Houzz Tour: Jewel Tones Bring Out the Beauty in a City Apartment
A perfect mix of rich colours, luxurious materials and one-off pieces gives life to this Victorian flat
“This was such a lovely collaborative project to work on,” enthuses Sacha Berger when asked about her role in designing this one-bedroom flat in London’s King’s Cross. “I worked with the client to get the flat ready before her boyfriend returned from a long work trip. She wanted to surprise him with a big reveal. Luckily, he loved it.”
Sacha used rich purple and grey tones throughout this space, with some luxurious metallic, velvet and glass accents.
The starting point for the scheme was this artwork. “We wanted a striking piece to fill the area between the two windows,” the designer says. “This is a huge print, and the lovely mauve-grey colour palette inspired my choice for the rest of the space.”
Artwork, Mary Jane Ansell.
The starting point for the scheme was this artwork. “We wanted a striking piece to fill the area between the two windows,” the designer says. “This is a huge print, and the lovely mauve-grey colour palette inspired my choice for the rest of the space.”
Artwork, Mary Jane Ansell.
The floor was “quite piney”, so Sacha limewashed it to give it a lighter tone. She also had the ottoman made in just the right shade of pale grey.
“I had to be careful with grey – the wall colour has a lot of taupe in it, so a cold grey would clash,” Sacha explains. “I found a grey fabric with just the right amount of mauve running through it for the ottoman.”
Sofa, Sweetpea & Willow. Armchair, Liang & Eimil.
“I had to be careful with grey – the wall colour has a lot of taupe in it, so a cold grey would clash,” Sacha explains. “I found a grey fabric with just the right amount of mauve running through it for the ottoman.”
Sofa, Sweetpea & Willow. Armchair, Liang & Eimil.
The rich colours work beautifully with bold pieces, such as this bird lamp. Sacha compensated for the lack of ceiling lights by incorporating plenty of lamps, as well as some stunning wall lights.
“These [sconces] are beautiful and made from cut glass, which bounces light around and looks like icicles,” she says. “They’re 50cm tall, which works well with the scale of the ceiling.”
Table lamp, House of Hackney.
Find a range of decorative sconces in the Houzz Shop
“These [sconces] are beautiful and made from cut glass, which bounces light around and looks like icicles,” she says. “They’re 50cm tall, which works well with the scale of the ceiling.”
Table lamp, House of Hackney.
Find a range of decorative sconces in the Houzz Shop
An important element in the room is the reading corner, which suited the clients much more than a dining table. “I wanted to make some amazing joinery to be in proportion with the scale of the room,” says Sacha. “So I brought in a really good joiner, Lee Purdom, to build this bookcase and some other cupboards in the property.
“The library ladder was in fact the most complicated part of the whole project,” she says. “I’d searched online and found that library ladders were really expensive, so Lee and I worked out how to replicate one.
“We chose a curtain pole and found the right brackets,” she says. “We needed the ladder to hook on and move along the pole. The material had to be strong enough to support it without an extra bracket in the centre of the pole.”
“The library ladder was in fact the most complicated part of the whole project,” she says. “I’d searched online and found that library ladders were really expensive, so Lee and I worked out how to replicate one.
“We chose a curtain pole and found the right brackets,” she says. “We needed the ladder to hook on and move along the pole. The material had to be strong enough to support it without an extra bracket in the centre of the pole.”
In the kitchen, Sacha kept the original white cabinets, but she replaced the silver splashback with this stunning brass one. Brushed brass sockets tie in with it, as do the bar stools.
Plug sockets, Buster + Punch. Bar stools, Rockett St George.
Plug sockets, Buster + Punch. Bar stools, Rockett St George.
At the opposite end of the room, Lee created a large cabinet with traditional panelling. “There was no storage in the flat, so this is large enough for everything, including the vacuum cleaner and fuse box,” Sacha says.
The scheme in the bedroom features dark blue and berry red. “It’s a long, thin room, and the main thing you see when you walk in is the window,” Sacha says, “so I wanted the curtains to be a strong colour feature.”
Regulations didn’t allow a wooden floor in this room, so Sacha went for a soft, silk carpet in pale grey. There were also restrictions on pipework in the flat, so the radiator in here is electric. Sacha put a cover over it and positioned a large mirror above it.
Regulations didn’t allow a wooden floor in this room, so Sacha went for a soft, silk carpet in pale grey. There were also restrictions on pipework in the flat, so the radiator in here is electric. Sacha put a cover over it and positioned a large mirror above it.
Walls painted in Ammonite, Farrow & Ball. Mirror, Trade Fair International.
Sacha had a footstool made and covered in a plum red fabric. It tucks neatly beneath the dressing table.
Dressing table, West Elm.
Dressing table, West Elm.
Sacha and Lee made good use of the space by the door with this ample wardrobe. It houses drawers, hanging space and shelves, and has the same panelling as the cupboard in the living area.
Wardrobe painted in Purbeck Stone, Farrow & Ball.
To find an interior designer in your area, search the Houzz Directory
Tell us…
What do you think of this London flat, with its mix of traditional and contemporary grandeur? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
Wardrobe painted in Purbeck Stone, Farrow & Ball.
To find an interior designer in your area, search the Houzz Directory
Tell us…
What do you think of this London flat, with its mix of traditional and contemporary grandeur? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
Who lives here A professional couple
Location King’s Cross, London
Property An apartment in a Victorian Gothic building
Size One bedroom and one bathroom
Designer Sacha Berger of Honey Bee Interiors
Joinery Lee Purdom of Purdom’s Bespoke Furniture
Photos by Elina Päsok
While interior designer Sacha Berger’s relationship with her client was great on this project, the building presented a number of challenges. The flat is part of a huge renovation that had seen a Gothic building returned to its former glory as a hotel, with private apartments on top.
“It’s a Grade I listed building, so there were a lot of restrictions on how we designed the flat, the main one being that we couldn’t install ceiling lights,” Sacha says.
However, the flat is indeed beautiful – something Sacha and her client aimed to showcase. “We wanted to bring out the grandeur of the place, with its 4m-high ceilings and huge windows,” she says. “In the main living space, we let the room speak by using subtle hues.”
Walls painted in Elephant’s Breath, Farrow & Ball.