BACK TO BLACK The east London home of Abigail Ahern – the designer behind the trend for dark walls and exposed brick

Ever wondered where the current trend for dark walls and exposed brick interiors came from? It goes back 10 years and all started with designer and author Abigail Ahern’s north London shop and quirky home

Abigail started her career working for Terence Conran researching pictures for his iconic title, The House Book, which was the interiors bible at the time. Shortly afterwards she relocated to the US with her husband Graham and it seemed the ideal opportunity to take her career in the direction of interior design.

‘We were in America for four years, during which time I also worked with a number of architectural practices,’ she explains. ‘When I came back to the UK and got interior styling jobs for magazines and brands, I realised that a lot of products I wanted to use in my projects just weren’t available to buy. So I decided to open a shop to stock all the things I yearned for, and that I hoped other people would love too.’

Abigail found a tiny store in Islington, north London, and painted it in dark colours – revolutionary at the time. ‘It got a lot of attention from the press and TV companies and it grew from there,’ she says. ‘First, I was offered a book deal, then Debenhams asked me to design accessories for them as one of their Designers at Debenhams. At the same time I worked on interior design projects and was invited to take part in the Channel 4 TV show Get Your House in Order. After

‘The minute I painted my house black, the magic happened – everything just looked cooler’

the success of the shop, I decided to paint my house in dark colours and it just took off. It was on front covers of magazines all over the world.’

When Abigail and Graham returned to the UK, they bought a house in Dalston in east London. ‘I knew I wanted an old property that I could do things to, and it took a year to find it, but as soon as I saw this Victorian home built in the 1860s, I immediately fell in love with it,’ says Abigail. ‘In America, I’d worked with an architectural practice that specialised in glass buildings and it really inspired me – I knew I wanted to add a lot of glass to my house. I had a clear idea to take out the back wall, extend and add a two-storey glass wall.

‘My style has evolved as I’ve become more confident and braver with colour. I like to play around with scale and have pops of colour – in fact I love all colours, but now I restrict my schemes to just three and instead overdose on texture. Where furniture is concerned I prefer to go for a mix of styles – from 1950s Italian leather chairs to French marble tables - I think if the colour scheme is too “bitty” it detracts from the furniture and accessories.’

Find Abigail’s homeware and paint ranges at abigailahern.com. She also has ranges at Debenhams, Hillarys Blinds and Roger Oates

LIVING AREA Opposite Abigail with Welsh terrier Maud This page A white leather Luis Butterfly chair by Abigail sits on a wool Zebra rug by Jonathan Adler. The concrete chair by Mint is softened with a brown sheepskin throw

KITCHEN Painting the units the same dark colour as the walls, floor and woodwork helps them disappear into the background. Stainlesssteel countertops and a mirrored splashback – two Hampton mirrors from Abigail’s range – bring light into the room, while a runner rug adds a touch of colour

DINING AREA Walls, floor and ceiling have all been painted in Hudson Black from Abigail’s own range of paint colours. The spectacular chandelier and retro green, black and white lampshade from Newark Antiques Fair in Nottingham really stand out against the uniform dark shade. The marble dining table and chairs were bought at Ardingly Antiques & Collectors Fair in West Sussex

HALLWAY Abigail’s Mulberry Red paint colour is a deep, dramatic shade for this space

HB BEDROOM Walls painted in Crosby, a moody shade by Abigail, bring a wonderfully cosy feel. The Mud Beaded chandelier and Burlington coffee table are also from her range, while the neutral bedlinen is from Merci FOR STORE DETAILS SEE WHERE TO BUY PAGE