DECORATOR INDEX

We talk to the Australian-born, London-based designer and discover how he puts his bold interiors together

Who is he? Peter Mikic arrived in London in 1992 and is renowned for his colourful, glamorous designs. His confident style is the legacy of his fashion career – after studying the subject, he designed womenswear and accessories before moving to London and setting up a menswear label with a college friend. Fashion remained his focus until 2006, when property entrepreneurs Candy & Candy commissioned Mikic to design uniforms for staff on a luxury yacht. The kimonos he produced, embroidered with Japanese cranes, proved so popular with the duo that they asked him to create matching cushions, curtains and upholstery. ‘That was the beginning of my new career,’ he says. Mikic set up his studio in 2006 and now has an office in Shoreditch, as well as a Notting Hill showroom. What’s his style? He describes it as ‘personal and luxurious’, explaining: ‘I aim to capture the client’s personality and what their house wants to be. Texture, colour and pattern play key roles in my interiors, and I like to mix highcalibre antiques with modern pieces and flea-market finds’. Mikic also says that the clear Australian light inspires his vibrant colour palette, while his fashion expertise helps him to ‘understand shapes, layers and volume when building an interior’. Other influences include mid- century modern art and architecture – such as the work of Mies van der Rohe and Giò Ponti – and the natural world. ‘Nature’s colour palette is full of inspiration – I’m obsessed with moss and bark,’ says Mikic. ‘Country walks help me clear my mind and focus.’ What are his notable projects? Mikic is as likely to be found kitting out a private jet as he is to be reinventing a home. His first solo project, a 1970s yacht called the Elisabeth F, was furnished with midcentury modern furniture and heralded a new, more relaxed approach to boat interiors. Among his residential projects, the Islington drawing room he designed in pink, turquoise, yellow and spring green ( top right) demonstrates his flair for pulling off daring colour schemes. What is he currently working on? The penthouse at The Glebe – a development of seven individually designed apartments in Chelsea. ‘I’m using burnt orange fabrics on the walls and velvet sofas,’ says Mikic. He’s also designing a Chelsea gym called KXU, a Jacobean-style house in Windsor and a contemporary home in Oxfordshire. He says ‘Interior design should be fun, so find a decorator that you enjoy being with. Go and have cocktails together! I often take my clients antiques shopping, or to art fairs.’ petermikic.com

‘I aim to capture the client’s personality – texture, colour and pattern play key roles in my interiors, and I like to mix antiques with modern pieces and flea-market finds’