The home of cult lighting brand Ochre's director balances minimalism with Georgian elegance

‘We used to come to this road whenever we wanted to feel really grown up,’ says the French designer Solenne de la Fouchardière. She and her husband Simon Lee were living a bohemian life at the time between Paris and London – designing, having fun and raising their children. However, they were increasingly drawn to the Georgian charm of this quiet north London street with a good pub at one end. So when the time came to put down roots and for their children (Soizick, now aged 10, and Jasper, nine) to go to school, they knew exactly where they wanted to live.

Solenne is one of three partners in the design firm Ochre, which celebrates its 23rd birthday this year. Its mission is to use age-old crafts – gilding, glass blowing, metal casting – to make furniture and lighting that is elegant, luxurious and, above all, modern. Simon is a partner in Canvas Home, the New York brand that designs sustainable contemporary homeware, but he and Solenne both relish the Georgian aesthetic.

When you walk in through the front door, with its simple fanlight, you see immediately how the couple has married old and new. They have restored and lime-waxed the old floorboards and, after a brief flirtation with a bright red sitting room, have chosen neutral colours, with furniture kept to a minimum to respect the Georgian proportions. ‘We don’t collect things – I don’t like clutter,’ explains Solenne. ‘I think you can create a lovely environment with the bare minimum.’ She has stuck to this philosophy throughout the house and, apart from some antique chairs picked up long ago at a Paris flea market, it is furnished sparsely and with modern pieces. In the sitting room, there are a few Ochre designs – a ‘Gatsby Sofa’, some lamps and small metal tables – and a coffee table from Pinch.

Solenne’s embrace of the bare minimum can also be seen in their bedroom at the top of the house, where all their clothes are contained in two small wardrobes. A clever use of textures softens the pared-back look: the headboard and bench at the end of the bed are covered in alpaca wool, hand-dyed with walnut. She describes the effect as ‘earthy and elemental’ and it marries well with the exposed bricks of the chimney, which have been whitened with putty. Ochre’s solid glass ‘Beach Pebble’ lights hang on either side of the bed like two giant raindrops. They provide a burst of brightness in the room, as well as reflecting light onto the wall with a soft gleam.

Half-glazed doors open into the bathroom, with its marble basin, and onto the landing, where a pale grey runner by Crucial Trading leads downstairs. On the level below, the children’s bathroom has an intricately patterned floor of Moroccan zellige tiles, a vast distressed mirror and an eye-catching ‘Seed Cloud’ glass-droplet light by Ochre.

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On the ground floor, at the back of the house, a barn-style door slides to one side to reveal a kitchen where the look is at its earthiest and most elemental. Eighteenth-century Parisian cobblestones make a strong statement, teamed with steel-framed units by Robert Timmons Furniture, with cupboard fronts in wood salvaged from an old Austrian chalet. The worktop, also in stainless steel, has three jumbo gas burners set into it. Above it, open shelves hold glassware and ceramics from Canvas Home, including pieces from the ‘Shell Bisque’ collection. A prototype of Ochre’s ‘Lunar’ table, with chairs by Dutch designer Friso Kramer, creates an informal eating area.
The Parisian cobblestones continue into the garden, with its living wall of plants by garden designer Alistair Dow. A game of boules offers a calming antidote and fun distraction.

The newest part of the house, created from three rooms in the basement, is a large space known as the scullery. Here, a wall of steel and reeded-glass doors designed by Solenne, whose art-school specialities were welding and woodwork, conceals essential household machines. A hanging airer and sturdy, vintage stoneware sink serve the practical needs of life, while a huge, antique French farmers’ feasting table, which seats 14, a turntable and a good collection of records look after its social side. The family loves to entertain and this is where it happens. For all its minimalist credentials, this is a warm and welcoming house that just happens to be beautifully designed – first by the Georgians and now by its latest inhabitants.

Ochre is a member of The List by House & Garden, our essential directory of design professionals. Find its profile here.

Ochre: ochre.net | Canvas Home: canvashomestore.co.uk