The clever use of wallcoverings, plush fabrics and jewel tones transforms this London pied-à-terre into an exquisite gem
A staple in the grand old houses of England, wallpaper has made a triumphant return in recent years and is now one of the most fashionable––and deliciously pretty––ways to update a property. Nowhere is the result better illustrated than in this South Kensington apartment in London, crafted by interior designer Nebihe Cihan.
Owned by a Kuwaiti couple needing a pied-à-terre in central London, this abode is part of a protected 19th-century building, leaving beautiful bones for the designer to play with. The home has been in the client’s family for decades, but it had not been renovated since 1972.
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“I wanted to respect the history of the apartment and retain its charm,” says Cihan, who kept the crown mouldings and cornices as well as the original architraves around the doors intact. “When I first saw it, I fell in love with the original parts and wanted to keep them and merge the old with the new. My client told me she had happy memories in this apartment, which was one of the reasons behind preserving the old elements and thus preserving her memories.”