FASHIONED BY THE PAST
A London flat receives a cool and vibrant mid-century facelift
David Mcnab and his mother were one of the first families to move into a low-rise block that was part of the Clem Attlee estate in Fulham. Fast forward almost half a century and the very same flat is now a cool home that brings together the colours and key elements of mid-century design. David moved back here four years ago after his mother died, aged 93. ‘When I first visited this flat, David had started doing some DIY work in here, but in a slightly haphazard way,’ says his wife Nina. ‘There were pots of paint, ladders and sheets of plasterboard all over the place, which he’d long since stopped noticing.’ The couple married last year and Nina, who is a project manager in the civil service, started to think methodically about what could be done. David, a creative director at a TV production company, says: ‘I was happy to hand over the creative reins to Nina. She could see the spaces through fresh eyes.’ One key purchase, which David had made early on, was a set of vintage curtains that hang in the sitting room. The fabric’s grey and lemon-yellow motif complements the equally retro wallpaper that has been used to cover the sides of the staircase and the walls of the hallway and landing. ‘When we met, we discovered we both loved mid-century design and furniture,’ Nina explains. ‘When I was growing up,
my mum had several Danish friends, so I was always surrounded by mid-century pieces, which have now come back into style.’
Specialist retro sites such as Vinterior and mid-century interior shows held in London provided the pair with plenty of inspiration. ‘We visit shows, but then I tend to go online to find similar things cheaper,’ says Nina. ‘As it all came together, the aim was to blend classic, cool furniture with the bones of the building.’
One of the first changes Nina initiated was new flooring. Previously, it had been black vinyl tiles and while David knew that laying new flooring through the rooms would help unite the spaces, his initial idea – large slabs of brutalist concrete – was deemed too cold and masculine. ‘The wooden parquet immediately added a warmth – it was transformative,’ he says.
For the bathroom, the couple invested in cement tiles handmade in Morocco. ‘While I spend a lot of time looking for bargains, these tiles were an indulgence but they were undoubtedly well worth it,’ says Nina. There are some contemporary pieces of furniture, but even they keep the mid-century faith in terms of their shapes, while the colours in a Habitat rug echo those of the vintage curtains.
Art is the final ingredient that adds character to areas of this home, from original drawings and paintings to collectable film and TV posters, all of which feel era appropriate. One piece that has sentimental value for Nina is a poster created by the now-celebrated artist Geoffrey Key, who was a good friend of her parents.
‘This is a home that came with its own history and now has the blended belongings from two grown-up lives,’ says Nina. ‘It’s finally ready for a new era – the 2020s.’
design advice ‘Choose a favourite fabric, painting or object and thread the colours throughout your scheme’