Irish designer Bryan O’Sullivan discusses the richly layered interior he created for a house in Notting Hill, London …
“This classic stucco-fronted London townhouse in leafy Notting Hill, an eight-level iced wedding cake, was built in the mid-19th century and is Grade II listed. When our clients, a young couple relocating from America with their two kids and dog, bought the property, it had recently been refurbished, although not to their liking. The vibe was masculine and slick, a bachelor pad. Our clients wanted to make it a proper family home – warm, welcoming and fun. We maintained the existing layout, focusing all our efforts on finishes, materials and textures.
In the dining room, a Sam Wood mural, console by Osvaldo Borsani, and rug from FJ Hakimian.
It’s a gigantic place, so we took care to make every room feel cosy and inviting. The owners each have their own spaces – a wood-panelled study with bespoke shelves and desk for him, and a pretty pink salon anchored by a new chimneypiece for her. We added several fireplaces throughout the project for character.
In the drawing room, a 19th-century French mirror hangs above a Jamb fireplace.
Furnishings are eclectic and elevated, spanning many styles and periods, with our own creations blended into the mix. Scandinavian pieces form a throughline, as in the case of the breakfast area’s Svenskt Tenn chairs or the dining room’s antique Swedish rug. Throughout the house, we installed vintage Nordic lighting: a Poul Henningsen ceiling fixture for the library, Alvar Aalto pendants for the breakfast area, a showstopper Carl Westman globe for the master bedroom.
In the library, teal custom bookshelves.
Previously a white box, the front salon is now a technicolor library coated in high-gloss lacquer, with a golden hue on the ceiling and a teal blue on the walls and custom bookshelves. For the dining room, we commissioned artist Sam Wood to create an exuberant blue and white mural with a botanical motif. Our goal was to romance every surface – from the entry, where we added a bespoke partition of stained glass, to the media room in the attic, where we lined the walls in plush bouclé upholstery. Even (perhaps especially) in a big house, little things matter most.”
In the study, a Rose Uniacke sofa and Bernt Petersen stools flank a Pierre Yovanovitch table.
In the breakfast room, a Matthew Cox table, Svenskt Tenn chairs and pendant lights by Alvar Aalto.
Bryan O’Sullivan
Bryan O’Sullivan: A New Glamour (Rizzoli) is out now.
