A stone’s throw from the Houses of Parliament, on one of the finest early Georgian streets in London, is this beautiful pair of houses that in 1906 had been combined to form a single dwelling. We remodelled the whole house, moving the kitchen and bathrooms, restoring the staircase, putting back panelling, replacing walls that had been taken down. The interiors are intentionally simple, drawing on the original early 18th century character of the rooms, but with a playful sense of pattern, and a palimpsest of history, running through its veins. We used extensive fabrics and papers from Watts of Westminster, Morris & Co and Robert Kime in developing a palette of soft, calm greys, taupes and greens, with splashes of burned red, yellow and Prussian blue throughout. The garden was completely remodelled by Pip Morrison and we designed a metal glasshouse at the corner of the garden which catches the rays of the evening sun.
Another timeless beauty designed by Ben Pentreath, where I could move right in as it is with simply my clothes, the husband and cats.
Open and intimate, grounded yet light, functional and beautiful. This Seattle residence by Brian Paquette has a masculine vibe with its earthy muted colour palette anchored by dark floors and layered with texture. It’s a seamless aesthetic tying the rooms together.
Photography by Haris Kenjar.
This East Village duplex penthouse was owned by designer Alfredo Paredes and if you didn’t see the terrace photos you might assume this was located somewhere in the Mediterranean or tucked away in a Tuscan hillside. A fireplace, oversized, casement windows and 5 arched glass doors, natural white oak bookcases, panelling and cabinetry, raw plaster walls, reclaimed wood ceilings, French limestone tile floors all imbue this “it can’t be New York” vibe and the neutral colour palette of cream, brown and black perfectly offsets the architecture. This is stunning. Photos: Miguel Flores-Vianna.
In the heart of Colle Oppio, within a historic 1900s building, Rome-based architecture and interior design studio Punto Zero worked its magic on a traditional 115 sqm apartment the home of its founder Giorgio Marchese. The original layout was a classic linear design with rooms all facing outward. However, the space was completely transformed with new volumes and unexpected additions all in the quest for light and the amazing views.
Photography by Serena Eller Vainicher.
“cúpla’ is Gaelic for ‘a couple’. It is the essence of parity which sits at the core of cúpla, the belief of one not existing (or attaining true potential) without the other, in this instance, architecture and interior design.”
I love a designer’s own home, full of inspiring ideas. After all, when you are your own client the boundaries can be pushed. Welcome to the fabulous and fun Acton apartment of Gemma McCloskey founder of cúpla studio.