A bespoke sofa covered in a mossy green linen from de Le Cuona followed, plus a red ottoman. In the two bedrooms on the first floor, curtains and headboards in colourful fabrics, antique furniture and vintage textiles perform a similar role, lending the modern architecture a historic sensibility.
‘The owners had old photos of what was originally the artist’s studio and is now their bedroom,’ says Anna. ‘It was incredible and so layered – that approach fundamentally drove the textures, colours and textiles in each space.’ With its double-height ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows and a spectacular curation of works of art – which includes a Damien Hirst diptych and a Jean-Michel Basquiat painting – the top-floor evoked both awe and an acute sense of trepidation for Anna. ‘I could not believe the light, the height and the extraordinary window that overlooks the park,’ she recalls. ‘I had never walked into a space like that before.’
The iroko wood panelling by Alex Findlater showcases photographic artworks from the owners’ collection, including by Hiroshi Sugimoto and Bernd & Hilla Becher, and Nude in Seaweed, Saint-Tropez, 1981, by Helmut Newton.
Michael Sinclair
A palette of bold, solid colours in this room – most visible in the geometric bespoke rug from A Rum Fellow – introduces a sense of ‘mid-century meets contemporary’ style, she notes, pointing out that the curved silhouettes of the owners’ vintage Jean Royère armchairs and a new custom-made sofa help to soften the otherwise linear space.
‘Lorenzo and the owner had decided to paint most of the walls in an off-white, which makes a great backdrop for the art,’ Anna notes. She managed to convince the husband that just one room – the upstairs drawing room, in which the panelling is listed – could benefit from colour on the walls. So she commissioned the paint specialist Henry van der Vijver, who created a tactile, many-layered lacquer finish. ‘The owners have since said how much they enjoy just sitting quietly there. The paint effect brings a certain depth and texture to the walls and, even though the room is large, it feels as though it envelops you in a nice way,’ she adds.
A yellow-glass-topped oak table by the Brazilian designer Joaquim Tenreiro plays off the Damien Hirst canvas, Morphine Sulphate, 1993.
Michael Sinclair
Much like in the rest of the house, the art in this room sits in perfect harmony with its decoration: some new, some old. It watches over as life happily unfolds around it. And isn’t that exactly what good design is all about?
Anna Haines: annahaines.co.uk | DOS Architects: dosarchitects.com