Houzz Tours
London Houzz Tour: Candy Colours Create a Designer's Playful Home
A characterless space is transformed into a kaleidoscopic wonderland for its colour-loving owner
When former shoe designer and self-confessed colour addict Cleo Barbour bought her warehouse apartment, it had an extremely minimalist look and was the complete opposite of her own style. “It was very much a 1990s bachelor pad,” explains James Owen Webster, architectural designer at Alexander Owen Architecture, who helped realise Cleo’s vision. “Cleo was a shoe and accessories designer and, having grown up in an artistic family, she is obsessed with colour and has an eye for design and detail. She wanted her home to reflect her personality as well as her brand, so it had to be bold and playful yet refined, with no boundaries when it came to colour.”
The apartment is now packed with colour and interesting detail. The double-height living space with mezzanine bedroom was already in place, but it has been given a kaleidoscopic overhaul. Exposed steel girders are painted in bright pinks and purples, and an ombre wall sweeps from turquoise to white and back again.
“Cleo found the ombre wallpaper, but unfortunately the rolls weren’t long enough to stretch the entire height of the living room wall,” says Webster. “So we suggested hanging it from the top down and from the bottom up creating the effect you see.”
Saraille wallpaper: Designers Guild; sofa: Loaf
“Cleo found the ombre wallpaper, but unfortunately the rolls weren’t long enough to stretch the entire height of the living room wall,” says Webster. “So we suggested hanging it from the top down and from the bottom up creating the effect you see.”
Saraille wallpaper: Designers Guild; sofa: Loaf
Long single lengths of timber flooring were used throughout most of the apartment.
“We designed the floor-to-wall junction with a shadow gap effect, which sees the walls disappear behind the timber,” Webster says. This gives a streamlined look.
Soap-washed Douglas fir flooring: Dinesen
“We designed the floor-to-wall junction with a shadow gap effect, which sees the walls disappear behind the timber,” Webster says. This gives a streamlined look.
Soap-washed Douglas fir flooring: Dinesen
Cleo requested a bold, playful light feature to be suspended from the ceiling in the main living space. It needed to be energy efficient, as Cleo wanted to upgrade the apartment’s energy performance and reduce utility bills, and also low-maintenance due to its high location. She also wanted it to provide both task and mood lighting.
“We designed a triangulated, aluminium framework that could be suspended beneath the existing roof windows,” says Webster. “This was painted candy pink – Cleo’s favourite colour – then low-energy, dimmable LED strips were fitted into recessed channels and covered with a frosted diffuser.”
“We designed a triangulated, aluminium framework that could be suspended beneath the existing roof windows,” says Webster. “This was painted candy pink – Cleo’s favourite colour – then low-energy, dimmable LED strips were fitted into recessed channels and covered with a frosted diffuser.”
As a tribute to the apartment’s factory past, a bespoke, low-level shelf in the living space was made to look like scaffolding. It fits perfectly under the large window that looks out to the apartment’s terrace.
The main living area opens on to the dining space and kitchen, which also have been kitted out with flashes of bold, bright colours and industrial-style touches.
A stainless steel-topped baking unit, found by Cleo in an antiques shop in Staffordshire, creates a stunning focal point in the kitchen and also provides more benchtop space.
The architects designed the bare bulb lighting rig and scaffolding shelves to complement the warehouse vibe.
“Being quite a small kitchen, it had to fit a lot in without feeling too cramped,” says Webster. “The open shelving aimed to give a better sense of space and the concrete extractor fan unit was designed by us to feel as if it were a continuation of the wall.”
Kitchen units: John Lewis of Hungerford
“Being quite a small kitchen, it had to fit a lot in without feeling too cramped,” says Webster. “The open shelving aimed to give a better sense of space and the concrete extractor fan unit was designed by us to feel as if it were a continuation of the wall.”
Kitchen units: John Lewis of Hungerford
As Cleo wanted her apartment to be energy efficient, the original Crittall windows were given double glazing.
“Each glazing piece had to be measured and installed individually and mapped for reinstallation into the correct aperture as some of the framing had warped. This meant every double-glazed unit was a different size,” Webster says.
“Each glazing piece had to be measured and installed individually and mapped for reinstallation into the correct aperture as some of the framing had warped. This meant every double-glazed unit was a different size,” Webster says.
The existing terrace was designed to match the colourful interior scheme.
“The client wanted a Moroccan-themed terrace, inspired by the Majorelle Garden in Marrakech,” Webster says.
“The client wanted a Moroccan-themed terrace, inspired by the Majorelle Garden in Marrakech,” Webster says.
Exposed steel in turquoise and pink reflects Cleo’s love of colour.
“The original beams were boxed in, so we decided to expose them entirely to leave some of the original warehouse features in place,” says Webster. “They needed to be treated with intumescent paint for fire regulations.”
“The original beams were boxed in, so we decided to expose them entirely to leave some of the original warehouse features in place,” says Webster. “They needed to be treated with intumescent paint for fire regulations.”
The striking spiral staircase leading up to the mezzanine level was originally clad in tiles, so was stripped back to the metal and painted.
Candy pink cupboards conceal the washing machine and dryer in the shower room, which is located on the first level. And the hexagonal-shaped wall and floor tiles are finished with a matching pink grout.
The internal doors were designed by the architects. “In terms of design, we wanted them to be simple, bold doors which would suit Cleo’s personality, as well as the warehouse setting,” says Richard Alexander Bridges, Webster’s business partner. “They have magnets concealed in the doorframe instead of door catches and standard handles.”
Romantic and glamorous, the spectacular mezzanine master bedroom is filled with turquoise, peach and pink, plus brushed gold fittings and modern artworks by Peter McDonald and Tommy Penton.
“The radiator was custom-sprayed and the wallpaper is a continuation of the living room paper,” Webster says. “The decorator nearly had a nervous breakdown – we had to ask him to rehang a few strips to reach an exacting standard!”
“The radiator was custom-sprayed and the wallpaper is a continuation of the living room paper,” Webster says. “The decorator nearly had a nervous breakdown – we had to ask him to rehang a few strips to reach an exacting standard!”
Cleo asked for her bedroom to be left totally open to the downstairs floor.
“It isn’t screened from downstairs, but the external windows have blinds to the street,” Webster says. “We suggested designing a collapsing screen, but she was happy with it being open.”
“It isn’t screened from downstairs, but the external windows have blinds to the street,” Webster says. “We suggested designing a collapsing screen, but she was happy with it being open.”
At the other end of the mezzanine bedroom is an amazing bespoke ‘shoe wardrobe’, which is both glamorous and practical.
“The wardrobe needed to be a statement piece for Cleo,” Webster says, “but beyond that, it needed to be robust for constant use and also allow Cleo’s shoes to do the talking!”
When the glass door to each section is opened, a shelf glides forward with the selected shoes. “We used car parts to achieve the sliding drawer mechanism and also UV-protection glass, as Cleo didn’t want the sunlight to fade the colour of the shoes in any way.”
“The wardrobe needed to be a statement piece for Cleo,” Webster says, “but beyond that, it needed to be robust for constant use and also allow Cleo’s shoes to do the talking!”
When the glass door to each section is opened, a shelf glides forward with the selected shoes. “We used car parts to achieve the sliding drawer mechanism and also UV-protection glass, as Cleo didn’t want the sunlight to fade the colour of the shoes in any way.”
Behind giant sliding mirrored doors, which enhance the feeling of space in the room, there is more storage.
Coral-coloured drawers in the built-in wardrobe open up to reveal an orderly array of jewelled shoe trims and accessories.
Cleo beside her amazing ‘shoe wardrobe’, which not only provides storage but also an amazing statement feature.
The master ensuite has a tropical vibe with a lime-green roll-top bath and foliage to match the amazing feature wallpaper.
This candy-pink and turquoise door leads to the guest bedroom.
The guest bedroom has accents of purple and mint green to lift the otherwise monochrome scheme.
A view from the outside, where you can see a glimpse of Cleo’s bold colour choices.
Who lives here: Cleo Barbour, a visual artist with a background in shoe and accessory design
Location: Westbourne Park, London, UK
Property: Warehouse conversion
Size: 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
Designers: James Owen Webster and Richard Alexander Bridges, architectural designers at Alexander Owen Architecture
It’s difficult to imagine that Cleo Barbour’s vibrant, light-filled home was once a minimalist space. But that’s exactly what it was when she bought the apartment, which is in a building that was previously a printing factory and then a bus station.
“Cleo bought the property because of its style, open space and warehouse feel,” says architectural designer James Owen Webster. “Architecturally, therefore, we wanted to keep the detailing robust, telling the story of the domestic conversion by offsetting these details with refined materials, fixtures and fittings.”