The 1930s origins of the building were another fruitful source of inspiration. “I wanted it to have a bit of an Agatha Christie feel,” says Daniel. Daniel had chimneypieces made for the drawing room and snug that mimic modernist designs of the time, but in wood rather than stone or marble. “Wood felt more sympathetic to the mood of the building.” The mouldings and skirting boards are all done to a period design too, but the pièce de resistance is the kitchen, which was designed by Daniel and made from scratch. “A fitted kitchen at the time was an excitingly modern concept and you see these sorts of cupboards on yachts.” The tiles were inspired by the designs in early 20th-century tube stations, and Daniel made trips to Russell Square to inspect the details. While increased functionality was one important part of the client’s brief, the other was to bring plenty of colour into the interiors.
- The standard lamps belonged to the client, with custom lampshades made for both.
- The glazed linen of the curtains is Rose Tarlow through Tissus d’Helene.
- The walls are painted in ‘Cooking Apple Green’ from Farrow & Ball.
- The bespoke sofa is covered in Turnell & Gigon’s ‘Vincent’ fabric, while, the slipper chair is based on a design by Billy Baldwin, adapted to swivel.
- ” All were questions that came up during the renovation of this mansion flat in Chelsea, owned by the daughter of a longstanding client of Daniel’s, and the eventual answers have made it a considerably cleverer and more functional space.
“I love a swivel chair although it doesn’t need to look like one! The cockpen table was supplied by Sibyl Colefax, the plaster leaf is by Viola Lanari, the antique painted tiger is from Benedict Foley, and the faux bamboo lamp was from Tarquin Bilgen. Looking towards the balcony, where the original crittall windows were restored. Daniel added a custom trellis grille and refloored the balcony in an engineered non-slip stone, as this forms an additional route to the Harbor House bedroom in the warmer months.
The panelled chimney piece in the drawing room was made for the room based on a 1930s model. Although the original was marble, the Deco / Arts & Crafts inflections of the building made painted wood more suitable. The mid-century wing chair is from Pinch, covered in a fabric bought from Claremont.
Harbor House
The standard lamps belonged to the client, with custom lampshades made for both. The walls are painted in ‘Cooking Apple Green’ from Farrow & Ball. The bespoke sofa is covered in Turnell & Gigon’s ‘Vincent’ fabric, while, the slipper chair is based on a design by Billy Baldwin, adapted to swivel.
A 1930s Chelsea apartment reconfigured for modern life by Daniel Slowik
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FAB COLLABS: OUR DESIGN TEAM
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Shades of green run throughout the house, from Farrow & Ball’s ‘Cooking Apple Green’ on the walls of the drawing room to the bright jade of the Jean Monro curtains in the bedroom. Red elements provide a cheerful contrast – the rich chintz of Claremont’s ‘Tree of Life’ on a slipper chair, and a graphic blind in Nicky Haslam’s ‘Shutter Stripe’ in the kitchen. If you live in a house or flat which has the slightest amount of extra space, whether that’s a spare bedroom, a second living room, or even an indeterminate corner of a kitchen or sitting room, how often do you really examine its function, or think about how you might treat it differently? “It’s so important to question yourself about how you use your house,” says Daniel Slowik.
