A Regency flat in Bath with a quietly poetic interior

The living room decoration is deliberately spare, yet still warm. The sofa is from Pinch.

Rich Stapleton

The result is a cohesive decorative scheme where everything – from art to furniture to lighting – reflects the couple’s shared appreciation for restraint. ‘Neither of us are interior designers, but we’re lucky that our visual language is mostly aligned,' says Rosa, who along with Rich co-founded Cereal in 2012 and edited the cult travel and style magazine for the best part of a decade. ‘We both like humble materials and a modest, pared-back aesthetic,’ says Rosa. Yet it is not a cold minimalism at this flat, but one softened by warmth and connection. ‘The challenge when you leave space is to avoid it feeling clinical. I think we achieved that here by sourcing artwork gradually, collecting objects and books, and placing them with care,’ explains Rosa. 'Those things take time.’

Artwork placement is carefully considered throughout. Rosa favours hanging paintings low, so they can be enjoyed even when seated.

Rich Stapleton

If the living area usually claims the spotlight, here the primary bedroom just off the entrance is just as compelling. ‘I’ve never had one that big – it’s huge, almost comical,’ she smiles. ‘Every time I wake up I think, wow, this feels so indulgent.’ A soft brown carpet grounds the room, which is generously scaled yet sparingly furnished. Art, unsurprisingly, takes pride of place: a 17th-century Dutch still life Rosa particularly cherishes hangs above the fireplace. ‘It actually looks better at night,' she explains. When I found it, I fell in love with it and I’ll never sell it.’ She also treasures a Ming dynasty reverse-decorated stem vase and three pieces by the Bath-based ceramic artist Paul Philip.

These are not the only pieces sourced locally. ‘We wanted to keep everything as close to home as possible,’ Rosa explains. ‘This flat is really a composite of artists I represent, people we know and admire, and objects found in nearby galleries, flea markets and antiques fairs,' she adds. 'I believe one should lean into what surrounds you. The magic of a home, for me, is when it feels in perfect alignment with the place it belongs to.’

‘For the first three years we had nothing, because we couldn’t decide on curtains or blinds for the living space,’ says Rosa. ‘In the end we chose horsehair, and I’m obsessed with the way they filter the light from the front windows, especially with the view of the trees outside.’

Rich Stapleton

The open-plan kitchen and living room face the front of the building, where light pours in gently, filtered through the trees outside and softened by horsehair blinds. Their dark tone is echoed by the kitchen cabinetry, painted in a rich bitter-chocolate hue. Next to the marble fireplace, a sleek daybed and a flea-market painting of fish, hung unusually low, form a composition with the stillness of a postwar metaphysical artwork. ‘I like hanging art so you see it not only when you’re standing but also when you’re sitting,’ Rosa says. ‘I’m short, so I tend to hang things lower – my gallery installer always teases me about it. Having a child helps justify it, too,' she adds with a laugh. ‘Placement is one of the joys of living with art – you can do whatever you want.’

On the opposite wall, a floor-to-ceiling bookcase is crammed with books, their number always growing. ‘I’ve been a book hoarder since childhood; my parents can confirm,’ Rosa smiles. In the second bedroom, an especially poignant collection has taken shape: books on J.M.W. Turner, after whom their son is named. ‘We’d been collecting them even before he was born, but now, if we see one we don’t have, we buy it. Turner skies are always on my mind,' she explains. 'In L.A., the sky is blue and beautiful, but it never changes – no clouds, no drama. In England, it shifts constantly. That’s part of why I fell in love with Turner’s work, especially his watercolour studies.’

‘Probably my favourite objects are my art and my books – predictable, given what I do – but they’re what I collect and what I value most in any home,’ says Rosa.

Rich Stapleton

With so many fragile pieces, Rosa concedes with another laugh that ‘it’s the most child-unfriendly home ever’. Yet the flat remains her anchor. ‘I’m Canadian and I didn’t move to England until I was an adult, and I romanticise it, probably too much. I’ve lived in so many cities, but I’ve never longed for a place the way I long for Bath,' she reflects. ‘You can walk down the street and feel inspired, affected by everything around you and I’m grateful we have this place to return to that we’ve poured our heart and soul into.’