A modern London townhouse filled with colour and pattern by Howark Design
'One of the key reference points was the house from Paddington. We actually had to watch it as research.’ James Arkoulis and Saskia Howard, the duo behind Howark Design, are talking about an interior design brief for a home in South West London. For anyone who hasn’t seen the film Paddington, the Brown family home at 32 Windsor Gardens is a bright yellow townhouse. Somewhat chaotic and surreal (a blossoming tree mural adorns the spiral staircase) it is ultimately a personality-filled space where family life, with its ups and downs, unfurls.
James and Saskia’s client, a couple with three children, had bought their four-storey new-build townhouse in 2017 ‘for its location and its size’. Yet despite the Georgian façade, as with many new build properties, the interiors lacked charm. ‘It hadn’t been lived in before they bought it. It was lacking in any character,’ says Saskia. With initial design schemes in the living room and bedrooms by Robert Atherton Design, the couple contacted Howark Design after seeing their work featured in House & Garden, seeing their own love of bold and joyful interiors reflected in James and Saskia’s work. ‘It was a complete meeting of minds,’ says James.
The couple have a penchant for practicality as well as panache, and gave considerable thought to making their house work for them. Rather than launch straight into refurbishments, the family spent two years living in the house before contacting Howark. ‘They wanted to spend some time living in the house to figure out what they would want from the spaces,’ says Saskia, and they came to the duo with a detailed brief document with notes on each room. Howark had been called in to ensure cohesion. ‘They felt that if they kept going, it was going to be a little mismatched,’ explains James.
The first space they tackled was the ground-floor kitchen and living area. When Howark arrived it was a sterile and cavernous nine metre-long space. To break it up, they put in a glazed partition wall between the kitchen and living area. The family was very determined that these spaces should also work for large family occasions. The bespoke kitchen table, with its cushioned bench, comfortably seats five on a normal day, but can be extended to 3.9 metres, accommodating up to 14 people. The bespoke coffee table in the living area, which they also use for entertaining, had to be ‘strong enough so it could be sat on when talking to someone on the sofa,’ notes James.
‘Unlocking how they could use that space informed how they would use the other spaces’ says Saskia. With the dining table in the kitchen, the first floor was freed up to be a more formal seating area mainly used at Christmas – a grand room with a dramatic plunging view to the back garden. The kitchen is above a 11-metre playroom in the basement where the children play – here bespoke shelves with a ladder have been built to keep the children’s books and toys tidy.
Decoration though, was where things got really fun. The couple have a ‘passion for colour which almost knows no bounds.’ In the kitchen bright blue cupboards are complemented by the kitchen painted in Farrow and Ball Babouche, a soft but sunny yellow. The Paddington-esque hue is like a shot of vitamins (‘a mood booster’ whilst working on the project during lockdown, says James). It also made logical sense. Having got rid of the harsh downlighting that is common in new builds, the paint creates a natural candescence to a space that was far away from a natural light source.
Whilst no one particular colour palette is adhered to (teal, azure blue and coral all feature), it is the consistently bold use of colour itself which helps create a sense of cohesion. ‘It was important that we thought of the scheme across the four floors so that it felt purposeful and deliberate,’ says James. The formal room is also painted yellow and the whiter bathroom is offset by turquoise drawers (Farrow and Ball’s Arsenic). Normally chromatic outliers, the bright children’s rooms also feel part of the theme.
An eclectic mix of pattern is another unifying thread throughout the house. Ikats, ethnic prints, geometrics, stripes and florals are all in the mixing pot, the play of scales and styles avoiding anything that might feel too ‘cottagey’ for a contemporary building. The house’s spaciousness allowed them to indulge in using bold swathes of pattern, ‘wider spaces giving them more room to breathe,’ says James. The stairs, spread out over four storeys, offered a particularly blank canvas, and have been fitted with a stripy pink runner from ground to roof.
Combining bespoke requirements with thoughtful decoration in the dressing room, James and Saskia have punctuated the copious wardrobes with a seating nook. The client had wanted somewhere her family could sit whilst she got ready, and it can also be used for reading. It is richly upholstered, with padded walls and a pelmet in yellow print, with an orange velvet seat cushion. The effect is a bit like something from a film set, but it’s sure to get a lot of use.
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Paul Massey1/13The formal first floor reception area is a spacious playground for pattern. The dhurrie rug, coffee table, and cushions are all from Guinevere Antiques. The original scheme of this room was by Robert Atherton Design, with additional furnishing by Howark Design.
Paul Massey2/13The mirror, which the client already owned, is Julian Chichester's ‘Countess’ design. The original scheme of this room was by Robert Atherton Design, with additional furnishing by Howark Design.
Paul Massey3/13The deVOL kitchen has been painted in the summery shade of Farrow and Ball’s ‘Babouche’. The citrus tones are also picked up in the splashback tiles by Balineum. The globe lights are by Bespoke Lights.
Paul Massey4/13
Paul Massey5/13The glass partition looks onto the bespoke kitchen table (extendable to 3.9 metres) and is accompanied by a wall bench with cushions in contrasting fabrics. The seat fabric is by C&C Milano and the back by Christopher Moore. The tall blue cupboards are painted in Dulux 70BG14243.
Paul Massey6/13As a place with much family traffic, the boot room has been fitted with a glass door and frame to keep the space cohesive with the rest of the house. Decorated with panelling painted in Fired Earth’s ‘Storm’, the main space opens with a rug from Howark Design’s ‘Line Up’ collection.
Paul Massey7/13In this comfortable living area with a bespoke made-to-sit-on coffee table, the inviting sofas have been upholstered in Robert Kime's green ‘Tynemouth Ticking’ and Linwood's ‘Westray’ in orange . Lighting is also key with a table lamp by Penny Morrison and reading lamp by Paolo Moschino. The family’s personal collection of art and posters have also been given the spotlight, with Mullan Lighting wall lights.
Paul Massey8/13The reading nook is one of the family's favourite spots in the house, breaking up a dressing room of wardrobes with some softness. The joinery is painted in Farrow & Ball's ‘Inchyra’ and the inset wallpaper is Phillip Jeffries's ‘Cabana Weave’ in the ‘Dove Days’ colour way. The niche is upholstered by Textile Wall Co with Soane Britain's fabric ‘Scrolling Fern’.
Paul Massey9/13For the bedroom Howark Design doubled – or quadrupled – down on pattern, creating a more unified feel than a single pop. The wallpaper is ‘Parterre Botanical’ by GP&J Baker, the Soho Home lamp base has been bedecked with a Pooky lampshade, the curtains are a chintzy ‘Oakham’ linen by Colefax & Fowler and the vibrant bedspread is by Lisa Corti. The original scheme of this room was by Robert Atherton Design, with additional furnishing by Howark Design.
Paul Massey10/13Intimate seating areas are key to the house, and the bedroom is no exception. The two-tone armchair is accompanied by a footstool in Dedar's ‘Adamo & Eva’ velvet. The original scheme of this room was by Robert Atherton Design, with additional furnishing by Howark Design.
Paul Massey11/13Although painted different colours, the three children’s bedrooms have been treated in a uniform style (the parents got rid of one of the en suites to ensure equality). Each has a matching trundle bed by Nidi Kids by Nubie and bespoke cushioned headboards which are two-sided, meaning the beds can also work as seating (or for sleepovers). The pink wallpaper is by Ian Mankin and the headboard fabrici is by Colefax & Fowler. The charming hot air balloon lampshade was from Amazon. (The wallpaper in this room was selected by Robert Atherton Design).
Paul Massey12/13The shower enclosure is by Rutland London, and includes hand-painted tiles by Balineum. The double vanity (a bespoke design by Howark Design and made by Lethbridge Lines) has copious storage space painted in Farrow and Ball's ‘Arsenic’.
Paul Massey13/13In the second bathroom the bespoke vanity also designed by Howark Design (and made by Lethbridge Lines) has been painted in Farrow and Ball's ‘Yeabridge Green’. The star-spangled tiles, lampshades by Pooky and pink Sanderson walls add some more thoughtful fun to this smaller space.
