Recently we received an invitation to home stage this Barbican apartment. Located in the densely populated central financial hub of London and surrounded by everything the art world has to offer, this graded property appeals to London professionals.
The Apartment
The apartment was quite empty at first glance and looked a little sad before our staging, but the Brutalist-style architecture had a striking beauty. Minimalist construction showcased the bare building materials and emphasised structural elements over decorative design. I could immediately see the potential. With the correct furniture, design and colours, I could convert this space to express the luxury it should command.
I’m so excited to share the making of Project Barbican with you. Let’s run through the steps taken to put this project together.
We get the approval to go ahead!
Straight after being appointed to the project, I hit the ground running and started working on the colour schemes. Fabrics and texture were my starting point. Right from the start I had to keep the mood I wanted to create in mind. The process begins with pulling out my sample books. With pen in hand I start to compile the shopping list.
Fabrics, rugs and all things material
Creating a tone-to-tone neutral scheme in fabrics needs proper eye and scale. It’s a process of repeatedly returning to the sample books to ensure the perfect shade selections. Reinforcing the choice for the fabrics is a thorough, time-consuming process.
Then it’s off to the rug supplier, again with my books in hand. It’s imperative that the shades are perfect!
When shopping for bathroom accessories and linens, the same process is applied. Everything needs to come together cohesively.
Back to the apartment
It’s so important to actually see the fabrics in the space they’ll call home. We need to check how they interact with the lighting and how they relate to other items in the space like furniture. I recheck the swatches in situ before placing any final orders.
Proportions are key!
Working with proportions is just as important as the colour scheme. We visualise all the pieces in the space before sourcing and ordering anything. This includes the rugs, furniture and other elements.
Here we are marking the floors to ensure just the right rug size.
We did that for every single room!
Reworking some areas
Now to focus on transforming dead space into focal areas to bring the space alive. We’re trying out a few bottles in the space to create a concept for a dining room wine rack. It works!
Off we go to fetch more bottles to fill the whole unit. That’s 100 bottles in total!
Pulling everything together
Once the tone-to-tone neutral schemes are sorted and the scale is perfect, we can add more layers by bringing in hard furnishings and adding the accessories. Each room is unique while keeping the original mood in mind.
An apartment transformed
Embracing all things Brutalist in architecture
The magic is in the detail
