‘Moving here was a completely left-field decision,’ says fashion designer Wiggy Hindmarch of her impulse to buy this beautiful, if slightly out of the way house overlooking the River Thames in west London. Having lived in the busy neighbourhoods of Chelsea and Parsons Green before, Wiggy and her husband were worried that they would be ‘out on a limb’ on the quiet street where this tall, elegant Queen Anne house is located. But of course, it was the view that sold it – what London-dweller could resist seeing the ebb and flow of the river from their windows? ‘We are so grateful that we came here,’ she says. ‘Every day my husband and I sit in that bed overlooking the river with the shutters open and we go, “God, we're lucky.”’
The move was not one that they particularly expected to make. The couple had just finished the build and renovation of a house in The Bahamas, where they spend half their time, so it wasn’t an obvious moment to take on more change. ‘My husband had said to me, “When we get back to London, I want a period of calm. I don't want to be thinking about moving or anything like that, so just chill your boots.” And I said, “OK.” But then the moment I got back, I went on PrimeLocation. I thought I’d just have a look – and there was the house.’
Wiggy brought her reluctant spouse to see it, and as she tells it, ‘he was silent all the way round, he wouldn’t even make eye contact with me. My heart sank. But when we got back into the car at the end, he said “We’re going to have to try and buy it, aren’t we?”’ It wasn’t an easy process, since the house’s then-owner was a well-known fashion and homeware designer, and the listing made it onto the front page of The Times’ weekend property section. Inevitably, the couple ended up in a bidding war, but finally, much to their relief, they won and the house was theirs.
It is easy to see why they both found the place irresistible. Beyond those magnificent river views, the house has a grand façade which lends it serious kerb appeal, but its shallow footprint (it is in most parts only one room deep), makes it more manageable than it appears. This shallow depth also gives many of the rooms a double aspect, so that light floods in both from the river to the south and the large back garden to the north. This is the case for the drawing room, which runs from front to back on the ground floor, and the main bedroom and bathroom above, which form a luxurious suite on the first floor along with a dressing room.
Given that the stylish previous owner had done a beautiful job decorating the house, there was no huge rush to put their own stamp on it, and the couple lived there, in fact, for about six years before embarking on a refresh. It wasn’t something Wiggy undertook lightly. ‘Decorating is agony for me,’ she laughs. ‘I’m a perfectionist, so I won’t do things half-heartedly. I find this with designing for Wiggy Kit as well. At the beginning of the process, I have so many ideas and references in my brain and it’s hard to get them all out. I was having sleepless nights trying to work out whether I’d have this fabric over that fabric, I was so worried about getting it exactly right.’
While there may be far too many fabrics out there to easily choose from, Wiggy did at least have a strong aesthetic to guide her decisions. Having lived in The Bahamas and also in the United States, there is a distinctly beachy American feel that runs through the house. ‘I really love that old school New England version of a British look,’ she says. ‘The full-on British look is a bit too traditional for me, but the American version feels fresher, more simplified.’ People often tell Wiggy that her house has a Bahamian vibe, and she agrees ‘it does feel more like a warm weather house than a cold and rainy London house.’ There are particular elements that make that the case: the distinctive trellised walls of the morning room, for example, or the coastal blue and white scheme of her daughter’s bedroom on the attic floor. Her own bedroom has a raffia wallcovering (‘very tropical’) and fabrics featuring bold, large-scale patterns on crisp white backgrounds. As Wiggy says, the simplified nature of the schemes lends the rooms a polished, American feel. ‘One quite American thing to do is to stick quite strictly to three or four colours in every room and then just work with different tones and textures within those colours. It feels calm, rather than being a jumble.’
In most of the house, the work (however agonising) was largely a case of redecorating, though Wiggy installed a beautiful new Plain English kitchen in the long garden extension. The top floor, however, where the couple’s daughters have their rooms, is unrecognisable from its previous incarnation. ‘There were three bedrooms and one bathroom up there, and my daughters would just be fighting unbearably over the bathroom all the time,’ she explains. Now, in a much more American arrangement, there are still three bedrooms, but each has their own bathroom. The former bathroom is now a charming spare bedroom with a bath under the window and a loo squeezed into a half-glazed ‘cabin’ in one corner, and Wiggy ingeniously split one of the other bedrooms into two bathrooms. The whole floor seems to transplant you to a Cape Cod holiday house, with its characterful wooden panelling and the glamorous blue and white scheme of the largest bedroom.
Wiggy refers to the top floor as ‘a bit of a fantasy floor’, but the whole house has something of a fantasy feeling to it, and it’s a deliberate choice. ‘When we go on holiday, I always want to find the things in the place where we’re staying that make me relax and enjoy it, and then I want to bring a bit of that magic back into the everyday. I want to feel like I’m on vacation in my house every day. Why save that feeling up for two weeks a year?’
Rachael Smith1/13The bedroom has a beautiful view of the river. A chaise longue by Ridge & Ridge and a floor lamp from Paolo Moschino create a reading corner, while an antique inlaid mirror from Robert Kime draws the eye over an antique chest with lamps from Besselink & Jones.
Rachael Smith2/13Looking into the bedroom from the adjoining bathroom.
Rachael Smith3/13Martin Lawrence Bullard's ‘Turquerie’ design, sourced via Tissus d'Hélène, makes for an elegant backdrop to the bathroom. A rattan ‘Bird Cage’ lantern and mirrors from Soane Britain contribute to the tropical feel. The vanity (together with its twin out of shot) was made for the space by Nicholas Walton Design.
Rachael Smith4/13A long dressing room occupies the space on the other side of the first floor. An antique dressing table from 1stDibs looks out over the river, while the wardrobe doors are lined in Claremont's ‘Nathalie’ fabric, and dotted with lamps from Besselink & Jones.
Rachael Smith5/13On the top floor, one of Wiggy's daughter's bedrooms has a vibrant blue and white scheme, with walls in ‘Santa Monica Ikat’ by Mark D. Sikes for Schumacher. A desk and chair from Chelsea Textiles overlook the river, while the window has curtains in Schumacher's ‘Bhuttis Sheer’ and a blind in ‘Nagoya’ by McLaurin & Piercy, all made up by Imella Designs.
Rachael Smith6/13A slipper chair from the John Lewis x Sanderson collection occupies the corner. The bed has drapes in ‘Cordoba’ by Schuyler Samperton, made up by Imella Designs, while the headboard was made by Emma Stewart.
Rachael Smith7/13Looking down the corridor into the bedroom, where an antique armoire from 1stDibs stands in the corner. The rug is a From Jaipur With Love design. The bathroom opens off to the left.
Rachael Smith8/13At the other end of the top floor corridor, Wiggy has created a sweet cabin-style bedroom, lined in tongue and groove panelling, out of the old bathroom. The bed is tucked in under the eaves, with a curtain in an Ian Mankin stripe. The bamboo chest and mirror above are both from The Old Cinema antique shop in Chiswick.
Rachael Smith9/13On the other side of the room, a freestanding bath from Albion stands under the window with a raffia blind from Tatiana Tafur.
Rachael Smith10/13The loo is hidden away into this half-glazed space. The bathroom fittings are from Drummonds.
Rachael Smith11/13The third bedroom on this floor belongs to Wiggy's other daughter. A bed has been built in under the window, which has a blind in Namay Samay's ‘Nasrin’ made up by Imella Design. A desk and chair from Chelsea Textiles stand on a bespoke rug from From Jaipur With Love.
Rachael Smith12/13The ensuite bathroom has a blind and matching lampshades in a paisley print from Les Indiennes.
Rachael Smith13/13The basement is home to a generous TV room, lined in Paolo Moscino's ‘Roche’ wallpaper. The sofa is upholstered partly in John Robshaw's ‘Lanka’ print, and partly in a plain weave from Decortex via Turnell & Gigon. The ottoman is from Lawson & wood. The bookshelves are painted in ‘Summer Nights’ from Benjamin Moore.
.jpg)
