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The story behind the design of this home began in the bar of a luxury hotel.
“The client took me to one of their favourite hotels for a drink to show me what they expected to see in the apartment,” says Olga Ashby, an established interior designer to the well-heeled in London, “It was clear from the beginning that the look they wanted was for a really sophisticated and classy setting with a 5-star hotel vibe. Now that really helped the design team to hone in on what the home should look like.”
AT A GLANCE
Home: Apartment with 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms in London
Size: 1,830 sq ft
Who lives here: A family of 4
ID: Olga Ashby
This 1,830 sq ft apartment next to the affluent residential district of St. John’s Wood was finished just before the global pandemic and the client was lucky to move in ahead of the first lockdown. Fresh from its completion, Olga takes Home & Decor on an exclusive look of the new home.
Every luxury hotel has a cosy and posh entrance, and that was one the things Olga ensured the home would have.
“The Hallway and powder room were extremely important as they provide this “sense of arrival” you have when checking in to a 5-star hotel.” she explains. For the entrance foyer, she created a stylish introduction to the rest of the home with a simple setting and designer lighting. This look would be carried into the dining room with the use of the same lighting fixtures and wall colour.
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The contrasting tones of the black doors and white marble floors resulted in a stunning look.
“Even though the interior looks quite plush and luxurious it is also very practical. The storage is well hidden but vast and all he upholstery and wallpapers are easy clean.” Olga says.
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A console stands against the panelled walls along the passageway, keeping the ambiance light and classy.
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Back in the dining area, there is ample storage space created so that the homeowners can keep clutter at bay.
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Here, you can see how the dining area opens up into the black-hued kitchen in the background. When not in use, the kitchen can also be closed off with the black-framed doors.
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With the doors wide open, the kitchen looks spacious and sensual thanks to the dark tones and high chairs.
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The white countertop becomes the highlight of the space, and where guests usually find themselves gravitating towards. One wonders how much actual cooking takes place in this beautiful space, but Olga assures it is put to good use.
“Both of the clients’ families are originally from India and both clients are passionate cooks of traditional Indian food, so they personally checked all the fabric samples with all the spices they would use. I’m happy to say even the white sofa fabric survived the test. All the other surfaces and carpets were also treated in anti-stain and were initially bleach clean.”
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At one end of the kitchen is a bay window, converted into extra seating area and graced by a beautiful vista outside.
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“For the living room we purchased an art work from Bianca Smith, a wonderful London artist, whose artworks are gracing the walls of some royal family houses,” Olga says, “Inspiration for the painting was one of the statues of a fountain in Rome. Bianca usually never uses men as models so this artwork was quite special to her, though you can’t miss a couple of little feminine angels which add up a lighthearted vibe to a more serious piece of art.”
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In the bay window area of the living room, Olga created an intimate corner where the homeowners can settle into during the evenings.
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“A double-sided fireplace was another way to connect the space but keep it separate enough for three different parties to entertain at the same time. A bearing wall between the living and dining couldn’t be demolished completely and we decided to wrap it up in bespoke joinery and install a marble fireplace and suede panels from one side and a TV stand with integrated fireplace from the other.”
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As mentioned earlier, Olga paid special attention to small spaces like the power room because that’s where visitors get a sense of how attentive the homeowners are to details in the home. The marble-lined walls in the powder room is beautifully outlined with dark panelling, adding to the intimate feel of the space.
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Olga used a monochrome color palette, paired with splashes of colour from the artworks, especially Andy Warhol’s Ingrid Bergman (The Nun), which provided a nice injection of highlights and humor to the stately and respectful interior.
“It is a luxury to have a white silk rug in the dining room with two kids, but contemporary treatment materials are making things like this possible. A beautiful rug from Riviera rugs is a collaboration of the brand with fabric supplier Zoffany, it is repeating one of the motifs we used, called Jigsaw, and the shadows from the combination of low and high pile cast, is just pure eye candy to look at.”
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“It was a gut renovation as the initial planing couldn’t provide an open space kitchen-living-dining area that the client deeply desired, so some bearing walls had to be knocked down and lots of steel beams were installed.” Olga points out.
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The dark walls are toned down with the use of light-coloured fabrics in the master bedroom.
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“Concealed backlighting creates a floating effect over the oversized mirrors in the bathroom.
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“We were very lucky to get a nice and big window in the master bathroom. Natural light plays a great part in the waking up process and this opportunity of having it shouldn’t be missed. Even if this particular area is small it is very functional with lots of storage and wide work top-windowsill.”
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“The walk-in wardrobe is a key to having the home tidy and we opened it up from both sides to avoid a “dead end” sensation. Even if the space is connected it still logically divides the room to “his” and “hers”.”
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The Kids room is playful and colourful, with a map of the world on the wall.
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In addition to a beautiful entrance the family of four needed to divide the space into two wings, one would become the personal space with three bedrooms and three bathrooms, while the other would serve as an entertainment-guest area. The look of this guest bedroom is kept simple but elegant and inviting.
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Olga created a small work area in the guest bedroom as well, which overlooks into the lush greenery outside.
“One thing we really loved about the home was the view from the windows. It is so green you can hardly believe you are in the middle of Megapolis.”
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