Style File: Beata Heuman
Beata Heuman has evolved from one of the breakout stars of the British interior design world – and House & Garden’s Designer of the Year for 2018 – into one of the big-name stars of the wider industry. Having worked for Nicky Haslam for almost a decade, this young, Swedish-born designer went solo in 2013, creating interiors that are “playful and original” in her own words. Each project boasts its own unique look, overlaid with Beata’s signature rich colours and vibrant patterns. Her rooms are designed to reflect the lives and personalities of their inhabitants, she explains: “Over the course of a lifetime, one gathers a multitude of views, experiences, and objects. A home should make it possible to take in all of these things.”
“Beata’s interiors are imaginative and fun, yet deeply stylish,” says House & Garden editor Hatta Byng. “While her projects are always fresh and modern, she embraces the ideas and details of classical interior design. Her work captures the spirit of House & Garden.”
In her 2021 book, Every Room Should Sing, Beata made a passionate call for more individual interiors. “Your surroundings affect you consciously and unconsciously, and we should all aspire to construct a home environment that helps us to be the person we want to be. An interior can enrich your life, and can even open your mind to certain ideas. You need to seek the right combination of whatever matters to you.”
Here, we have gathered some of our favourites of Beata’s projects, from a bold, theatrical London house belonging to artists, to her own first flat – a masterclass in small space design.
1/31Beata's own house in London features in her book, Every Room Should Sing. “Looking through our living room to the breakfast room. This used to be one big, open space, and I added the bookshelf wall and sliding door. Strangely, I think it makes the house feel larger. The walls are light, but the bottle-green hue inside the bookshelves adds depth and mystery.”
2/31“My daughters’ bedroom. The mural is a copy of the one at the Bemelmans Bar at The Carlyle hotel in New York. The chest extends into what was once a fireplace cavity behind. A vintage Audoux Minet rope pendant hangs on the ceiling. The fabric on the headboard is my studio’s Palm Drop.”
3/31“Our little garden house, which we call “Chatsworth,” a name we inherited from the previous owners of the house. The enormously deep loveseat is my favourite place to sit.”
Simon Brown4/31In this two-bedroom flat on the ground floor of an elegant, mid-19th-century stucco house in west London, Beata introduced a sofa in Lelièvre’s ‘Cosmos’ velvet in conifere with cushions in Nicky Haslam Design’s ‘Shutter Stripe’. Above it hangs a Surface View map, next to a ‘Belles Rives Bar Table’ by Rita Konig for The Lacquer Company.
Simon Brown5/31Sleek cupboards designed by Beata Heuman Studio are complemented by brass handles, and a work surface and splashback in distinctive Cipollino Verde marble. The vintage kilim adds colour.
Simon Brown6/31In the spare room, Mark Hearld’s ‘Cirque d’Hiver’ cotton from St Jude’s was used for the headboard and bedcover. ‘Selma’ wallpaper in mossa by Astrid & Rudolf on the walls and ceiling unifies the space. The ‘Hector Medium Pleat Wall Light’ is by Original BTC.
Simon Brown7/31The kitchen of this flat in London was inspired by a trip Beata made to Swan House in Atlanta. The colour is ‘Oval Room Blue’ from Farrow & Ball, and all the door knobs again are from Beata’s own range. Underneath the skirt there is ample storage for pots, pans and trays. The surface itself gives a hardy additional work surface but also is perfect for serving when entertaining.
Simon Brown8/31The staircase leads up to the main living room, while the two bedrooms are downstairs. It bisects the open plan space to create more of an L-shaped room, with the kitchen, dining area and living room, as well as a bar.
Simon Brown9/31The flat opens straight away into a hallway with a pink floor. It was painted in a hardwearing specialist paint finish which was inspired by an 18th-century floor Beata saw in Palermo on her honeymoon. The utility room is to the left.
Paul Massey10/31In this country cottage in Sussex, a Matisse-style throw from BFGF hangs on the wall behind an antique sofa with cushions in ‘Victor Hugo’ linen mix by Le Manach.
Paul Massey11/31Botanical prints make for a striking display in the snug.
Paul Massey12/31A cushion in orange velvet, a headboard in Le Manach’s ‘Mortefontaine’ in bleu vert, both from Pierre Frey, and a silk lampshade by Pooky add colour.
Paul Massey13/31In the dressing room, walls in Farrow & Ball’s ‘Stiffkey Blue’ pick up on the inky blue motif in Beata’s ‘Palm Drop’ linen mix fabric. Her ‘Dodo Egg’ pendant light adds a playful touch.
Rachel Whiting14/31In this colourful artists’ house in London, the drawing room has been made into a comfortable space for watching television in the evening. Warm pink walls in Dulux ‘90RR 52214’ are the perfect backdrop for the Walton Ford prints. “They appear to be naturalist illustrations, but if you look closely, they are trippy and quite naughty,” says Beata.
Rachel Whiting15/31“I haven't used wall cupboards because I didn’t want the kitchen to read like a traditional kitchen or look too boxy,” explains Beata. The colour palette, which includes a Swedish green marble worktop and a bespoke copper cooker hood and island by Premier Building & Design, complements the garden beyond. It will acquire a greenish patina over time.
Rachel Whiting16/31Rather than replacing the original wide pine floorboards, Beata has applied a paint effect mimicking three types of stone arranged in a traditional geometric pattern that plays with perspective. The colours harmonise with the oil painting and are a foil to the copper elements of the staircase.
Rachel Whiting17/31“This side of the house is quite an awkward shape,” says Beata. Her solution to this is a cosy spot with a chimneypiece and an extra-deep sofa ideal for reading or chatting to whoever is cooking, and a play area with a blackboard on the wall for the owners’ very young daughter.
Rachel Whiting18/31The library is primarily used for reading and working, but it is furnished with a round table and chairs (rather than a desk) so it can also function as a dining space for intimate suppers. Panelling in ‘Lichen’ linseed oil paint by Allbäck, together with an eighteenth-century portrait, gives the room a traditional and atmospheric look. It is is tempered with whimsical touches, such as the bone china ‘Felix Original Shell’ lights from Felix Lighting.
Rachel Whiting19/31This iconic wallpaper is Scalamandré’s ‘Zebra’ in masai red, famously used in Wes Anderson’s film The Royal Tenenbaums.
20/31At this Paddington pied-à-terre, influences range from the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles to the Guggenheim Museum. In the living room, a bespoke ottoman topped with Tibor’s ‘California’ fabric contains storage to maximise space.
21/31The cabinets in the kitchen are painted in Dulux’s Woodland Pearl 1. Small shelves above the sink provide space for a display of the owner’s ceramics.
22/31Light streams in at the front of the house; the blinds are Nicky Haslam’s ‘Shutter Stripe’ sold by Turnell & Gigon, and the banquette is upholstered in Rooksmoor velvet (myrtle), from Lewis & Wood. Wall lights from Clippings provide light to work by, while not taking up any space.
23/31The bedroom is painted in ‘Bridge Blue’ from Mylands. A Graham & Green lamp with a bright Pooky lampshade stands on the bedside table.
Owen Gale24/31In this flat in Bloomsbury, Beata started with the colour – Farrow & Ball’s ‘Nancy’s Blushes’. “Pink is an unbelievably flattering colour to paint your walls,” she says. “It reflects beautifully on people’s skin and brings out the colour in cheeks and eyes. The headboard is the focal point of the space. It’s from Ensemblier, who do beautiful designs. I’ve upholstered it in my ‘Palm Drop’ fabric. I like the flashiness of the orange against the pink.”
Owen Gale25/31“It’s nice to have a corner for reading and relaxing in a bedroom,” Beata adds. “The little chair is one of House & Garden’s collection of furniture with Arlo & Jacob. I love the little stool, which is covered in this super cool fabric from Pierre Frey. The art is by Hugo Guinness. I like using natural flooring; it grounds the space. If someone is going in a more opulent direction with fabrics, simple material sets it off. You have to have contrasts.”
Owen Gale26/31“We painted the inside of the window frames dark, in Farrow & Ball’s charcoal-ey ‘Down Pipe’ – a clever trick that makes the moving parts of the window look much more delicate. The monochrome blind – in a plain C&C Milano linen – echoes the colour of the windows. The idea is to keep that part of the room cool and graphic.”
Simon Brown27/31Beata’s former London flat is a great example of her playful, varied approach to interior design.
Simon Brown28/31Beata jokingly refers to her style as “urban safari chic”, making imaginative use of both the compact space and her limited funds at the time.
Simon Brown29/31Farrow & Ball’s ‘Pavilion Gray’ in the sitting room gives a sophisticated evening mood. Beata replaced mismatched flooring with engineered boards, and picked key upholstery and curtain fabrics in large-scale prints, but in soft toning shades on natural linens.
Simon Brown30/31“The bedroom ceiling is low,” says Beata, “so Farrow & Ball’s ‘Lulworth Blue’ makes it seem higher, while creating a focal point.”
Simon Brown31/31
