Houzz Tour: A Sleek Urban Flat Becomes a Calm, Cosy Home
Comfortable furniture, natural textures and earthy tones turned a vast, loft-style apartment into a snug retreat
Designing a home you love is about more than just looks; it’s also about how comfortable and happy you feel in the space. It was a balance of style and practicality that the owner of this urban penthouse was looking for when he hired Sacha Berger of Honey Bee Interiors to turn the airy space into a relaxing home.
A vintage rug leads the eye past glazed terrace doors to a creative work space at the back. “The rug provides some warmth and pattern as soon as you walk in,” Sacha says.
Vintage rug, Etsy.
Vintage rug, Etsy.
In the back room, there’s a standing desk to the right and a large love seat next to the window. The owner can sit here and read or take part in Zoom meetings while enjoying views across the city.
Sacha lined the wall around her client’s standing desk with cork tiles [not pictured], so he can pin up ideas that inspire him.
Love seat, Loaf. Pendant light shade, Folk Interiors.
Sacha lined the wall around her client’s standing desk with cork tiles [not pictured], so he can pin up ideas that inspire him.
Love seat, Loaf. Pendant light shade, Folk Interiors.
A black veneered wall separates the work area from the living space. In front of this, Sacha positioned a wooden bar for a playful feel.
The beautiful smoked oak floor was already in place. “The pattern is lovely and it stops the flat looking too vast,” Sacha says.
The owner loves blue, so it was important to incorporate it throughout the property. Comfortable dining chairs, upholstered in cobalt velvet, sit around an oval dining table. “The oval shape contrasts with the angular lines elsewhere,” Sacha says. She also chose textiles in terracotta hues to soften the bold blue.
Dining table, Eichholtz. Dining chairs, Pols Potten. Pendant light shade, Folk Interiors. Bar, Buster + Punch.
The beautiful smoked oak floor was already in place. “The pattern is lovely and it stops the flat looking too vast,” Sacha says.
The owner loves blue, so it was important to incorporate it throughout the property. Comfortable dining chairs, upholstered in cobalt velvet, sit around an oval dining table. “The oval shape contrasts with the angular lines elsewhere,” Sacha says. She also chose textiles in terracotta hues to soften the bold blue.
Dining table, Eichholtz. Dining chairs, Pols Potten. Pendant light shade, Folk Interiors. Bar, Buster + Punch.
The owner is an avid reader and requested a bookcase to run across the whole wall of the living area. “We found a wood veneer that matched one of the warmer tones in the flooring,” Sacha says. “The kitchen island uses the same material.”
The huge storage unit was designed and built by Goldman & Rankin and is fully lit. Sacha’s client will eventually fill it with books.
Ready to revamp your home? Find interior designers in your area on Houzz.
The huge storage unit was designed and built by Goldman & Rankin and is fully lit. Sacha’s client will eventually fill it with books.
Ready to revamp your home? Find interior designers in your area on Houzz.
Sacha had the sofa custom-made so it was deep and cosy for reading and watching TV. “The television is really large, but it doesn’t look so huge in the 8m wide bookcase,” she says.
Sofa, Raft. Cushions, Romo. Rug, Benuta. Coffee tables, Heal’s.
Sofa, Raft. Cushions, Romo. Rug, Benuta. Coffee tables, Heal’s.
The kitchen island is equally vast. “It had to be reinforced with an internal metal mechanism to keep the two pieces of wood in place,” Sacha says. “The veneered surface works well, as it warms up the cooler marble splashback.”
The island is taller than the usual 90cm, as the owner preferred a higher surface. Three bar stools in the same style as the dining chairs provide comfy seating beneath three practical pendants.
Pendant lights over island, Heal’s. Bar stools, Pols Potten.
The island is taller than the usual 90cm, as the owner preferred a higher surface. Three bar stools in the same style as the dining chairs provide comfy seating beneath three practical pendants.
Pendant lights over island, Heal’s. Bar stools, Pols Potten.
Sacha persuaded her client to go for a richer palette in his bedroom to contrast with the lighter tones elsewhere. “He loves peacocks, so that was the inspiration in here,” she says. “Once we’d found the mural wallpaper, that worked as the key.”
Wall mural, Hovia. Cushions, Black Edition. Throw, Ragged Rose.
Wall mural, Hovia. Cushions, Black Edition. Throw, Ragged Rose.
Two bespoke bedside lamps complement the gold tones of the mural and cast a glow along a black veneered wall.
Lamp shades, Etsy. Lamp bases, Nkuku. Bedside tables, Soho Home.
Lamp shades, Etsy. Lamp bases, Nkuku. Bedside tables, Soho Home.
The opposite wall is covered with a highly pigmented blue paint. A large vintage rug adds more softness to the room.
Wall painted in OldNavy, Benjamin Moore. Peacock chair, Soho Home.
Wall painted in OldNavy, Benjamin Moore. Peacock chair, Soho Home.
All of the flat’s bathrooms had already been kitted out with white surfaces and black fittings. Sacha warmed the bright spaces up with natural textures.
The main bathroom also had space for a comfy armchair.
Rug, Etsy. Armchair, Love Your Home.
The main bathroom also had space for a comfy armchair.
Rug, Etsy. Armchair, Love Your Home.
A wooden cabinet is the ideal place to store towels and bedding.
Cabinet, Graham & Green.
Cabinet, Graham & Green.
Sacha replicated the terracotta shades from the living area in the guest bedroom and added layers of neutral tones to create a soft feel.
“My client wanted to add his own artwork in the main rooms gradually over time,” she says, “so we took the opportunity in the guest room to create a gallery wall.”
Cushions, Romo and Etsy. Bed, Honeybee Interiors. Bedside tables, Graham & Green. Chest of drawers, Wayfair. Table lamp, Ocean Lighting. Rug, Etsy.
“My client wanted to add his own artwork in the main rooms gradually over time,” she says, “so we took the opportunity in the guest room to create a gallery wall.”
Cushions, Romo and Etsy. Bed, Honeybee Interiors. Bedside tables, Graham & Green. Chest of drawers, Wayfair. Table lamp, Ocean Lighting. Rug, Etsy.
A wooden stool adds warmth to the en suite and provides a useful perch, while a rug brings in the bohemian feel the owner loves.
Another mural in the third bedroom features birds and blossom. Sacha picked out the pink hues to use in the rest of the scheme. This space is quite different from the other rooms, but it still has those warm, earthy tones that bring the whole flat together.
Does Sacha feel she fulfilled her client’s brief to create a space that reflected his style and needs? She thinks so. “He was quite blown away,” she says.
Cushions, Cox & Cox and Etsy. Bedside tables, West Elm. Rug, Wendy Morrison Design. Wallpaper, Hovia. Bed, John Lewis & Partners.
Tell us…
Where would you most enjoy spending time in this comfortable flat? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
Does Sacha feel she fulfilled her client’s brief to create a space that reflected his style and needs? She thinks so. “He was quite blown away,” she says.
Cushions, Cox & Cox and Etsy. Bedside tables, West Elm. Rug, Wendy Morrison Design. Wallpaper, Hovia. Bed, John Lewis & Partners.
Tell us…
Where would you most enjoy spending time in this comfortable flat? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
Who lives here? A tech-company founder and CEO
Location London
Property A new-build penthouse flat
Size Three bedrooms and three bathrooms
Designer Sacha Berger of Honey Bee Interiors
Photos by Elina Päsok
The owner of this new-build apartment has a job that keeps him extremely busy, so he wanted a home where he could feel relaxed. Earthy materials, such as wood, were high on his wish list, as well as plenty of vintage elements to reflect his style.
The wooden hallway console, with its simple design, gives an introductory nod to the home’s calm feel.
Console, Tikamoon. Mirror, Heal’s.