How This Chelsea Apartment Blends Country Charm With Contemporary Living

Designed as the apartment's most relaxed room, the snug offers a cosy retreat from the larger entertaining spaces. Walls painted in Farrow & Ball's Stirabout provide a soft, earthy backdrop, while layered timber finishes, tactile fabrics and gentle lighting make the room feel warm from morning through to evening. The statement sofa anchors the space, adding sculptural form without compromising on comfort, while artwork by Emma Gale injects colour and a playful energy.

Camaleonda Sofa, B&B Italia
Ledge Nested Coffee Table, DeMuro Das
Rug, Pelican House
Cushions, Coral & Hive 

At the heart of the home is a kitchen designed for everyday family life as much as entertaining. Cabinetry painted in Farrow & Ball's Mahogany brings richness and depth, balanced by Stirabout walls and dramatic Calacatta Viola marble worktops. Aged brass hardware introduces warmth against the stone, while solid oak flooring creates continuity with the rest of the apartment. Decorative deVOL pendant lights add personality overhead, softening the stronger architectural lines and giving the room a more relaxed feel.

Joinery, Kate Feather
Frilly Chartreuse Pendant Lights, deVOL
Wall Lights Lorfords Antiques
Banquette Seating, Audrey Johns
Banquette Fabric, Yarn Collective
Dining Table, Robert Kime 

This room had previously felt more like a passageway to the garden than a destination in its own right, so the intention was to give it purpose and atmosphere. The clients wanted somewhere quiet and comfortable to enjoy the morning light, which pours in through the beautiful arched doors, while still allowing the room to feel connected to the garden beyond. The botanical wallpaper became the key gesture. It creates a soft, almost painterly backdrop and subtly blurs the line between inside and out, echoing the planting outside without feeling overly decorative. We kept the palette calm and tonal, layering soft neutrals, natural textures and a pale stone table to allow the light and garden views to remain the focus. Rather than over-furnishing the space, we treated it as a gentle morning spot – somewhere for coffee, reading or a quiet moment at the start of the day. The curved table, delicate metal-framed chairs, generous curtains and beaded pendant all soften the architecture and make the room feel intimate.

Yesterdays Wallpaper In Putty, Papier
Quinn Chandelier, Paolo Moschino
Vintage Spanish Chairs, Vantage Living 

As the apartment's principal entertaining space, the drawing room feels both sophisticated and welcoming. Rich burnt orange tones sit alongside darker oak furniture and layered natural textures to create warmth, while sisal carpet introduces a softer, more relaxed feel underfoot. The Breccia marble fireplace forms a beautiful focal point, while one of the room's standout architectural features is its series of light wells, planted with tropical palms to draw greenery deep into the lower-ground space. A vintage oak coffee table sits alongside bespoke sofas by Recoire, with a vintage Italian mirror and rattan lamp from Spazio Leone adding another layer of texture and character. Carefully considered lighting completes the room, creating a warm, inviting atmosphere long after the sun goes down.

Jasmine Candleholder, Maud Vaughan
Breccia Marble Fireplace, Thornhill Galleries
Vintage Oak Coffee Table, Home Barn 

Previously, this space felt quite stark and utilitarian, so the aim was to soften it and give it a stronger sense of identity. We leaned into a country-inspired mood, taking cues from the clients’ home outside London. The new terracotta and black cabochon floor became the starting point for the scheme, immediately bringing warmth, character and a more relaxed, country-house feel to the room. From there, we layered in soft neutral cabinetry, open timber shelving, aged brass details, linen café curtains and a butler sink to create a space that feels informal and lived-in but still elegant. The styling was also important here. Simple ceramics, framed artwork, flowers, baskets, and practical pieces on display help the room feel collected rather than over-designed. It now has the charm of a back kitchen or boot room, while still offering all the functionality needed day-to-day.

Flooring, Splashback, Mandarin Stone
Shelving Brackets, Yester Home
Cafe Curtains, Romo 

The principal bedroom was conceived as a calming sanctuary. Soft neutrals are layered with warmer tones to create a cocooning atmosphere, while a bespoke headboard upholstered in a Robert Kime fabric introduces subtle pattern and texture. Loro Piana blinds filter the natural light beautifully, and vintage Italian walnut bedside tables add character and patina, balancing the quieter contemporary elements with timeless craftsmanship.

Headboard Fabric, Robert Kime
Blinds, Loro Piana 

The dressing room sits just beyond the main bathroom, so we wanted the two spaces to feel connected rather than separate rooms. Previously, it was a very plain white box, so the aim was to bring in warmth, comfort and a stronger sense of personality while continuing the design language established in the bathroom. We carried the timber floor through from the bathroom into the dressing room, creating a seamless, almost unconscious flow between the spaces. The newly designed wardrobes were then finished in a bolder green, which gives the room depth and a more enveloping quality, while still feeling calm and refined. The curtains were also key to softening the room. Their fullness, together with the gathered pelmet detail, adds a sense of luxury and comfort, while the upholstered chair creates a quiet place to sit. The flashes of maroon in the wardrobe fabric bring just enough contrast and playfulness, adding the fun and intrigue the client wanted without overwhelming the softness of the room.

Rug, Coral & Hive
Chair, Trove
Joinery, Kate Feather
Curtains, Renwick Stripe By Threads 

This bathroom had previously felt cold, grey and quite unforgiving, so the brief was to create something much bolder and more inviting. The starting point was the marble tile, which was meticulously set out to create the striking border design within the shower. This level of detail gives the room a much more architectural feel, while the Calacatta Verde marble introduces depth, movement and warmth. We used it across the vanity and within the shower niche, allowing the bolder veining to act almost like artwork against the softer marble field tiles.

Tiles, Starel Stones
Towel Rail & Shower Head, Drummonds
Sanitaryware Lefroy Brooks
Ironmongery, Willow & Stone
Wall Light, Rowen & Wren 

Rather than creating a space that feels overtly themed, the children's bedroom will evolve alongside its occupants. Soft colours, natural materials and tactile textures were used to keep the room feeling timeless and adaptable as the space adapts over time.

Headboard Fabric, Yarn Collective
Bedside Tables, Trove 
Cushions, Coral & Hive
Bedlinen, Rebecca Udall 

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Photography credit: Helen Cathcart