BOHEMIAN rhapsody
With a wonderfully eclectic mix of vintage finds, Scandinavian influences and a bold, inspired palette, Robert Gordon and Lucie Allison have transformed their spacious garden flat into a warm, welcoming family home of many colours words by sue gilkes
156
NOVEMBER 2015
styling by ben kendrick
photographs by rachel whiting
shop.countryliving.co.uk
INTERIORS OPPOSITE Robert and Lucie with daughters Mabel and Cicely THIS PAGE Farrow & Ball’s distinctive Charlotte’s Locks was used for the end walls of
the long, narrow kitchen. Its fiery hue is offset by the cooler tones of Brassica (from the same range) and a painted chequerboard floor in the hall
INTERIORS
WHEN AN ANTIQUES DEALER and a vintage textiles specialist set up house together, they have a distinct advantage when it comes to furnishing it – and the eclectic home of Robert Gordon and Lucie Allison doesn’t disappoint. Always on the lookout for eye-catching pieces professionally, the couple confess that, over the years, many star finds have made their way into the garden flat in Belsize Village they share with daughters, Mabel, 12, and Cicely, nine. The bohemian, country-in-the-city feel of this leafy north London enclave was what first attracted Robert to the area more than 25 years ago. Located on a broad tree-lined street, the cream stucco exterior of the early-Victorian villa gives no clue as to what lies behind, and visitors are caught off-guard by a kaleidoscope of vivid colour, from fiery orange and lime green to moody mauve, cobalt and deep inky blue. Robert specialises in Swedish antiques – usually associated with a pale, elegant look – and when he first moved in, everything was indeed painted white… But then Lucie
158
NOVEMBER 2015
arrived on the scene and the flat was gradually transformed from monochrome into glorious technicolour. “I love experimenting – for me, it’s all about how colours sit together,” she explains. She favours Farrow & Ball paints, although not, for her, the popular but safe off-whites and tasteful neutrals – instead, she is drawn to the less obvious, rich, saturated shades with greater depth. “They contain so much pigment, they seem to glow,” Lucie enthuses. This is especially true of the wonderfully named Charlotte’s Locks, a fiery burnt orange she has used for accent walls in both the kitchen and main bedroom. In the sitting room, a chimney breast in St Giles Blue – an arresting cobalt – stands out against Yellowcake walls (a limey pistachio green), which provide a wonderful backdrop for several striking mid-20th century paintings. The flat is filled with pictures – portraits, still-lifes, landscapes – many of which were sourced on the couple’s buying trips to Sweden. Robert’s mother is Swedish, so he has a natural affinity for Scandinavian style and imports a shop.countryliving.co.uk
OPPOSITE An array of antique wooden moulds for industrial cogs makes an eye-catching display in the sitting room, with its relaxed combination of colour, pattern and texture THIS PAGE Orange plastic pendant lights from the 1960s cast inviting pools of light in the cosy kitchen, where wide horizontal planking creates a homespun Scandinavian feel
THIS PAGE Bright seasonal blooms bring rich colour to the sitting room and pick up on vintage floral textiles used for the furnishings OPPOSITE Quirky mid-century pieces of furniture, sourced on the couple’s travels, bring an idiosyncratic air to the light sitting room, which looks out onto the leafy front garden. Tufted handmade 1960s rugs from Sweden introduce pattern and soften the painted boards
160
NOVEMBER 2015
shop.countryliving.co.uk
INTERIORS
INTERIORS
The flat is a stylish testament to a shared passion for all things vintage mix of pieces ranging from elegant Gustavian furniture to fabulous finds from the Sixties and Seventies, including various vibrant chunky glass lampbases in the sitting room, where accessories definitely need to be bright and bold in order to hold their own. A vast sofa, picked up for just £40 off the Portobello Road and re-covered in zingy orange linen, is complemented by vintage tufted-wool cushions in autumnal-hued geometric patterns. “Craft was very big in Sweden in the 1970s, so we come across lots of beautiful handmade textiles and furniture there,” says Lucie, who often uses pieces they bring back in her work as a stylist. Rugs in the same distinctive designs soften the painted floors in every room, except the generous entrance hall, where the boards feature a striking chequerboard motif skilfully executed by eye by Lucie in grey and Antwerp blue, reminiscent of a Vermeer interior. This effect is enhanced by walls in Farrow & Ball’s Brassica – an atmospheric ‘dirty purple’, inspired by visits to Antwerp itself. The THIS PAGE Cabin-style bunk beds with vintage-fabric curtains are complemented by pretty floral wallpaper, simple Swedish chests of drawers and displays of clothes, bags and colourful, quirky finds in the girls’ room
162
NOVEMBER 2015
OPPOSITE The characterful time-worn patina of an antique Gustavian bed and Art Deco mirror in the main bedroom are offset by walls in Farrow & Ball’s bold Charlotte’s Locks and more muted ‘dirty purple’ Brassica
historic Belgian city has yielded many treasures for Lucie and Robert and given them a liking for the “murky, sludgy colours” that are traditional there. She has used the same distinctive lavender-grey shade in the bedroom, combined with a soothing green and a flash of Charlotte’s Locks on one wall, to create a calm, restful setting for an elegant Gustavian wooden bed and chest of drawers. A large etched Art Deco mirror hangs above the headboard – just one of the many, of various shapes, sizes and vintages, found throughout the flat, which serve the practical purpose of bringing in more light as well as being decorative. “Our staple diet is mirrors and paintings,” Robert laughs. “All sorts of other pieces come and go but the mirrors just multiply.” The flat is in a constant state of flux, with colours changing and furnishings ebbing and flowing between the family home and Robert and Lucie’s customers – mostly other antiques dealers and fellow interior designers. The couple now use their knowledge to help clients find new ways to reinvent their space, while enjoying their own as a wonderful work in progress. Although, over the years, the area may have gentrified, it’s reassuring to know that its bohemian spirit still lives on in this bright and beautiful domestic interior. For antiques and restoration work, vintage clothing and interior design and colour consultancy commissions, visit robertandlucie.com or email info@robertandlucie.com. shop.countryliving.co.uk