Emotions in Notting Hill

The famous film starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts lifted the fortunes of the London district, but Alessia Mainardi’s style has enhanced a house that has proven difficult to sell In the late 1990s, a romantic film set in the London district of Notting Hill starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant caused property prices to skyrocket, so much so that they rivalled those of New York’s Greenwich Village, which is home to a similar young and cosmopolitan demographic. Despite this newfound interest in a home close to the famous Portobello Road Market, an American-born Englishman who owned a 250-m2 semi-detached house spread over four floors but in need of a complete refurbishment was unable to sell it for several years. After a while, he thought that he could solve the problem with a little spruce-up and a new premium kitchen, like a Boffi model. And so he got in touch with Alessia Mainardi, an Italian interior decorator with a long-established studio in London. Initially commissioned to undertake a minor renovation, she ended up refurbishing the entire house from top to bottom. The result was so stunning that he decided to move in with his family for six months before parting with it, selling for well above the price he thought he would achieve, and making a tidy profit despite the cost of the renovation, which in London can reach £4,000 per square metre. The interior designer introduced a timeless contemporary style using the best Italian furniture and design brands, while for the lighting fixtures she opted for American companies that offered less technical but more decorative lighting solutions.