OFF THE SHELF

Beautiful spaces from the homes of British designers revealed

For Robert Kime, every room starts with a rug. ‘You have to start with something,’ he says, ‘and I always think a carpet is the easiest thing.’ It doesn’t need to be expensive. A rug can define a space, break up a large room or highlight a particular area – it can play a number of roles. With a background in antiques and a passion for history, it is unsurprising that Robert’s London flat is full of interesting things, from a rare screen covered in chinoiserie paper that he picked up at an auction for just a few pounds to William Wordsworth’s own leather chair, which sits behind the desk in his study. He cleverly reconfigured the layout of the property, knocking out walls, creating arches, installing fireplaces and changing the functions of various rooms, to create a richly layered environment. →

The deep terracotta colour of the dining room walls contrasts with the pale blue used elsewhere in Robert’s flat