Interior designer Beata Heuman’s latest project, a Notting Hill townhouse, went from boring and beige to colorful and whimsical. The clients, a couple who found out they were expecting their first child during the project, initially aimed for a gut reno of the 100-year-old townhouse but with the birth fast approaching, the designer shifted to a cosmetic retouch with a new timeline of just six months.
The homeowners had been living in a rented flat in the neighborhood when they found the beautiful turn-of-the-century property. The interiors, however, left a lot to be desired: They were “heavy with lots of wood and dark brown veneers,” Beata recalls. But by redoing the bathrooms, adding new flooring, lighting, paint, and furnishings, it now has an inviting and iconically British touch.
The couple had a few family heirloom pieces, including two wingback chairs Beata had reupholstered, plus an array of art that perfectly complemented the cheerful palette. “They had colorful tastes, which was a great starting point,” remarks Beata’s colleague Caroline Barker.
One of the first fixes was new flooring on the lower level, a blue-and-white checkered linoleum that overlays the existing ceramic tile. “I got the idea from my parents’ kitchen in Stockholm,” Beata says. And while there wasn’t time for a completely new kitchen, the existing joinery, new Zellige tile backsplash, and statement-making green granite breathe new life into the once-dated space. The adjacent multiuse dining room features a sunny yellow Chesterfield, tapestry the homeowners picked up on their honeymoon, a vintage credenza, and an Atelier Vime rattan planter.
Then there’s the small den, which cleverly acts as a three-in-one TV room, playroom, and extra dining space with seating for 12. The little white table tucks under the long blue-and-white daybed when it’s not in use, while the patterned Totty Lowther wallpaper and flooring “make it seem as if the room is surrounded by china,” says the designer.
The narrow, five-story home, typical of early 20th-century London architecture, had many spots to decorate, including two narrow offices, and Beata made sure that “all of the areas were used and that no corners of the house felt abandoned,” she recalls. Throughout, one-of-a-kind vintage pieces, artwork, and sophisticated details pair with golden yellow accents. Farrow & Ball’s India Yellow is seen in the main bathroom with shades of blue, happy tones that uplift the period details.
For the primary bedroom, Beata went for something quiet and calm, utilizing Lewis and Wood’s Wild Thing fabric for a traditional canopy, plus oversized lamps and a custom blue leopard rug for an unexpected play on dimensions.
Then there are the two studies, which are parallel in size but opposite in style, as well as the unexpectedly grown-up nursery with a custom headboard and reupholstered wingback chair, one of the family’s passed-down pieces.
The home’s design is a master class in the push and pull of old and new, traditional and out-of-the-box.
Blog Courtesy: Lauren Jones
Picture Courtesy: Simon Brown
https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/this-notting-hill-townhouse-features-a-3-in-1-living-space