Elle Decoration
‘Modern Revival’ article, July 2003
Extract from article by Rosie Simmons
Photography by Mel Yates

‘Originally, architect Nick Helm and interior designer Maria Speake started with a run-down site comprising three disparate buildings.

‘“There was a small Georgian house, an L-shaped glass-covered extension and an almost derelict mews,” explains Nick. The house was listed and had to be left intact, which presented them with the challenge of incorporating it into the modern design that the owners, a family with young children, wanted. In the upper part of the house, there’s a bedroom with antique French wallpaper and vintage fabrics; and downstairs, there’s a formal dining area with elegant, slip-covered chairs. But from here, a huge leather-covered doorway acts as a portal into the 21st Century: step through it and you find yourself in a light-filled space that stretches the full width of the site and is home to the modern living, dining and kitchen areas. It, in turn, looks out over an urban, Mediterranean-style courtyard (the dingy mews having been long since banished).

‘This inner courtyard was key to the sense of sanctuary that the owners had requested. “It allows relief from the hubbub of the city, but we wanted to ensure it was an integrated feature of the house,” says Maria. “The slate floor flows inside and out, and the bronze and oak doors slide right back into the living room, so in summer the courtyard and the inside become one.”

‘The use of materials is prolific. Strong paint colours meld with shimmering tiles, stand-out textiles – Scottish design outfit Timorous Beasties created a 4.5m-long wall hanging printed with green iguanas, flighty parrots and hovering insects for the dining room – and a mix of contemporary and reclaimed materials.’