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Designer Suzy Hoodless' house brings distinctive design and colour together in a comfortable manner
I’m driven by the very best of design.’ This is how tastemaker Suzy Hoodless describes her interior design USP and the thought process behind the renovation of her west London house. ‘I don’t focus on certain periods or styles, but the best of France or of Scandinavia. I love mixing things together because it becomes something different and new.’
Mindful of shape, colour and form, she is talking about items such as the bespoke ash dining table by Another Country in the kitchen – made to accommodate her collection of Hans J Wegner ‘Wishbone’ chairs. In the sitting room, armchairs with co-ordinating pink and yellow linen seats have backs and arms in a zingy geometric embroidered fabric by Pierre Frey that complements a Forties Serge Mouille wall lamp and the vibrant patterns of early twentieth-century Chinese rugs.
Suzy’s gift for interior design, devotion to modernist furniture and genuine love for Scandinavian and French textiles makes her house as spirited as it is beautiful. The former magazine stylist-turned-designer has made a career out of this contemporary, luxurious vernacular and her simple, confident aesthetic runs deep in all her projects. Since opening her studio in 2000, Suzy has designed houses, private members’ clubs, restaurants and hotels all over the world. She recently worked on the new development at the former BBC Television Centre in White City, W12, consulting on the communal areas and the private apartments.
Londoner Suzy opted out of college in Manchester in favour of hands-on experience at Designers Guild. Following this tenure with the original Queen of Colour, Tricia Guild, Suzy assisted in the interiors department at House & Garden before going on to be founding interiors editor at Wallpaper* magazine in 1996. For five years, she styled interior shoots that pushed the boundaries of magazine publishing and design. ‘We used to find a location, empty it and fill it with furniture,’ she recalls. It was a precursor to her interior design, which Suzy translated beyond photography and into people’s homes. Explaining the career shift, she says: ‘I like to have an aesthetic and a practical reason behind my designs.’
Comfort is also at the heart of Suzy’s ethos. This is apparent throughout her own house, which she shares with her husband Erskine and three children: Misty, eight, Myla, six, and son Arki, four. Having moved into this four-storey Victorian building seven years ago, she redid the ground floor when Arki was a baby, pushing the kitchen out and down to create a large, open room.
The scheme for the kitchen began with the ‘Wishbone’ chairs – souvenirs from Suzy’s magazine days – and sturdy ash table. She amped things up with the cobalt-blue cabinet fronts. The bright palette is tempered by a black Belgian stone floor from Lapicida. ‘I didn’t want to use wood; it’s not very practical in the kitchen,’ explains Suzy, who has opted for herringbone tiles. ‘I also wanted something dark to ground the blue. The stone looks like it has been here forever and because we have the change of levels – the kitchen is down a couple of steps from the library – it works.’
Like all good schemes, there is a clever system of ‘reveal and conceal’. A behind-the-scenes cupboard in the library deals with the children’s gear and, upstairs, wardrobes by Suzy always look neat, providing texture without becoming too much of a feature.
In the sitting room, comfort is king, with a blue velvet George Smith ‘Jules’ sofa large enough to seat five people, surrounded by a terrific medley of twentieth-century design. A Joe Colombo chair in white leather and a vintage Italian floor lamp with multi-coloured shades from Marmorea are teamed with a ‘Zero-In’ coffee table by Barber & Osgerby. ‘There’s a definite layering – particularly with this house more than other projects, because it has evolved,’ Suzy explains. It is this eclectic, yet simply curated approach that distinguishes her decoration.
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Finally, the most arresting feature of all – the glorious yellow doorframe between the sitting room and library, which acts as an architectural valance in the open ground-floor space. Yellow has a reputation for being tricky to work with, yet the effect here is like a halo and shot of sunshine in one. The colour balances with the blue of the kitchen cabinets as well as the softer tones of the library.
‘The idea was to bring some excitement with a flash of colour dividing the area,’ Suzy explains. ‘It’s uplifting and uncompromising, but also neutral. I think spaces need to be pushed – to have a rhythm and pace to them – and that’s what this yellow is about.’
Suzy Hoodless: suzyhoodless.com
Suzy Hoodless is a member of The List by House & Garden, our essential directory of design professionals. Find her profile here.
Paul Massey1/10The sitting room has a mix of striking lighting, including a Serge Mouille wall lamp, Seventies chrome sconces, and an Italian multi-shade floor lamp.
Paul Massey2/10The lighting continues in the other end of the sitting room, with a metal chandelier from Les Couilles du Chien, W11, set off by bold colour and patterns.
Paul Massey3/10The library has custom-made shelves and cupboards painted in ‘China Blue’ by Little Greene providing a contrast with the vibrant yellow doorframe. A vintage leather chair and a striking cluster chandelier are distinctive enough to hold their own against the strong colour.
Paul Massey4/10Suzy’s collection of Hans J Wegner ‘Wishbone’ chairs and bespoke ash ‘Table Series 2’ by Another Country were the starting point for the kitchen scheme. Curtains in Sandberg’s ‘Ofelia’ soften Lapicida ‘Nero Parquet’ stone floor tiles and cabinets in ‘Ultra Blue’ by Little Greene..
Paul Massey5/10Comfort is at the heart of Suzy’s ethos and in her bedroom, walls in light-reflecting ‘Temple’ by Paint & Paper Library create a base for layers of texture – from an upholstered headboard, cashmere blanket and sheepskin rug to curtains from John Boyd’s ‘Designs of the Time’ collection.
Paul Massey6/10In the main bedroom, Little Greene’s ‘Theatre Red’ adds drama to the dressing room that leads to an en-suite bathroom.
Paul Massey7/10In the girls' room, Suzy’s wool ‘Flamingo’ tapestry for The Rug Company hangs over a Quodes ‘Satellite’ cabinet by Barber & Osgerby.
Paul Massey8/10An Eames ‘EA117’ chair echoes the green of a blind in a geometric print by Larsen in the study.
Paul Massey10/10Suzy’s low-maintenance garden features Kettal’s ‘Riva’ armchairs, designed by Jasper Morrison for outdoor use, on an AstroTurf lawn.
