Design Diaries: Spirit of a city

Published on

November 5, 2024

For energy, attitude and culture-rich experiences, city living hits the spot. Our centrally located apartments echo their city’s DNA in their interior design. Here, we detail the inspiration behind Barcelona, Cannes and London.

Our city centre apartments are right up the (well appointed) street of those who want a space to call their own in Europe’s most exciting, energetic, romantic and cultural destinations. With apartments in Barcelona, Cannes, London, Paris and Rome, our Pied-à-Terre Collection puts you in the heart of city living and offers a stylish sanctuary from the year-round culture and entertainment on your doorstep.

Sometimes these properties are in need of tender loving care to restore them to their original best. Our renovations team focuses on a firm foundation – from vaulted ceilings to original parquet floors, due care and attention is bestowed on the bare bones of the homes.

Then our design experts add personality to your space with their decor details, choosing just the right paint shade, textural choices and the pieces that make the furniture grade. This is how they capture style and the city so you can live like a local.

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Barcelona

"The colour palette is bold, just like the vibrancy of the city"

Karolina Wierzbicka, our Interiors Design Manager, says: “Fun in the sun and a playful, buzzy energy is the vibe in this Catalan capital. It’s culture rich, and a place where you can visit Picassos, gothic cathedrals and tapas hotspot bars on your way to the beach. The architecture is flamboyant, the produce markets colourful and its signature style is ‘bold’.

“The traditional building architecture of the city is what makes it feel so unique. We always want to embrace and showcase these period features and building styles in our Homes, like these vaulted brick ceilings.

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The furniture is a mix of contemporary pieces to offset the traditional architecture here, including more classic Spanish inspired chairs in wood with sling-back leather in the lounge. We’ve put great statement lounge chairs in the homes as well as great lighting and we particularly love the large, felt ‘dancing’ pendant by Menu Copenhagen over the dining table. It hangs from the very solid brick ceiling above.

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The colour palette is bold, just like the culture and vibrancy of the city, using rich reds and blues which we used in our kitchen and bathroom design. We also use it in the large-scale art and in touches of playful prints, like the lampshades and the rug in the principal bedroom.

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London

"This city has something and somewhere for everyone"

“A city of multitudes. Here we find cultural complexity, astounding architecture, populous pubs, roaring restaurants and placid parklands – it has something and somewhere for everyone,” says Max. “As such, we root our homes here in their immediate locality. When working on a home in South Kensington, the galleries and archives of our neighbours at the V&A and the Natural History Museum provide immense inspiration.

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“Architecturally, we are dialling up Victorian references in our apartment here. This means elegant panelling details, rich paint hues in blues and greens, playful details such as pelmet beds and classical clipstone tiling. Layered on top of this, we have both contemporary and traditional furniture and art pieces to both clash and complement the classic Victorian frame. This emphasises the constant evolution and excitement London offers all those who pass through it.”

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Cannes

"Playful splashes of colour evoke the many artists inspired by the city"

Max Lozinski, our Head of Design, says: “This is the beating heart of the Côte D'Azur. Cannes is synonymous with glitz, glamour and glorious weather throughout the year. A city on the sea, it is simultaneously a relaxed beach town and a global business hub – its calendar packed with events, from the famous film festival to varied conferences and shows, drawing a variety of people to the town to both connect and disconnect.

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“Its mid-century heyday and the inimitable beach-club culture form key inspirations for our interiors. We reference the bold stripes of sun loungers and parasols in accent details including paint borders, tiling and bespoke headboards. Sofas in dusky shades of pink reference the ethereal dawn and dusk light that this coast offers up near daily. Playful splashes of colour evoke the many artists inspired by this ever popular destination.”

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