Ben Pentreath and Rupert Cunningham redesigned this mid-19th-century London townhouse to have a lived-in, Bohemian feel.
The owners of this townhouse in Notting Hill asked Ben Pentreath and Rupert Cunningham to advise on both its layout and decoration. ‘These days, the typical look in this part of London is often very bland — lots of expensive finishes, Crittall-style doors and pared-back colour,’ explains Mr Cunningham. ‘We wanted to take the house back to the spirit of the 1960s.’
Two rooms had been knocked together to create a larger space, with this end planned as a library or study space overlooking the garden. The only original elements that had survived the ravages of previous work were the shutters and the architrave around the window, so the first task was to enlist the help of Stevensons of Norwich (01603 400824; www.stevensons-of-norwich.co.uk) to reinstate the cornicing and plasterwork.
The new chimneypiece is from Jamb (020–7730 2122; www.jamb.co.uk) and the joinery, including the Regency-style bookcases, was designed in-house and painted in Wimborne White by Farrow & Ball (01202 876141; www.farrow-ball.com).
‘Our clients love colour and have an excellent contemporary-art collection. The aim was to create the feeling of an artistically minded family home that hadn’t just been done up, but which felt very lived in,’ explains Mr Cunningham.
The floor was replaced with reclaimed dry pine, which was only lightly restored to maintain the patina. The walls are covered in a paper-backed hessian fabric.
The antique chandelier from Howe (020–7730 7987; www.howelondon.com) is counterbalanced by the Modernist aesthetic of the Saarinen table and the red chairs by Kaare Klint add a further Modernist touch.
Ben Pentreath — 020–7430 2424; www.benpentreath.com
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