This unique London property is not a private home, but the working studio of Jonathan Yeo, the portrait painter who is one of Britain’s most prominent contemporary artists. Vanity Fair magazine declared, “In 21st-century Britain you do not exist as a public figure unless you have been painted by Jonathan Yeo.”
Last year, he unveiled his “red” portrait of King Charles, the first official likeness since the coronation. Completing the portrait was a four-year process, which involved four-hour sittings at Highgrove and Clarence House. Yeo loves to study his subjects in depth and capture the many sides of their character.
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In 2021, Yeo had to move out of the set of studios that he had used for a decade. He spent months searching the capital for an interesting space.
“Part of my work has always involved people coming to sit for portraits, so it is important to have an environment that is as interesting and welcoming to visitors as it is conducive to creative working for me and my small team,” Yeo says.
The garden room, with Fifties Swedish glass and brass sconces and chandeliers from Soho Home
KATE MARTIN
Yeo with Camilla, then Duchess of Cornwall, in 2015
PHOTOSHOOT
When he was shown this building, which was a factory for pianos and organs in the late 19th century, he loved it at first sight.
“The unique triangular shape, the double-height atrium, its relatively hidden location at the end of a road, the original steel-framed windows overlooking a beautiful park, the Victorian industrial features, its great light and overall sense of calm all added to its allure,” Yeo says.
As the former offices of a music production company, the interior was tired, functional and dated when Yeo took ownership. He spent ten months renovating it.
Yeo’s main studio space. Featured works include Pierce Brosnan and, against the stool to the right, Paradox of Progress Trial
KATE MARTIN
Meeting space beneath the stairs, with two Yeo works on the wall: Lily Cole as Helen of Troy and Cara I (Goggles)
KATE MARTIN
The main staircase was removed and new spiral steps of his own design, handpainted in matt black with brass inlays, were installed. Nearby are a vintage barber’s chair and his painting entitled Sienna (Pregnant) — a nude portrait of the actress Sienna Miller. He also replaced some internal walls and doors with steel-framed ones, to match the windows.
Beneath the sculptural stairs is a meeting space which has a vintage dining table, leather chairs and rosewood sideboard. A vintage easel displays a work from Yeo’s Paradox of Progress Trial series; another two works from it are propped up against the wall. Hanging behind the table is Lily Cole as Helen of Troy.
When the floorboards in the painting studio upstairs were taken up, the original ones were revealed, complete with patches of old paint and lacquer that may date back to its piano-making days.
The building’s triangular shape is evident in the main studio. Here, vintage gym stools are the perfect height on which to rest palettes alongside easels. Finished works in this room include actors Pierce Brosnan and Sophia Loren and the artist Sir Peter Blake.
The snug, a small annexe off the main studio
KATE MARTIN
The snug, a small annexe off the main painting studio, is Yeo’s favourite space in the building. It has two large windows that look out over the trees in the park, which inspired Yeo to clad the walls in reclaimed wood and add lots of greenery.
The 54-year-old Yeo’s aim was to create a series of separate yet connected workspaces for different studio practices, whether painting, sculpting, working on tech projects or hosting meetings.
There are several interconnecting spaces across the two upstairs floors that Yeo and his team use for different aspects of the creative process.
“I wanted to create a sense that there’s always more to explore. No matter where you are in the building, you’re teased by glimpses of the other spaces through semi-transparent curtains, foliage or fluted glass,” Yeo says.
The garden room has a mid-century feel with its ochre walls, floor-to-ceiling curtains and geometric rug. The artworks by Yeo in this room include Nicole Kidman, John Cooper Clarke and Sir Stephen Fry.
The main atrium is the beating heart of this studio. It’s a lofty space where Yeo hosts gatherings and drinks parties, but it feels like a glamorous home with a vintage sideboard and Stilnovo chandelier from the Sixties.
The office, with Johannes Andersen coffee table and sofa designed by Robin Day
KATE MARTIN
For the design, Yeo wanted to reference the building’s unique history, but bring it up to date. He has incorporated plants and wooden furniture to soften the industrial feel.
He can’t resist a vintage find, so his paintings are interspersed with unusual pieces and curious trinkets, including a vintage dressmaker’s mannequin wearing a gas mask and a neon hotel sign above a painting of Yeo’s daughter Tabitha.
“It’s a mix of contemporary and mid-century design interspersed with vintage curios and oddities that I’ve collected over the years. I’ve integrated some furniture from the Fifties and gradually added newer pieces.”
Some of Yeo’s favourite places to source furniture are Ed Butcher in Chelsea, the Old Cinema in Chiswick and Kempton antiques market. “Vintage shopping is quite addictive and I’m often found at the local flea market when I travel to other countries — Istanbul and Paris are particular favourites.”
Faded Glamour in the City by Pearl Lowe (CICO Books, £25). To order, go to timesbookshop.co.uk or call 020 3176 2935. Free UK standard P&P on online orders over £25. Discount for Times+ members. Photography by Kate Martin © CICO Books