Fromental wallpaper panels were hand painted to blend with the patina of the study’s original paneling.
David Mitchell
The resulting scheme is one that draws on European and Indian influences with a sprinkling of American Victoriana. ‘We began the project in the study, which clearly had, at one time been a staid early American room,’ says Nina. ‘I mentioned a favourite room of mine from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston with patterned walls clad in leather, and the client who is involved in the museum too, loved that reference. From there we were away.’ Custom hand-painted Fromental wallpaper panels were created from an archival design, connecting with the study’s original panelling which was stripped back to reveal its natural patina. A Moroccan carpet and onyx-topped coffee table mix with a custom sofa covered in Holland & Sherry’s ‘Opera’ velvet and Samuel & Sons fringe.
In a continued homage to famed Boston collector Isabella Stewart Gardener, the dining room’s furniture is largely antique – a 1940s Murano glass chandelier is suspended over all.
David Mitchell
1940s Danish Modern Henning Kjaernulf chairs with detailed backs and suzani seats are set around the mid-century French oak dining table.
David Mitchell
In the sitting room, a henna artist designed motifs that were then transferred to abaca grass cloth. Once complete, they were hung in panels, framed like artwork. Antique Delft tiles sourced from Solar Antiques in Portugal surround the painted fireplace, adding another layer of pattern to the space. Block-printed curtains complement the large antique rug from East Azerbaijan whose colour palette became the inspiration for the whole house.
‘I wanted the dining room’s items to come from around the world’ — a 1940s Murano glass Ercole Barovier chandelier hangs over a French oak table set with suzani-upholstered Danish Modern chairs by Henning Kjaernulf. The downstairs bathroom offers a clear insight into Nina’s approach to mixing, which she says ‘cannot be done just for the sake of it, but rather with a carefully curated balance of textures, colours and shapes.’ A custom marble sink was commissioned for the room with a scallop edge detail, carved from a single block of marble. Above it hangs a 1960s French rattan mirror and a 1950s Stilnovo sconce.