Big on both style and comfort, this seriously peaceful apartment has an atmosphere that’s elegantly indulgent
DINING AREA
Bespoke furniture was worth investing in, say the owners. It caters for their needs and makes the home unique. Materials with an organic look bring luxury.
LIVING AREA
Only one half of the room had original ceiling mouldings, so perfectly matched copies were done for the rest of the space.
thischic home looks like it belongs to a glamorous young couple with a thriving social life, and although that’s an apt description, the stylish couple also has three children – and a puppy. That the apartment so successfully marries durability with elegance is down to the pair’s design aesthetic and the skill of interior designer Cherie Lee.
‘The couple had already bought two apartments in this house and converted them into one home,’ says Cherie. ‘But they felt the layout was disjointed and didn’t flow properly.’ When she came on board it was largely a shell with little furniture, and the kitchen was sited in what is now the TV room. ‘The wife felt shut away from guests when entertaining and from the family,’ says Cherie. ‘So the priority was to relocate the kitchen to a more prominent position and create a design for it that blended with the overall aesthetic of the living space.’
The couple – he works in private investment and she is a stay-athome mum – discovered Cherie on Instagram, finding that her design ethos matched their own as they worked as a team on the interiors.
‘Comfort was key along with keeping an organic feel to materials,’ says Cherie. A sense of understated luxury pervades the space with the mix of dark herringbone floors, moulded ceilings and dramatic lighting.
Together, they decided the backdrop should be a warm, neutral palette with dark timber accents. ‘The couple were open to the use of colour and playfulness (like the foxed glass cocktail bar and cloud ceiling in the teen’s bedroom) if incorporated in the right way,’ says Cherie.
Crucial to the new layout was placing the kitchen along a wall where it felt an organic part of the living space. Designed in understated stone, it flows harmoniously into the sitting and dining a
