‘Never let your heart rule your head’ may seem like sage advice to some, but this Georgian townhouse, so at ease with its compelling mix of energetic colour, unabashed print and considered antiques, shows the reward that can be reaped by going against the grain.
Had this not been the case, the house’s fortunes would have been remarkably different. The owner had rather sensibly acquired the property, a Grade II-listed former doctor’s surgery in Belgravia, as a buy-to-let and its future of inoffensive but non-descript decor was all but assured.
An architect was drafted in to take the building back to its shell, design and finishes were finalised and the builders got to work. But within weeks, the owner, a young, female professional, had grown increasingly captivated with the property’s architecture, light-filled rooms and period details like original floorboards and cornices, and was forced to listen to her heart: she wanted to live in it herself.
With that came the realisation that the design needed a swift change of direction. Although the joinery, for instance, was high-spec, it suddenly felt too sterile for her tastes and so did the neutral decor. Through friends, the owner came across interior designer Octavia Dickinson whose work has colour and comfort at its core, an approach that instantly chimed with her vision for her new home.
