INSIDER INSIGHT
Viviane Heininger shares her loves and inspiration MOST SUCCESSFUL PART OF THIS PROJECT Restoring symmetrical beauty to the exterior of the house, and moving the kitchen and dining areas to the first floor to create a bright, open space with double doors opening onto the terrace. GREATEST INDULGENCE The outdoor pool and sauna.
YOUR STYLE IN THREE WORDS Cosy, bohemian, happy.
SECRET ADDRESS Petersham Nurseries, for culinary delights and for pieces for the home. FAVOURITE INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT @eyeswoon
WORDS TO LIVE BY ‘To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong’ – Joseph Chilton Pearce.
SITTING ROOM
The architects reinstated panelling and sourced elaborate cornicing to celebrate the grandeur of this space. Christmas tree and
on mantelpiece, The White Company. Blue Tassel garland, Meri Meri. Baubles gift wrap,
Paper fans, RE
The phrases ‘lateral living’ and ‘Victorian townhouse’ aren’t ones that often appear in the same sentence, which probably explains why Viviane and Malte Heininger snapped up this 1850s house in Wimbledon within a week of viewing it. The pair, who are both German, had spent 12 years living in Chelsea and Kensington, but with two young boys and a third son on the way, they saw this move as an important lifestyle change. ‘We simply couldn’t get these proportions and a large garden in central London,’ says Viviane. ‘We recognised the potential in this house to create a really fun family home.’
Viviane and Malte love frequenting London’s smart eateries, citing Cecconi’s and restaurants within the Soho House portfolio as favourites, and it was work for the latter by architectural firm Michaelis Boyd that first attracted the couple to the practice. ‘We knew the house needed absolutely everything doing to it so we thought it would be worth employing a firm that we really admired,’ explains Viviane.
The architects remodelled every inch of the four-storey building, moving all the sociable spaces to the grand first floor where an incongruous 1920s flat-roofed extension was replaced with a gracious sunroom that leads to a raised terrace overlooking the new swimming pool. The ground floor, which has lower ceilings, now has a huge L-shaped playroom as well as two guest rooms and utility spaces. The second floor houses the couple’s master suite and study while the attic was developed to create sleeping quarters for the boys. ‘Effectively, the children got two levels and we got two – so that’s fair,’ says Viviane, laughing.
Before she had children, Viviane worked in fashion and she has a keen eye for design. ‘With this house, I was ready to be braver with colour,’ she says. ‘Our years spent in the UK inspired us to give the schemes a very British feel, but we also wanted to introduce →
elements from southern climates – so that you might just think you were on holiday all year round.’
So, juxtaposed with features that evoke the feel of a club house – think panelled walls in rich hues, smart nailed or buttoned seating and dark oak herringbone floors – are elements that wouldn’t be out of place in the Hamptons or LA: bold cement tiles, a large-scale tropical print wallpaper and upbeat art. ‘We were very much inspired by our travels,’ says Viviane, offering as an example the master bathroom floor, which takes its cue from Soho Beach House in Miami. ‘It’s great to start the day in a fun, cheerful space.’
As the project progressed, Viviane enlisted the help of interior designer Anna Hewitson. ‘The scale of the rooms called for a lot of bespoke designs and Anna was fantastic at helping me source these pieces,’ Viviane explains, adding, ‘It was an amazing opportunity as I was able to bounce lots of ideas off
MASTER BEDROOM ‘We wanted a Hamptons vibe,’ says Viviane of this space. Manette bed; Dawbarn chandelier, both Soho Home. Headboard in Saranac Cord, Lee Jofa.
Flower Stencil in Midnight/ Champignon, Vanderhurd. Princeton sconces, Schoolhouse her.’ Anna helped to fine-tune the palette with hues that enhance the sense of flow, such as a blackened denim colour for the kitchen cabinetry and a French blue-grey for the walls of the formal sitting room. ‘There is a lot of blue in the house but we were careful to balance it with more soft, delicate tones such as turquoise or dusty pink,’ Viviane observes.
The process of creating this home proved so enjoyable that it has heralded a career change for Viviane. ‘This project was a real eye-opener and I found it such fun that it inspired me to enrol on an interior design course,’ she reveals. ‘It’s always lovely to come across something new that really excites you. I feel ready to start a new chapter.’
Architecture by Michaelis Boyd, michaelisboyd.com. Interior design by Anna Hewitson Design, annahewitsondesign.com
Thor leather
Dowsing & Reynolds. Hester chair, Habitat. Frosted Peaks wool carpet, Crucial Trading
Bespoke
Railings, Farrow & Ball. Black Alalpardo tiles, Bert & May
Forest in Spring, Virginia White. Cloud pendant light, Nedgis. Payson striped cushion, Wicklewood
Carnival Laredo
Fired Earth. Salvador basin, Aquaplus Solutions. Pillar wall lights in polished brass, Original BTC