culture clash
An owner’s exotic mixed heritage is reflected in her elegant and eclectic southeast London flat
As a child, Anouska Tamony spent most of her school holidays with her grandmother, a talented tailoress whose clients ranged from Hindu princesses to Malaysian magnates. ‘My grandmother was Chinese and she married a Dutchman,’ says Anouska. ‘They moved from Malaysia to Britain in the 1960s and their house was a real mix of Chinese antiques, Japanese artworks, Mid-century furniture and Eastern fabrics. So I’ve always been drawn to a combination of exoticism tempered with modernity.’
That stylistic DNA proved useful to Anouska and her partner, Scott Clifton, when it came to decorating their own home. ‘There was a bidding war for the flat and we ended up going over budget,’ says Anouska. ‘So we had to draw on our creative reserves to make this place express our taste.’
Grand structural alterations were out. Instead, personality has been added through even-handed blending of colour, texture and pattern. Ikat mixed with velvet, silk with seagrass, and palm-tree prints have transformed the interior so that it feels, as Anouska puts it: ‘exotic, but not hippy-ish.’
Her rule-breaking approach to colour has the effect of making the two-bedroom flat feel larger. ‘It’s tempting to stick to neutrals in small spaces,’ she says, ‘ but I like to be different.’ This approach can be seen in the bedroom, where oranges smoulder against jewel-bright mauves. ‘People often go for subtle colours in the bedroom,’ says Anouska, ‘ but I wanted a warmer, more sumptuous look.’
The previous owners had installed the current kitchen. ‘It looked a little cold and sterile, but we had to work with what we had,’ continues Anouska. So the grey tiles were swapped for a rich blue design. A copper tap and bespoke shelf introduce warmth and an industrial pendant floats above the worktop. ‘This second level of light makes the room feel cosy at night,’ says Anouska. The same layering effect also transformed the bathroom, where she painted the roll-top bath in forget-me-not blue. The blind fabric inspired the palette of brooding blue, while the palm-frond wallpaper evokes Eastern climes.
The influence of her perfectionist, detailloving ‘Poh Poh’ (Cantonese for grandmother) also stretches to the sitting room. In front of the fireplace sits a battered but treasured Chinoiserie fire screen that the couple found in Malacca. It is framed by bookcases which Anouska transformed with smoky-jade paint. And there is yet another reminder of Poh Poh in a carved table that travelled with her from Malaysia. Now it sits by the bed, perfectly at home among the East-meets-west allure of this unusual and colourful home.