Zoë Zimmer's stylish, cleverly arranged flat in Notting Hill

[upbeat music]

I had actually just moved back from LA,

where I'd been living on and off for 10 years.

And I lived one block away from here,

and I was not interested in buying anywhere at that point,

And mother actually found it for me.

She thought I should really go have a look at it

and I didn't want to.

And the minute I walked in, I just knew I had to have it,

it felt really similar to the apartment that I grew up in.

What I love about the flat is that the layout of it

is all very open plan and connected.

So for such a small space,

you can really see all of it together, really,

and the whole thing flows really well.

I'm a photographer and designer,

I design a lot of things like album artwork,

and that is great, 'cause it means I can work from home

most of the time.

For me, the flat, it was really important

that it was great for entertaining,

because I love to cook and I have big dinners here,

and I have big parties here

and most late nights end up back here.

So for me, it had to work really well for that,

and the mirrored wall really helped with that,

'cause I can be in the kitchen cooking

and still see what's going on

and be part of whatever's happening out here.

I love my Cesca chairs, which I found on eBay,

and the guy even brought them up here himself.

So that was a total bargain.

But I've always loved them.

So then when I did this place,

they were one of the first things

that I knew I wanted to get.

I also love my Diane von Furstenberg rug,

surprisingly resilient,

and has had red wines spilt on it numerous times

and it still looks great.

I love the screen, which I got on 1stDibs,

and it was one of the first pieces that I actually bought

after I bought the flat.

I really like it with the chairs in front of it.

I love the shape of the top of it, it's kinda like deco.

I never actually thought I'd be the kind of person

that would buy an orange sofa.

I ended up really liking it.

And I kind of feel that even though orange and green

is not a particularly obvious color combo, it kind of works.

And the shape was the most important for me,

because all obviously it's actually blocking half a doorway.

So I had to make sure that the arms were low enough

that visually, it didn't take up too much space.

I wanted the chairs to swivel,

so you could again use them if you're talking to me

and I'm in the kitchen or like here at the table

I bought really cheap swivel bases on Amazon.

They were like $50 or something

and I had them sent over from America

and then I had them reupholstered.

They ended up being the exact same height as the sofa

which works really well.

This drawing was a present for my 30th birthday.

It's an Egon Schiele, who I love.

Although it is actually being kept in place right now

with blue tac, which is probably not a brilliant idea.

And I should probably change that.

But for now it works, it's staying where it's meant to stay.

My kitchen's basically invisible.

All of this paneling is actually cupboards, which is great.

It means that I haven't got to look at appliances

all the time.

There used to be a Mexican restaurant down the street

on Portobello called Santo.

And they had these huge lights like this

that I absolutely loved.

And I spent ages trying to find some similar.

And I went through so many different vintage stores

and websites and whatever, trying to find these

perspex lights, and I found them at The White Company

and I bought three of them.

I wanted the bedroom to be quite warm.

You know, the curtains are cream velvet,

and the bed is upholstered in velvet.

Again, because this is quite a small room,

I like having mirrors in here

because you can see the wardrobe reflected in it.

And it makes, I feel like,

gives you double the sense of space.

This is an Alan Jones that I got a few years ago.

The colors didn't really go anywhere else in my apartment

other than in my bedroom

It was quite a challenge actually mounting it to a mirror,

and it has fallen down once before.

And I'm always concerned

that it might actually decapitate me in my sleep,

but if I'm gonna go, that's kind of how,

I'm fine, I'm fine, being killed by my own Alan Jones.

I got these bedside tables at the old cinema in Chiswick,

they're early 1930s.

And I love how deep they are.

There's obviously not a lot of room on the top of them.

And they're great, I just love like the faux wood.

And I think the shape of the matches

the shape of the bedhead really well

The cheetah I got on Portobello Road.

I had grown up around the corner.

I got used to knowing how to haggle with everybody,

so I'd get a good deal.

So yeah, I got him for a bargain down the market.

This is my very small guest room,

which I actually really like to sit here in the summer

as well with the doors open for the garden.

And it's actually surprisingly comfortable

considering it's so small.

And I think that's kind of key

to have a comfortable guest room that's not too nice,

so people don't stay too long.

With the bathroom because it's such a small space,

I really wanted it to be interesting

and not something that was just a sort of,

you know, could be anything type room.

And then the tiling I had seen actually

on exterior buildings in Tokyo,

and I really liked the sort of subway tiles

but with the black grouting.

This door was the original door for the galley kitchen

which when I bought the apartment,

there was a stack of doors that was just

leaning up against the wall.

And I got rid of all them except this one

'cause I liked the window in it

which I think works with the whole feel of the bargain.

I mean, as much as I love my apartment,

there's definitely every six months

I decide I'm gonna rip the whole thing out and do it again.

But I don't and yeah, for the most part,

I'm completely happy with it.

[upbeat music]