WEST LONDON ABODE
Maya Hendrix’s fabulously fresh west London home shows the decorative impact a few pops of happy hues can have
A pared-back palette with a few pastel pops allows vintage finds to shine in this elegant townhouse
ilove colour, but I didn’t want to be jolted awake by bright walls every morning,’ says Maya Hendrix. Instead, she took a softly-softly approach, adding pastels that are gentle on the eye but still manage to have impact. As a backdrop that runs through the four floors of this handsome Victorian townhouse, she chose white, then added personality and pops of colour in the form of lights, art, furniture and fabrics. ‘Yes, I could have put colour on the walls – and I could have painted over them if they were too much – but I think it’s more flexible doing it this way,’ she smiles.
Maya and her daughter Nina, 10, moved to this London home three years ago after living in Paris and, at first, it didn’t seem like this house needed much work. ‘But once I started to peel back the layers, I discovered a lot needed updating,’ says Maya. ‘The electrics and the plumbing needed redoing and there was damp in the basement. I thought, “OK, if we’re doing that, let’s go for a complete overhaul”.’
The work took a year and a half and, because the house is Grade Ii-listed, everything was done methodically and carefully. Maya brought in Emilie Mauran of EMR Architecture. ‘I wanted someone with vision who would work collaboratively – and I found that in Emilie,’ she says. Emilie’s triumphs include getting permission to extend the basement by excavating under the pavement, creating a contemporary-but-classic garden room and adding smart storage and space-maximising ideas. ‘I have a lot of clothes, handbags and shoes – and I mean a lot,’ Maya laughs, ‘so the more storage the better. I’m a collector in every sense, from antiques to clothes.’ In both of the bedrooms, mezzanines add extra layers of space (Nina uses hers for sleepovers; Maya for clothes) and even the steps up to them incorporate drawers. Roof lights illuminate these bedrooms while on the ground floor the garden room’s steel-framed glazing lets light into the kitchen in the centre of this level. The design for the glazing has evolved. ‘Initially I wanted something in an art deco style, but then we circled back to something far simpler and this modern but classic design suits the house’s Victorian architecture,’ says Maya. Further innovative glazing was also inserted inside the house, including a glass room divider in the basement with rainbow stainedglass panes in the top section. ‘My inspiration was a door made from stained glass, which is a colourful surface that I love,’ Maya adds.
The brightness gets turned up in Nina’s bedroom, where spindles on the mezzanine resemble sticks of seaside rock, while on the landing Enzo Mari’s graphic 1963 prints joyfully celebrate red and green. In the living room, a mid-century pendant that Maya bought in Paris steers things back to the pastel palette. ‘My favourite thing is visiting the vintage shops there,’ says Maya. ‘I always end up struggling back onto the Eurostar with something huge but wonderful.’
Finding the right colour-to-white ratio for the house was played out again in the kitchen. ‘First the cabinets were going to be in wood, then pink, then green. Finally, we went for this icy white, with woven pendant lights adding a hit of colour,’ says Maya.
This house shows a careful balance between colour and white, vintage finds and airy space. ‘It’s uncluttered now,’ says Maya,
‘but just wait until I can go shopping on the Eurostar again.’
For Maya’s jewellery, visit sarcastikjewels.com. Find EMR Architecture at emrarchitecture.com