Anthony Collett's London house is a remarkable cabinet of curiosities

Things are not always what they seem. The putty-coloured brick exterior of this Victorian semi-detached house in an undistinguished west London street is unremarkable. Once inside, however, it is very remarkable indeed. Looking at the photographs on these pages, you might think that this is the home of a fastidious collector with a passion for the early 20th century and little time for the conveniences of the 21st.

Again, appearances are deceptive. This is the family house of the inspirational designer Anthony Collett and his wife, the knitwear designer Julia Pines. They bought the four-storey building at auction nearly 40 years ago, when it was a run-down wreck inhabited by squatters, and they have lived here ever since, raising their three (now adult) children and creating an interior that positively vibrates with warmth, comfort and originality. There is also plenty of invisible 21st-century technology.

Anthony is the founding partner of Collett-Zarzycki, a design practice that embraces architecture, interiors and landscaping, which he runs with his partner of over 30 years Andrzej Zarzycki and his daughter Georgia, who joined them in 2013. The firm has clients all over the world and its projects are known for the integrity of their craftsmanship and materials, bespoke fittings and commissioned artwork. Students of its portfolio, which includes beautiful interiors with soaring dimensions, fluid lines and a muted palette, might be surprised to learn that Anthony’s own house is a cabinet of curiosities and as colourful as a Persian carpet.

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However, clues to his creative philosophy can be found in these rooms. His heroes are designer architects of the late 19th and early 20th centuries – men such as Bruce Talbert, Norman Shaw and Edward Godwin. Their espousal of the Arts and Crafts and Aesthetic movements reflect Anthony’s own passion for craftsmanship and considered materials. Indeed, he has gathered many examples of their furniture and metalwork – some were lucky finds and others were chased down in auction houses.

Then there is the colour. Almost every surface on the raised ground floor is occupied by a wonderful collection of 19th century British studio pottery interspersed with Japanese pieces. Walls of shimmering Dutch gold leaf offset the vibrant greens, blues, yellows and pomegranate reds. The artists Gilbert & George, who are friends, first introduced Anthony to studio pottery. In recent years, he has come to be bolder with colour in his designs, which he attributes to a lesson his vases have taught him – that, if a colour is good and true, it will harmonise with other hues of equal quality.

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Although their children have moved out, the Colletts are not thinking of downsizing. ‘We have far too much stuff,’ says Anthony ruefully. Few of their possessions seem to have been discarded over the years; rather they have been moved and repurposed as the house has evolved. A large Arts and Crafts cupboard that once held china and glass in the kitchen now resides in the main bathroom, with the salvaged bath and basin installed by the couple when they moved in. Other pieces cherished for several decades include a giant Fortuny umbrella-shade lamp in the dining room and a large oak dining table and lattice-back chairs by Ambrose Heal.

Born in Zambia, Anthony was educated in South Africa before coming to London. After studying sculpture at the University of Cape Town and interior design at Hornsey College of Art, he did a masters in environmental design at the Royal College of Art. A friend from South Africa, the artist Nicolaas Maritz, painted panels of fabulous beasts on a staircase in the house and there are also several paintings by the late David Champion, another friend from South Africa with whom Anthony set up a design partnership in 1985. A striking work by Gilbert & George hangs over the chimneypiece, on which is arranged a forest of bronze-coloured Linthorpe Pottery vases. Eclectic is an overused word but one that can justifiably be applied to the Collett interior.

The large and immaculate garden is tended by Anthony, who, years ago, bought part of a neighbour’s plot on which he constructed a building in the Arts and Crafts tradition. Serving as Julia’s studio, a guest house and entertaining space, it is as full of quirky pieces as the main house. The couple’s front door does not announce itself with limestone steps, topiary bay trees and designer lights, which makes stepping inside even more of a delight and a feast for the senses.

Collett-Zarzycki: collett-zarzycki.com