Local firm Child Studio drew on the designs of modernist European villas when creating the interior for a townhouse in London’s Belgravia area.
The three-storey home, which was designed for an art collector, is located in a Georgian building by Eaton Square.
“The project was developed in close collaboration and dialogue with the homeowners to ensure every detail is tailored to their needs and preferences,” Child Studio founders Che Huang and Alexy Kos told Dezeen.
They envisioned a quietly sophisticated home, free from passing design trends.
Child Studio renovated the top two floors of the 280-square-metre townhouse to create a light double-height space clad in a plaster finish.
Here, the designers also added a mezzanine floor connecting the living room with an outdoor roof terrace via a cast-iron spiral staircase.
In the living room, the designers used five-metre-tall mahogany wooden shelves to cover an entire wall, adding an elegant dark backdrop against the pale plaster.
The shelves hold the owners’ books and were informed by the library in the Paris studio of late fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld.
Wood was used throughout the space, with the bedroom featuring an undulating wooden headboard that creates a sculptural effect.
“The design evolved around a constrained selection of natural materials: hand-crafted wood, solid stone and tactile fabrics,” Huang said. “The understated materiality reflects our pared-back approach to this project as a backdrop to the owners’ lives.”
Child Studio scattered wooden furniture pieces throughout the space, including some design classics.
In the dining room, the studio added a set of Chandigarh chairs. The chair also features in the guest bedroom, where it is accompanied by a desk and chair by architect Pierre Jeanneret and a desk lamp by modernist architect Marcel Breuer.
Huang and Kos also designed their own furniture pieces for the project.
In the bedroom, the duo created a custom daybed and mahogany stool influenced by art deco designer Jules Leleu, while 20th-century Swedish designer Axel Einar Hjort inspired the low teak table in the living room.
“We had the opportunity to design the majority of furniture pieces, light fixtures and rugs for this home,” Kos said. “It was exciting to collaborate on so many bespoke features with the artisans with whom we had built relationships over the years.”
As well as using a lot of wood, Child Studio worked with stone. In the bathroom, which was informed by Porto’s Villa Serralves, Kos and Huang designed an interior made almost entirely of green Verde Guatemala marble.
To create the built-in furniture, including a marble sink and bathtub, the designers worked closely with a small marble workshop in the north of Italy.
“One of the most interesting design elements was the bathroom sculpted from emerald green marble,” Kos added. “The soft curves of the vanity counter and bathtub were carved from solid stone blocks, blending seamlessly into the walls and floor.”
Another modernist house, Villa Necchi in Milan, was the reference for the townhouse’s lounge with its mahogany-panelled walls and antique Iroko-wood coffee table.
The designers drew on modernist villas because they respect their craftsmanship, they said.
“We admire the craftsmanship and attention to detail characteristic of the early modernist European villas,” Huang said.
“Our studio applies this approach to interior projects, working closely with artisans and craftspeople in England and Italy to bring the bespoke design features to life.”
To create an elegant backdrop for the vintage and custom-made furniture, Child Studio reinstated some of the Georgian home’s former architectural features, including panelled wooden shutters, herringbone parquet and semicircular plaster ceiling cornices.
“Our primary focus was on quality and comfort, as we aimed to create an effortless and relaxing home that serves as an understated backdrop to the owners’ lives,” the designers’ concluded.
“We aspired to create a cosy, lived-in atmosphere of a home that could continue to evolve organically over time.”
Child Studio has previously designed an eyewear store informed by sex venues and blended mid-century modern and art deco in a Mayfair flat.
The photography is by Helen Cathcart.
