Homes & Antiques

Rhapsody in Blue

- FEATURE JO LEEVERS PHOTOGRAPH­S PENNY WINCER

For interior designer Krystyna Martin-Dominguez, inky shades work as a moody backdrop for her antiques and vintage pieces, picked up in Poland and beyond

The letter K, in various forms and fonts, appears throughout Krystyna Martin-Dominguez’s home. An elegant serif version salvaged from a shop sign hangs in the kitchen, while another, made by her father, adds a rustic touch to the living room. ‘I’ve picked them up here and there, but I never buy for the sake of it. I have to love the things I nd – they have a sentimenta­l value,’ she says.

The oversized Ks make more sense when you discover that her husband is called Kristian and their children are Konstantin and Klara, but the appeal for Krystyna is more than merely personal. ‘Typographi­cally, it’s a dynamic letter – it looks as if it’s about to stride o !’ she adds with a smile.

Just as Krystyna only buys an oversized letter K if it captures her imaginatio­n, the antique and vintage furniture in her Edwardian home in south London has also been subject to the same careful considerat­ion. ‘I prefer to wait for the right thing to come along and I only buy pieces I have space for,’ she explains.

This measured approach ties in with Krystyna’s aversion to ‘fast furniture’: the mass-produced at-pack equivalent of fast fashion. ‘I hate the idea of a throwaway culture,’ says Krystyna. Brought up on an air force base in Poland, recycling was a way of life rather than a hobby. ‘Growing

‘Typographi­cally, K is a dynamic letter – it looks as if it’s about to stride o !’

up in a communist country, throwing anything away felt like a crime. Everything was reused, or passed on to someone else. And what we didn’t have, we’d make.’

Krystyna’s parents even built their own home and, being the eldest child, she o en helped her father. ‘It made me very practical. I’ll always have a go at making something we need, whether it’s a curtain or a light.’ This can-do a itude came into its own when she and Kristian bought their home. The Edwardian property had only had two owners since it was built and was entirely unmodernis­ed. Krystyna’s BA in Spatial and Interior Design gained at Chelsea College of Arts and her love of British architectu­re also informed her approach.

‘I was interested in how an Edwardian house could be adapted for modern family life,’ she says. ‘Many of us love the character of older houses, but their architectu­re is arranged for the way people lived then.’ This means privacy and closed doors rather than ow and openness. Krystyna’s solution was to rework the ground oor by adding a kitchen-diner extension and creating a square arch between the two halves of the living room. ‘The footprint of the house is quite wide, so the proportion­s of the extension feel in keeping with the architectu­re. It just gives it a squarer feel,’ she adds.

The house was also entirely rewired and replumbed and walls were insulated and replastere­d. The staircase was refurbishe­d and

authentic timber sash windows were reinstalle­d. Krystyna is a rm believer in taking a house back to its bones to ensure the basic structure is sound. ‘I would never just decorate. I like to know that my family and my clients are living in healthy, damp-free homes,’ she says.

When it came to the decorating and furnishing stage, Krystyna took the opportunit­y to indulge in a bit of repurposin­g. ‘I like giving old objects new functions,’ she explains. ‘So a Victorian clock case became a bathroom cabinet and we use an antique marble-topped dresser as a pot cupboard in the kitchen.’ A Roman blind in Klara’s room was made from a tablecloth embroidere­d by Krystyna’s grandmothe­r when she was 16.

By using antiques, Krystyna has put together a look that’s individual. ‘I enjoy knowing that I won’t walk into a neighbour’s house and see exactly the same chair, light and rug,’ she smiles.

‘Vintage fabrics and furniture come with a story, but most of all it comes with amazing cra smanship. These pieces will outlive us,’ she adds. What’s more, by using antiques, Krystyna has put together a look that’s individual. ‘I enjoy knowing that I won’t walk into a neighbour’s house and see exactly the same chair, light and rug,’ she smiles.

On trips to visit family in Poland, Krystyna is always on the lookout for interestin­g pieces. In the dining area, a mirrored 1960s cabinet was a gi from her mother and, in the living room, a marble-topped brass side table came from a Polish antiques shop. ‘The quality of the marble is incredible and it’s a very practical surface,’ she says. Then there’s a handsome carved table that her father helped her to restore, which shines out against the deep blue of the living room walls.

It’s no coincidenc­e that many of the rooms are decorated in shades of blue. ‘For as long as I can remember, I have always loved the colour,’ she says. ‘As a child, I would have dressed in blue every day.’ From an interior design perspectiv­e, the hue has a calming e ect and, Krystyna believes, suits the era of their home. ‘In Edwardian times, along with green, blue was a popular choice for decorating.’

From the dark navy in the living room to a duck egg in the main bedroom, blue also works well with the antique dark wood furniture that Krystyna has found, restored and polished up. ‘With blue, you can put di erent shades together and it always works,’ she says. ‘It feels harmonious, which is what we all want in a home.’

 ??  ?? Morris & Co’s Acanthus wallpaper frames the view through to the living room from the TV room. The wingback chair is an heirloom, reupholste­red in blue velvet.
Both rugs are vintage, bought in Germany. ‘I’ve found the best quality vintage rugs there,’ Krystyna says.
Morris & Co’s Acanthus wallpaper frames the view through to the living room from the TV room. The wingback chair is an heirloom, reupholste­red in blue velvet. Both rugs are vintage, bought in Germany. ‘I’ve found the best quality vintage rugs there,’ Krystyna says.
 ??  ?? The Owners
Krystyna MartinDomi­nguez, an interior designer who runs K Space (k-space.co.uk), lives here with her husband Kristian, who works in finance, and their son Konstantin (9) and daughter Klara (7).
The Property
An Edwardian semi in south-east London. On the ground floor there’s a sitting room and TV room, a kitchen-diner, a cloakroom and utility space. Upstairs there are three bedrooms and a bathroom.
The Owners Krystyna MartinDomi­nguez, an interior designer who runs K Space (k-space.co.uk), lives here with her husband Kristian, who works in finance, and their son Konstantin (9) and daughter Klara (7). The Property An Edwardian semi in south-east London. On the ground floor there’s a sitting room and TV room, a kitchen-diner, a cloakroom and utility space. Upstairs there are three bedrooms and a bathroom.
 ??  ?? Blue acts as a unifying shade in the living room. The chimney breast and walls are painted in Royal Navy by Little Greene. The hearth tiles are Güell-1 by VIVES. The Tamara de Lempicka print is a poster version of the first Valentine’s Day card that Kristian gave to Krystyna.
Blue acts as a unifying shade in the living room. The chimney breast and walls are painted in Royal Navy by Little Greene. The hearth tiles are Güell-1 by VIVES. The Tamara de Lempicka print is a poster version of the first Valentine’s Day card that Kristian gave to Krystyna.
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 ??  ?? ABOVE The curtain dividing the living room was made from old Romanian army blankets. The antique side table is French and the navy sofa is from Sofa.com.
ABOVE The curtain dividing the living room was made from old Romanian army blankets. The antique side table is French and the navy sofa is from Sofa.com.
 ??  ?? LEFT The old pub bar stools came from Aladdin’s Cave in Lewisham and the kitchen was custom made. The letter K is from a salvaged shop sign. An antique chest of drawers with a mirror makes the room feel less ‘kitcheny’. RIGHT The vintage Eames DSS stacking chairs came from Bambino and the dining table is an Ikea worktop on a locally welded metal base. A reproducti­on of an 1847 map of London is from Old Folding Maps and the 1960s mirrored cabinet is from Poland.
LEFT The old pub bar stools came from Aladdin’s Cave in Lewisham and the kitchen was custom made. The letter K is from a salvaged shop sign. An antique chest of drawers with a mirror makes the room feel less ‘kitcheny’. RIGHT The vintage Eames DSS stacking chairs came from Bambino and the dining table is an Ikea worktop on a locally welded metal base. A reproducti­on of an 1847 map of London is from Old Folding Maps and the 1960s mirrored cabinet is from Poland.
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 ??  ?? Although one wall of the bedroom is papered with a quirky design featuring dinosaurs, Krystyna has painted the rest of the room, including the ornate Edwardian fire surround, in a calm shade of grey that pulls the disparate elements together.
Although one wall of the bedroom is papered with a quirky design featuring dinosaurs, Krystyna has painted the rest of the room, including the ornate Edwardian fire surround, in a calm shade of grey that pulls the disparate elements together.
 ??  ?? A quirky House of Hackney wallpaper gives the main bedroom a stylish twist. The marbletopp­ed bedside table is antique. The vintage bamboo mirror is from Wild Horses in Forest Hill.
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BELOW FROM LEFT A Victorian clock case has been painted to make a bathroom cabinet. The French classroom poster depicts oceanograp­hy and came from Old Folding Maps; the vintage G Plan chest of drawers was an eBay find. Krystyna bought the vintage chair in a Polish junk shop and reupholste­red it herself.
A quirky House of Hackney wallpaper gives the main bedroom a stylish twist. The marbletopp­ed bedside table is antique. The vintage bamboo mirror is from Wild Horses in Forest Hill. LEFT BELOW FROM LEFT A Victorian clock case has been painted to make a bathroom cabinet. The French classroom poster depicts oceanograp­hy and came from Old Folding Maps; the vintage G Plan chest of drawers was an eBay find. Krystyna bought the vintage chair in a Polish junk shop and reupholste­red it herself.
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