Take a video tour of Zoë Zimmer's stylish, cleverly arranged Notting Hill flat
There is something particularly satisfying about a tiny space cleverly decorated – the sense of everything fitting perfectly and the heightened impact of strong style on a small scale. Having recently moved back to London from Los Angeles, photographer and graphic artist Zoë Zimmer was not planning to buy a property when she came across this ground-floor garden flat in Notting Hill.
It was located just a couple of streets from where she grew up and she was intrigued by its unusual curved front door. The space itself turned out to be a half-finished renovation project, abandoned by the previous owner at just the right moment. All the structural work was complete, but few fixtures or fittings had been added, making it the ideal blank canvas. What it lacks in floor space, it makes up for with ceiling height and ornate cornices. An enormous sash window looks out over the garden square beyond and gives the flat a wonderful sense of place.
Zoë’s vision for the interior, which she describes as a sort of ‘Seventies deco’, began with an American black lacquered screen, bought online from 1stdibs and now mounted on the wall behind the dining table. The idea of dark glossiness spread to the floors with matching lacquered floorboards.‘They look amazing at night,’ enthuses Zoë. ‘But I have to confess that they show every speck of dust.’
It was essential that the largely monochrome space felt warm, so the white walls are actually a soft cream. Matching velvet curtains cocoon the rooms in the evening. A scene has been set – and not for anything as prosaic as the ironing. ‘The most important thing to me is entertaining, so the flat had to work for dinners, drinks and dancing on the furniture.’
The kitchen doubles as a bar and, when Zoë’s clever lighting kicks in at night, the effect is magical. ‘Because of the mirrors, you’re always part of the action. So even if I’m stuck in the kitchen, I can see what’s going on.’
The extendable dining table is surrounded by vintage ‘Cesca’ chairs by Marcel Breuer. Growing up in Notting Hill, Zoë was used to haggling for a bargain on Portobello Road. She knew the success of the flat depended on the balance of well-chosen new and vintage pieces, although having the 1stdibs app on her phone proved to be rather dangerous.
A coral velvet-covered ‘Hendricks’ sofa from Habitat sits on an emerald green ‘Climbing Leopard’ rug by Diane von Furstenberg for The Rug Company. The scene is seductively lit by vintage ‘Foglio’ wall lights designed by Tobia Scarpa for Flos in the Sixties. ‘There was no way I was going to have spotlights,’ declares Zoë, a self-confessed lighting obsessive. ‘Everyone looks awful under them.’ Instead, she opted for low-level lamps and wall lights, with the exception of a George Nelson pendant for the central light fitting in the sitting room. ‘I wanted the whole flat to feel candlelit.’
By making it a full-time job, Zoë completed this project in just three months, accumulating everything down to the last teaspoon so that, when the builders left, she was ready to move straight in. ‘I’m very impatient,’ she confesses. ‘When I have a job to do, I can’t sit idle for a moment.’
Zoë Zimmer: zoezimmer.com
Taran Wilkhu1/10The flat’s unusual curved front door caught Zoë’s eye before she discovered what lay behind it. Inside, she has painted the door and adjacent walls black to heighten the sense of drama.
Taran Wilkhu2/10Zoë bought a pair of simple swivel stools from Amazon, had an upholsterer add backrests and re-covered them in cream velvet from Designers Guild. The low-backed ‘Hendricks’ sofa from Habitat is perfect for the space, as it allows an unobstructed view of the garden square beyond.
Taran Wilkhu3/10The ‘Deco Chandelier’ acrylic shades above the bar are from The White Company.
Taran Wilkhu4/10Zoë panelled the kitchen units and painted them in Farrow & Ball’s ‘Minster Green’.
Taran Wilkhu5/10A ‘Kite Clock’ designed by George Nelson in the Sixties hangs above an artwork by Patrick Nagel in the office.
Taran Wilkhu6/10The Sixties lacquered screen on the wall was the inspiration for the flat’s interior, especially the glossy black floorboards. The tubular steel-framed ‘Cesca’ dining chairs were designed by Marcel Breuer in 1928. Mirrored walls visually double the space.
Taran Wilkhu7/10A ‘Stockholm’ rug from Ikea is teamed with curtains in emerald velvet from Designers Guild in Zoë's studio/spare room.
Taran Wilkhu8/10Zoë was inspired by the combination of white tiles and black grout she had seen on buildings in Tokyo. The basin is similar to Lefroy Brooks’ ‘Belle Aire’ design.
Taran Wilkhu9/10A wall of mirrored cupboards behind the bed is the background for Maitresse Folio 1, a screenprint by Allen Jones. The brass and opaline glass ‘Tip of the Tongue’ lamp on the bedside table is by Michael Anastassiades.
Taran Wilkhu10/10The ceiling-height wardrobes have MDF doors painted in ‘Fowler Pink’ by Farrow & Ball. The leopard ornament is a vintage find from Portobello Road.
