Old school calm
This converted schoolhouse home is furnished with elegant pieces, carefully chosen to create a uniquely personal space
A former schoolhouse is transformed
Perched on the top of a converted Victorian school, with views that arc from Chelsea Harbour to the Shard, the apartment belonging to Cassandra Ellis and her husband Ed Prichard, a strategic creative consultant, is in an incredible London location. No wonder these conversions were initially snapped up as studios for fashion photographers, artists and designers.
‘The light that comes through the tall windows is fantastic,’ says Cassandra. But step inside this split-level, two-bedroom home in Battersea and you won’t find a cool hipster pad. In fact, it’s best not to say the word ‘cool’ around Cassandra. ‘Ughh, I’d hate my style to be seen that way,’ she says. And she’s right. Rather than following trends, her home has a timeless quality. It has a calmness that comes from Cassandra’s choice of natural materials and pieces that ‘show the hand of the maker’, such as tactile ceramics, hand-honed wooden stools, well-worn antiques and art that feels personal.
It’s an approach that might seem more akin to a rustic house than a London apartment but Cassandra shows that it’s possible to bring the relaxed feel of a country cottage to a city home.
The trick, she says, is to keep things simple and, above all, personal. ‘Nothing is here just for the sake of it or to fill a gap,’ she says. In fact, gaps are good in Cassandra’s book, as they allow you to focus on what really matters. One of her touchstones is
Kettle’s Yard, an artistic house and gallery in Cambridge. ‘If I ever
start to overdesign, I pause and refer myself back to that place,’ she says. ‘It’s an uncrowded flow of rooms, where each object feels exactly right for the space.’
Surfaces play an important part in the couple’s home too. The apartment was a bare, clunky conversion when they moved in two years ago. Cassandra reworked the three staircases, smoothed some of the architectural angles and laid rich oak flooring throughout. She sourced it directly from a timber yard, buying in bulk so she could use it to make kitchen cabinets, seating nooks and chopping boards. Getting all that wood up six flights of stairs was a nightmare, but it was worth it. ‘The natural timber sets the mood for the entire apartment,’ she says. ‘Flooring is the most important surface so it should feel good to touch.’
Being at ease in your own space lies at the heart of Cassandra’s style. When she works with clients, she says: ‘I ask them, “What fills you up, what object in your home makes you really happy?”’ Then she uses their answer as her starting point, rather than the season’s paint shade or the most popular pins on Pinterest.
‘Trends can be distracting, but your home feels right when it tells the story of no one else but you.’
Find out more about Cassandra’s work at cassandraellis.co.uk