water music
A river was the inspiration for the serene schemes that ebb and flow beautifully in this Charu Gandhi-designed apartment
the design brief presented to Charu Gandhi when asked to style a 19th-century townhouse gave her freedom to explore – and explore she did. ‘The developers had some cool must-haves they wanted but they also gave us leeway to carve out creative opportunities for ourselves.’ That took Charu on a journey of discovery that led to an unusual source of inspiration. ‘When taking on the design of a traditional property, we research the area and its history,’ she says. ‘In this case, we unearthed the fact that the location of the apartment in Knightsbridge was once simply a bridge over the “lost” Westbourne River – one of several ancient London watercourses that are now subterranean.’ Charu and her team at Elicyon design studio took that information and swam with it.
Before the design process could start, though, the layout was reconfigured by Parisian designer Pierre Yovanovitch to create rooms that lend themselves to modern living. Architecturally, the integrity of this Georgian interior was preserved, and it references sophisticated European residences where high ceilings, white stucco frontages and a sensibility of scale between rooms inform the design.
Regarding her role in the project, Charu says: ‘I liken a home to a symphony where the tempo of the different sections – or rooms, in this case, ebb and flow.’ Which takes us back to the river influence and Charu’s choice of colours. While she’s quick to point out the water connection is merely a trigger for the starting point of the design and not to be taken literally, she does place significance on calmness of the blues found in the fabrics – from the pale hues of the rugs throughout to the stronger accents used in the main bedrooms.
Asked which room sums up the essence of this scheme, Charu points to the dining room with its tall arched windows overlooking the greenery of the tree-filled private courtyard. ‘The beauty of the space outside inspired me to celebrate that sense of scale inside,’ she says.
To soften the orthogonal space that is the adjacent living room, Charu placed a statement curved sofa at its heart, fronted by an oval coffee table. And a similar approach was taken in the main bedroom, with its bespoke circular bedside tables and pebble-style lamps.
When asked about the challenges of this project, Charu’s reply speaks so much about the times we’re living in: ‘It was at the height of Covid and we were struggling to get our bespoke pieces firstly made, then delivered,’ she says. ‘Plus we had to ensure that we weren’t compromising the health of our team and our suppliers.’
But those challenges were far outweighed by the pleasant ones, namely how to create a contemporary home that didn’t look too formulaic. Charu’s mantra when working is to create considered, crafted and curated spaces. ‘I believe as long as you’re designing a home with yourself in mind, it’s going to be a success.’