The London pied-à-terre of a French collector, this apartment is filled with the kind of design that delights the eye
SITTING ROOM
Art and textiles from all eras and all around the world are enjoyed every day in this scheme.
ENTRANCE HALL
The transition space to another world, this area sets the tone for the artistic and floral delights to come. The mosaic floor is made of six colours of marble.
Colour, pattern and sculptural forms create a feast for the senses in this London pied-à-terre. Home to a French national with an eye for art and textiles, the apartment brims with unexpected style moments. A fine thread gathers those moments together, a fantasia of beautiful objects curated in an exquisite space. It’s the result of a collaboration between an owner who has a penchant for botanical prints and a fearless disregard for conventional interiors, and designer Sophie Ashby of Studio Ashby, who wanted to create ‘a scheme that would be the perfect fit for the client’s character, lifestyle and taste’.
At 180 square metres, it is a relatively small space. ‘But whether we’re working on a huge sprawling house or a smaller apartment, the clients’ requirements are the same: to have a practical set-up, good storage, moments of calm versus areas for entertaining,’ says Sophie. ‘It’s all about making the best of the space.’
A major steer in the interiors was showcasing the client’s paintings and sculptures, a challenge the designer relished. ‘My client loves colour and pattern, as do I,’ says Sophie, ‘but while my instinct is to exercise restraint, more is more for her. That attitude is fun for a designer and it opened my eyes to another world.’
Much to Sophie’s delight, it turned out to be a world where portraits hang nonchalantly on top of de Gournay wallcoverings. ‘People are usually afraid to cover handmade wallpaper,’ says Sophie, ‘but the client was happy to hang paintings and mirrors to make an even more interesting build-up of layers.’ She also convinced Sophie that the two bedrooms should be wrapped wall-to-wall in the papers, whereas the designer had initially specif ied it only in the main bedroom behind the bed. ‘There were moments,’ says Sophie, ‘when I worried whether it was going to be balanced enough, but I’m so pleased with the result.’ Indeed, the effect is magical, a kind of flowery bower.
In the sitting room it’s the floor that gets the floral treatment, with a poppy-scattered rug adding a touch of the countryside. ‘I knew the client would appreciate the design
