Celebrity flats
Beautiful game comes home We all love looking at the homes of the rich and famous, so Flat Living took a peek at Sven Göran Eriksson’s former flat in Nottingham International sports personality Sven Göran Eriksson needs little introduction. His 2009 appointment to the Director of Football position at Notts County FC, meant the former England manager needed accommodation which was both private and convenient to the club. River Crescent fulfilled both of these criteria. The multi award winning development, which is home to numerous sporting personalities, is situated on a picturesque stretch of the River Trent and provides luxuriously appointed and secure apartments. Sven moved into a show apartment at River Crescent as a temporary measure while his penthouse suite was being individually crafted. The £1 million, 2067 sq.ft. apartment boasts double height ceilings and an extensive wraparound terrace with breathtaking panoramic views of the river and surrounding parkland. Resident interior design practice, NDA Private Clients, secured the contract for the penthouse design and installation. Flat Living spoke to Practice Manager James Pilling about the experience.
FL: What was the initial brief? JP: Mr Eriksson had accumulated a substantial collection of fine furniture and artwork, all of which were being held by a local storage facility; the first step was to evaluate every item and produce a definitive list of products that could potentially become the starting point for our design concept. We then designed the majority of the remaining furniture specifically for the space. The internal architecture was also remodelled to provide interesting features. The fundamental philosophy was to create a timeless, high quality, elegant and memorable penthouse. The use of exotic hides and animal prints was inspired by Mr Eriksson’s artwork. You’ll notice in the images that we’ve used a restricted palette; Taupe, ivory, black, oak, and bright chrome. This is one of my favourite schemes as it can be accessorised easily with any accent colours. FL: So what was in Sven’s storage - that must have been fascinating to rummage through? JP: No football trophies. He did have a pair of beautiful antique Swedish occasional chairs, a few fine 19th century Swedish watercolours and a stunningly detailed silk rug which we used in his master bedroom. He did have quite a strong interest in Swedish design, notably the use of wood flooring, which was installed throughout the apartment.” FL: How long did the apartment take to create? JP: It was quite drawn out actually; there was a substantial amount of work involved. The basic penthouse units here are empty shells,
which is great because it allows for absolute design freedom across the board. Everything can be created specifically for the client, from selecting kitchens, bathrooms and lighting systems, right down to selection of architraves, door handles and hinges. We individually tailored everything, internal layout, bespoke furniture, underfloor heating; the works. In total it took about six months to finalise. FL: When did Sven move in? JP: Sadly, before he could take up residence, he resigned from Notts County FC and moved on to manage the Ivory Coast national side – too far to commute! For more on this story – and more photographs, go to www.trentpark.co.uk NDA Private Clients is affiliated to The National Design Academy, a Centre of Design Excellence specialising in affordable, distance learning interior design education. Go to www.ndaprivateclients. co.uk to view their current portfolio or to arrange a no obligation design meeting. You can also go to http://www.nda.ac.uk/ to learn more about affordable interior design education.
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