VICTORIAN REDESIGN

Sculptural pieces and framed textiles play an integral role in this chic apartment, part of a cleverly reimagined property

Part of a cleverly reimagined property, this chic apartment features sculptural pieces and framed textiles.

For property developer Piers Cavendish and his business partner Jonathan Mo≠at, a Victorian building in London’s South Kensington provided an irresistible opportunity to create a new home that would showcase their interest in interiors and art. We visited the property with Piers and interior designer Sophie Elborne to find out more.

What attracted you to the property? PC

The location is fantastic, overlooking what has to be one of the best garden squares in South Kensington. The grounds are beautifully maintained and have magnificent mature plane trees, while the building is tall and unusually wide, and all the rooms have wonderfully generous ceiling heights.

Was there a lot of work to be done? PC

The building was in a terrible state. Originally a single dwelling, it had been divided into eight flats with lots of mezzanines, little rooms and narrow corridors, so we knew we had a fabulous chance to open up the space and reintroduce natural light and volume. As the original staircase had been replaced by a previous owner, the building is not listed, which meant we had considerable freedom to make changes.

What happened to the eight flats? PC

The arrangement of the flats was quite chaotic and it was a real challenge to rationalise, but our architect Christopher Egan, christopher-egan.com, has succeeded brilliantly. There are now three flats, of which this is the middle one.

Why did you choose interior designer Sophie Elborne? PC

We wanted someone who could add character and personality while maximising the building’s assets of volume and light. Sophie Elborne, of Kitesgrove, had ideas for the apartment that were very impressive and we liked the way she used the gardens as inspiration. As we are art lovers, her fine art background was also extremely important to us.

Sophie, what was the theme behind your design? SE

There is a large contingent of French and Italian people living in this area and I wanted to create a scheme that reflects that mixture of European aesthetics within the grand proportions of this classic central London building. I also wanted to give the apartment a strong sense of personality and commissioned the bespoke table lamps, one with a male head the other a female head, by sculptor Margit Wittig, as a playful nod to the apartment owners.

What is the secret to creating a sense of soul in a home? SE

For me, it is about making sure you find furnishings, accessories and artworks from as wide a range of sources as possible, and using layers of scale, shape and texture to give the appearance that a home has been created over time, not all at once. Weaving artworks into a scheme helps provide a sense of intrigue; I make art a central part of all my designs, not a decorative element to be added afterwards.

I make art a central part of all my interior schemes, not a decorative element to be added afterwards.”

ENTRANCE HALL To give this space a distinct identity, deep green Marmorino plaster was applied to the walls (above). The dark, “almost velvety” finish creates a moody atmosphere, accentuating the light-filled living areas beyond. CLOAKROOM A wall of...

LIVING AREA “French textile artist Claire de Quénetain made these lampshades specially for this room,” says interior designer Sophie Elborne of design studio Kitesgrove, kitesgrove. com. “I wanted something with a modernist aspect, with loose...

MAIN BEDROOM “I found this set of framed pressed herbs, leaves and flowers (right) in Paris,” says Sophie. “They were the starting point for the design of this scheme. Hanging them in a grid formation over the bed helps to emphasise the room’s point...