Bold elegance at a Belgravia townhouse
It was very plain before,’ says Janine Stone. She is describing a six-storey town house in Belgravia that she recently finished designing for a Russian family who live a very international life. ‘It was bland and beige, with lots of limestone – developer standard.’
Anyone who has met Janine – or is familiar with her work – will know that plain, bland and typical simply will not do. The interior designer has carved out a particular niche for the company that bears her name and boasts a 50-strong studio. This includes designers and architects, and the firm even has its own construction team.
The projects are big and bold, and for a generously budgeted clientele. She does elegant well, whether in the city or the country, but there is a ballsiness to her interiors that gives them a flavour all their own. In this particular project, this feeling is conjured up by an unusual use and mixture of materials, and an extraordinary level of detailing – the kind that might not be immediately evident. But the more you look, the more you see.
Janine acted as lead designer in what was essentially a turnkey property. ‘I have a good feel with owners in general,’ she says. ‘I think one of my strong points is that I can read them extremely well. But, to be honest, these clients were heavenly. I didn’t think people like this existed.’
Fittings, furniture, art and objets were all part of the brief – everything down to the towels and cutlery. ‘The owner wanted it to be smart enough to entertain people in when they were in town, but also to feel cosy – like a home should,’ she explains. ‘They travel the world, stay at fabulous hotels and see beautiful places, so they are very clued up when it comes to interiors and knew how they wanted it.’
Janine Stone & Co: 020-7349 8888; janinestone.com
Alexander James1/12Games room
The living room is connected to the games room, although it is far more elegant than that name
suggests, with its slim, dark-stained oak floorboards and walls panelled in santos rosewood.
Above this is ‘Copper Beech’ paint by Paint & Paper Library.
Alexander James2/12Living room and games room
Shelving units in the games room are framed in rosewood, and the backs of the shelves are lined in light-coloured leather to allow objects to stand out. The sleek black table lamps in the living room are from Tyson. The design has been discontinued, but the company’s ‘Single Medium Black Ceramic Lampon Perspex Base’ is similar. It is 45cm high and costs £570, excluding the empire shade, which costs £156.
Alexander James3/12Dining room
The use of smoky mirror glass in here echoes the decoration of the sitting room. Cable-hung artwork is fixed with brackets into the brass edging on the mirror – a smart solution for using art on glass walls. The bespoke, dark-stained oak flooring has antiqued brass at the threshold and was fitted by Weldon. To the right, leading to the kitchen, are bi-fold doors covered in cracked gesso with brass flush handles and edge details. our of the room’s dark wood flooring. This is the ‘Marat’ design by Jacques Garcia, which measures 96.5 x 62.2 x 69.9cm and costs from £4,044 for a mahogany frame and veneer or fully upholstered back. Designer Janine Stone chose to have them covered in ‘Milano’ smooth grain leather in perfect stone, by Holly Hunt, £195 a square metre.
Alexander James4/12Kitchen
The kitchen is a darker, moodier space than the adjoining dining room, with units designed to look like bespoke furniture. It took 20 layers of lacquer on a metal substrate to achieve the mottled, bronzed finish. It was the result of a series of experiments and it is the first time that Janine had done this in a kitchen. The countertops and splashback are marble and the floor is a dark, honed limestone, which adds to the atmosphere. The pendant light is a bespoke version of ‘Bracelet’ by Thomas Pheasant from Baker.
Alexander James5/12Bedroom
Bronze stud detailing defines the edges of the wardrobe and headboard. This framing device is complemented by the black and brass edging around the shelving to the sides of the bed. The vellum-covered bedside table is by Birgit Israel and the bed throw is from Monogrammed Linen Shop. Shades of grey create a calm atmosphere in the main bedroom of this Belgravia house. The wardrobe doors and wall are upholstered in Pollack’s ‘Heathered Flannel’ wool in the winter sky colour, while the headboard is in ‘Alloy’, a polyester mix, in the chrome shade. Both fabrics are available from Altfield, costing £256 and £102 a metre respectively. Pale horn and bronze handles from Ochre add texture and interest to the upholstered wardrobe doors in the main bedroom. They can also be made with polished nickel or pewter knuckles, as pictured. Available in a range of lengths, from 5cm to 45cm, these cost from £124.80 a handle.
Alexander James6/12Bathroom
The elegant room teams two marbles, including the monolithic vanity, which is supported by antiqued brass legs. The hardware, in a champagne gold finish, is from Samuel Heath. The paint on the upper part of the wall is ‘Blackened’ by Farrow & Ball – a cool white with a hint of grey blue. The black Samuel & Sons trim on the roman blind reflects the framing motif created in the bedroom joinery.
7/12Hallway
Monochrome tiles and grey walls make for a serene entryway to the house.
Alexander James8/12Children's room
A clever arrangement of children’s beds conceals a huge amount of storage space in the cube behind them and underneath.
Alexander James9/12Children's room storage
Further cupboards for storage are arranged elsewhere in the room.
10/12Garden
Spectacular shutters frame a view into the outside seating area.
11/12Garden
The garden features a huge mirror to maximise the space, along with modern furniture against a lush green backdrop.
Alexander James12/12Living room
The first-floor living room, at the front of the house, has a light, calm colour palette and is an exercise in mixing materials and textures. The upholstered furniture includes textured geometric weaves (on stools), velvet (on armchairs) and suede (on a central ottoman, from Holly Hunt), all in a palette of white, grey and plum. Mirrors with a smoky patina fill the alcoves on both sides of the chimneybreast; while still enhancing the sense of space, they have a more interesting sense of texture than clear glass.
