A Jewel Box Home in North London | Luxury House Tour
Audrey Carden at Carden Cunietti was commissioned by a married couple with two daughters who were downsizing while their girls were still living at the family home in London. As their children were reaching the age where they would soon fly the coop, they felt that their former family seven-bedroomed home had become too vast for them.
With hopes of scaling down to a dwelling that would be more manageable, the couple found a glorious, St John’s Wood villa. The property, which was nestled in one of north London’s most beguiling neighbourhoods offered several, scalable living spaces, three bedrooms and a garden that had the potential to become even more magical.
Having decided that this would be the home that would take them into the next phase of their life, what they lost in sleeping quarters they no longer required was more than made-up for in the generous and beautiful aspects and lateral living spaces. Each room bar one looks out onto the stunning gardens, which were made even more bucolic by the lady of the house, an industrious and talented landscape garden designer.
The front door of this jewel box of a home opens out onto an impressive large, double-height hallway have been treated with polished plaster with marble flooring and staircase. The neutral palette allows the botanical-inspired, intentionally asymmetric, emerald green chandelier – sourced and made in Murano Italy – to take centre stage. Meanwhile, an abstract, glazed glass artwork by Yorgos Studio was brought from the couple’s previous home and ingeniously cut into two pieces, which lead onto the sensuous dining room.
As the family breakfast and lunch are normally served in the more informal space off the kitchen, Audrey convinced the couple to go bold and dramatic in their formal dining space. The walls were duly finished in black with layers of deep, polished anthracite to match their beloved Hamilton Dining Table, another of the key pieces to have made the journey from their former home. The chairs were reupholstered to fit the nocturnal glamour of the table and artworks while the Yorgos Studio glass panels allow the natural light to filter through in the daytime.
The dining rooms leads onto a kitchen and separate, more casual dining area with banquette seating. The downstairs also features three separate living areas, which includes a formal salon, a study and lounge area as well as a television room, covered with fabric panels to absorb the sound. A downstairs bathroom with polished plaster walls in black and marble features complete the cohesive grandeur and glamour of the ground floor.
From the hallway, the staircase leads up to a master bedroom, finished in neutral palette with a flash of turquoise on the headboard. The bedroom also features a large ensuite bathroom, finished in marble with a separate vanity unit worthy of a Hollywood screen goddess as well as separate his and her dressing rooms. Meanwhile, the bedrooms of their daughters – who have left the family nest – have been finished in luxurious, pale textured fabrics in soft pink, grey, creams and beige. The large main bathroom, painted in a soft blush is feminine without being too girlish and boasts a free-standing bath and a shower and lavatory area finished in heritage brand Bisazza tiles, the ultimate mosaics for modern times.
Audrey Carden and Eleanora Cunietti met in a London antique fair while both were scouting for distinctive pieces for clients. They established the much-loved Carden Cunietti store in London’s Notting Hill in 1996. Their dramatic, eclectic accessories and interiors fittings from around the world became renowned.
They now concentrate full time on their thriving interior design practice in central London. Together, Audrey and Eleanora and their team of designers have designed numerous personal and harmonious spaces for clients in the UK, Europe and the United States. Their work has been published in numerous magazines around the world including House and Garden, Vogue, and Elle decoration.
They are known for their commitment to listening to their client’s wants, needs and desires, designing artfully with an eye for dramatic, luxurious textures and accessories, and seeing all stages of each installation come to fruition.