In west London, housed in a historic 1910 building, designer Rose Uniacke’s latest project unfolds. She worked closely with her client, a collector with an eye for art, who wanted to improve the apartment conversion and create a comfortable London base for him and his family.
The 3,111 sq ft space offered more than a design project, as Uniacke – who has previously shown Wallpaper* around her own London home – leaned into the building’s architectural context, encompassing bespoke joinery and lighting design. ‘While the interior is now fairly contemporary, with minimal detailing, the original architecture retains a strong presence, particularly through the bold arched windows that frame beautiful, expansive views,' Uniacke tells Wallpaper*. She sourced rare midcentury works by Jean Prouvé, Charlotte Perriand and Jean Dunand, and paired these with contemporary elements.
Uniacke stresses that it was important for the home not to feel like a gallery. ‘I wanted the spaces to feel considered and layered. The room should always come first, with the beautiful things within it coming second. The overall feeling needed to be comfortable, welcoming and light, with a sense of ease.’
Fabrics on the walls add to the sense of softness in a bedroom
Artworks from the client's collection were chosen to anchor colour and mood, and Uniacke added furniture and objects of equal standing, inspired by the initial conversations she had with her client. ‘It led me towards collectible French furniture of the 20th century and pieces from contemporary Japan, alongside my own designs from the Rose Uniacke Editions range, and I wanted to include some pieces from antiquity. As always, the pieces led the design.’
A 1930 Jean Prouvé bookcase in the sitting room
Uniacke explains that fabrics and paints are always in response to light, objects and furniture. For this project, the palette shifts from white and pale blue-green through to soft pink and dark red. Fabrics are used on the bedroom walls, adding a sense of softness.
‘I like the way there is often a lightness to 20th-century design that worked particularly well in this apartment, alongside the large windows and open views. The Jean Prouvé bookcase in the main sitting room was an important starting point,' she notes. 'It was made in 1930 as a special commission and is an important and unique piece, complete with its original paint. It was the right scale, the perfect colour, and had an interesting feeling of airiness that felt completely at home next to the windows. It became an anchor for the room and, in many ways, the driver for everything around it.'
The rest of the room features treasures such as an Egyptian carved tablet from 332–30 BC, depicting Ptolemy III and retaining traces of its striking original paint, a ceramic Pyramide by Jacques and Dani Ruelland from 1980, and a Jean Prouvé wall light from 1950. ‘I like these kinds of echoes and conversations between pieces, particularly when they cross periods and cultures. The overall feeling is one of elegant informality and ease.’
‘I don’t think a room is ever done, is it? It might achieve a certain balance that makes it ready to be lived in, but rooms are always going to evolve’
Rose Uniacke
Although the home is full of collectible pieces, it is important for the space to feel comfortable and welcoming – even if there are significant art pieces, the atmosphere doesn't feel too precious. However, in a world full of visual noise, how does one know when a room is done? For Uniacke, the answer is simple: ‘I don’t think a room is ever done, is it? It might achieve a certain balance that makes it ready to be lived in, but rooms are always going to evolve. In this case, being the home of a collector, things come into the collection and move around. Rooms change over time with the people who live in them. I’m excited by rooms that continue to evolve; it’s part of the fun.’
