The phrase ‘many hands make light work’ can be particularly applicable to decorating a property. The best results are often a consequence of creative collaboration between people who understand one another –whether that is two owners with symbiotic taste or, in the case of this flat overlooking Kensington Gardens, the designer and the owner. The former is Laurence Macadam, a director at design studio Mlinaric, Henry and Zervudachi. The latter is Richard Collins, a property developer and design polymath with a keen eye for beautiful things.
Richard had worked with Laurence before on a development project in Chelsea and found in him a kindred spirit. ‘Our tastes just match,’ he says. Together, they have created a home that distils this shared sensibility. It is now a carefully layered showcase for Richard’s love of mid-century European furniture and contem-porary photography. He started buying, renovating and selling properties in central London in the 1980s, often calling upon practised hands when it came to the interiors. Over the course of his 40-year career, he has worked with – and learned from – some of the greats, including Douglas Mackie, Willie Nickerson, Anthony Collett and Robert Kime.
‘Everything I think about design is based on something Robert said to me,’ says Richard, explaining it was from the late interior designer that he learned about the importance of assembling a collection that mixes eras and provenance, precious pieces with less precious ones. ‘He taught me that a house should have layers of interest,’ he recalls. ‘He said you may inherit a chest of drawers from a great aunt that you think is ugly, but you loved her, so you have it in your house. You buy something on your honeymoon that you now don’t like, but it will always be prized as you bought it when in love.’
The idea that every item tells a story is an approach Richard has taken with his own homes ever since; ‘Personally, I lean towards the modern but not sterile. When I find a piece of furniture I like – whether it’s 1950s, 1980s or contemporary – it’s a great thrill.’ Among his prized possessions are a 1950s Jacques Adnet bridge table from Rose Uniacke, two lounge chairs by Marco Zanuso and a polished mahogany dining table from Soane, based on a yacht table design, that now serves as a generous space for dinner parties.
These favourites are set off by a backdrop of soft blues, creams and browns on walls, floors, upholstery and textiles, much of which has followed him from his former home, a light-filled penthouse featured in April 2015’s House & Garden. ‘Working with Richard was easy in many ways,’ says Laurence. ‘He has a palette he returns to and we communicate in a design shorthand. With such spectacular views, it’s important the colours inside don’t compete too much.’
Richard bought the flat in 2019. Living between King’s Cross and Eastbourne and in search of a new project, he came across this 1980s block. The flat had recently been renovated by developers and was, as Laurence recalls, ‘a concrete box’. Its main selling point was the huge, south-west-facing terrace overlooking Kensington Gardens. ‘I was very excited about the idea of having an outside living space with views across London,’ Richard explains.
Before they could start on the decoration, some changes to the layout were required. A bedroom was cut in half, enabling the creation of a small study and extra space for the kitchen, which opens into an airy central room. This is delineated into three zones: one for lounging, one for dining, and a third for playing bridge.
Laurence suggested ways to bring texture into the space using unusual luxurious materials and finishes. The floors are covered in brown leather panels from Bill Amberg Studio. ‘The leather will get scratched and aged and develop a patina over time, which will only make it more beautiful,’ says Laurence, who designed the rugs that sit on top of the leather. The walls are lined with a cream faux suede wallcovering from Phillip Jeffries and a C&C Milano linen. ‘There is something warm about a fabric wall,’ says Richard. ‘You don’t necessarily notice it. It’s not showy – it is just something you feel.’
In the sitting room, a 1970s Danish Poul Kjaerholm chest was the inspiration for a bespoke piece designed by Laurence. With shorter legs, felt-lined drawers and a block of blue Burlington stone on top, it is now ‘the perfect place to serve food or make a drink’, says Richard. His collection of contemporary photography pulls this central space together. Tonally familial pieces include Amos Coal Power Plant from Mitch Epstein’s American Power series, bought from Sikkema Jenkins & Co, and Desirée Dolron’s Cerca Muralla from Michael Hoppen Gallery, W11. ‘I bought that one as I found the blue smoke incredibly striking,’ explains Richard. He nearly did not buy it, though. At first, he thought the photo graph showed a war zone but, on closer inspection, discovered that it actually captures the foggy fumigation of mosquitoes in Cuba: ‘It’s serendipity that it works so well above the cabinet.’
It is the flat’s terrace that really thrills Richard: ‘It’s almost 100 square metres and was totally empty. I wanted to create zones for different purposes: dining and sitting, and a lounging area to read in.’ Richard enlisted the services of garden designer Tom Stuart-Smith, with Charlie Harpur, now head gardener at Knepp Estate in West Sussex, as the project lead. ‘It was a vast, open space that caught a lot of sunlight,’ says Charlie. ‘We wanted to make it feel private, but without obscuring the view of the park beyond.’ Ever-greens of varying height and density – myrtles, hollies and olives – were planted along the edge of the terrace, with olive trees and herbs in pots grouped throughout the space, separating each area. Charlie designed several pieces of bespoke furniture, including a dining table, around which a climbing vine, wisteria and jasmine were added ‘to soften the building’s brick exterior’.
‘It’s the perfect bolthole,’ says Richard. Could he have done it by himself? Almost certainly. Did he want to? Absolutely not. ‘It’s such a joy to work with someone who shares the same style as you.’
Mlinaric, Henry and Zervudach: mhzlondon.com
