CALM & CURATED A stylist’s fashion-friendly, feel-good family home

When fashion stylist SUKEENA RAO revamped her West London house, making it look good wasn’t enough – it had to feel good, too

‘My approach to fashion styling is about choosing clothes that the client can throw on and feel amazing in,’ says Sukeena. ‘It’s the same for my home. I wanted a space that felt relaxing as soon as I walked through the door.’

As big decorating ideas go, it may not sound terribly exciting, but the end result – three storeys of luxurious yet comfortable space, personalised with meticulously sourced furniture and artwork – is a masterclass in stylish, practical living.

It took Sukeena two years, some structural rearrangements (she had Scandinavian-style douglas fir floors installed and moved the staircase from the middle of the building to maximise the space) and a cool, muted palette to get the backdrop of her West London home right. The scheme is inspired by British designer Ilse Crawford and the chic interiors of London’s Mount Street Céline store. ‘There’s not one room that I’m not comfortable in,’ says Sukeena. ‘The overall effect is casual yet luxurious.’

On the build side, Sukeena kept the original features of the property and the things that were important to her aesthetically. ‘I wanted big, tall doors and the same Dinesen floors I’d seen at the Saatchi Gallery, along with a play area for my son next to the kitchen, so we could all be together,’ she says. ‘There were lots of cupboard rooms when we moved in – we knocked them all out.’

Sourcing the furniture was the fun part for Sukeena. Thanks to her job, she has had the privilege of peeking inside some amazing houses and is

always visually surfing for things. ‘I’m the first person to ask, “Where is that from?” Before the days of Pinterest, I would keep scrapbooks with tear sheets from magazines and I will go to the ends of the earth to track down a perfect candlestick or chair,’ she says. ‘But with this project, I was worried about making expensive mistakes.’

Bringing in the help of interior designer Charles Mellersh, the pair worked together to layer art, furniture and textiles – investing in long-term pieces. ‘Charles understood my taste and made me feel comfortable in my choices,’ says Sukeena. ‘He gave me an education and helped me to narrow things down. Like me, he is also happy to look at 1,000 chairs to find the right one.’

sukeenarao.com, charlesmellersh.com

The open-plan basement is centred around a large dining table and bench from Another Country (anothercountry.com). The green windsor chairs from Howe London (howelondon.com) add a splash of colour against the kitchen cabinets by Plain English Design (plainenglishdesign.co.uk). The walls are painted in French Grey from Little Greene (littlegreene.com)

TOP In the living room, vintage French armchairs from Circus Antiques (circusantiques.co.uk) sit beneath pendant wall lights by Michael Anastassiades (michaelanastassiades.com). The brass-framed mirror is from Fiona McDonald (fionamcdonald.com) and the marble box shelf is by Muller Van Severen (mullervanseveren.be)

ABOVE LEFT AND RIGHT The simple, classic bathroom has fittings from Lefroy Brooks (lefroybrooks.com) and Architecture tiles from Fired Earth (firedearth.com). The bin is from SCP (scp.co.uk)

In Eliot’s bedroom, Sukeena painted the walls and custom-built alcove storage in Mid Lead from Little Greene (littlegreene.com). For a similar plywood bed, try Rafa Kids (rafa-kids.com) BELOW RIGHT The lambswool chair is by Philip Arctander, from 1stdibs (1stdibs.com). The wooden toy bucket is from Another Country (anothercountry.com) BOTTOM RIGHT Eliot playing in the dining area BOTTOM The deep red Hop Garden wallpaper by Marthe Armitage, from Hamilton Weston (hamiltonweston.com), adds vibrancy to the master bedroom