‘MYSELF AND THE TEAM WERE THRILLED AT THE PROSPECT OF TRANSFORMING OUR ETHOS AND ENERGY INTO A REAL, TANGIBLE ABODE’

Well over a year ago, here at ELLE Decoration, we were approached with a dream proposal. Londonewcastle, one of the UK’s most dynamic and forward-thinking property developers was looking to find a team to oversee the interior design and creative concept of a penthouse at the top of Chapterhouse, a dramatic renovated Victorian property in the heart of London’s Covent Garden.

As the world’s most popular interiors magazine, we’ve spent more than 30 years leading the interior tastes and styles of the nation, defining what home means and how it should look – but the chance to actually put this into practice was beyond exciting. In interiors circles, our brand has now become an adjective in its own right: I often hear spaces described as having a very ‘ELLE Deco’ look. Myself and the team were thrilled at the prospect of transforming our ethos and energy into a real, tangible abode, somewhere people could walk around, touch, feel and ultimately buy and live in.

While the magazine’s scope has always been international (we have 25 editions globally), my role as Editor-in-Chief of this country’s iteration is to champion, support and raise up British designers and their work. So, the 185-square-metre duplex showcases the best of British design in 2021, featuring products from UK-based brands, companies and designers. The result of a collaboration with our close friends and contacts, the project reveals the look that ELLE Decoration has become synonymous with over the years – a chic and clever curation of pieces, blending contemporary and vintage in an eclectic and exciting way.

Working closely with creative consultant Laura Fulmine and the artists represented by her MAH Gallery, design archivist Béton Brut, plant specialist Conservatory Archives and the colour expertise of paint company Farrow & Ball, we’ve created a space which, unlike the usual cold or brassy show properties of most developments, has warmth, credibility and sophisticated cool.

At ELLE Decoration we don’t follow the crowd and come up with what is expected. The penthouse, which you’ll see images of over the next few pages, is fresh, and heralds the new direction that the look of peoples’ homes will take in the months and years to come. Step on in and take a look…

Entrance Inside the door to the main living area sits the new ‘Puffy’ lounge chair by British designer Faye Toogood for Swedish brand Hem. The dramatic planting throughout has been provided by Conservatory Archives. The black chair is by TMPL Studio and on the wall hangs Darkness Draws In by David Hardy, both from MAH Gallery. The ‘Stone’ rug is by Gregory Parkinson at Christopher Farr Corridor Embracing the current popularity of mural art, we commissioned artist Adriana Jaros to transform the wall in this area with one of her pieces. The ‘Pino’ chair is by John Tree for Very Good & Proper and the Untitled #10 sculpture is by Abigail Ozora Simpson