House Style with Monica and Simon Siegel, founder of Atomic Interiors
After showing us around their mid-century masterpiece of a house in Nottinghamshire, Monica and Simon Siegel, founder of Atomic Interiors, share their house style.
How would you describe the interiors of your house?
Modern, open-plan with full-height glazing, yet warm, homely and comfortable. The house is mid-century in style, constructed in 1970, and has many of its original features – stone walls, terrazzo floors, teak ceilings and rosewood panels which give it a warm, homely feel. At the same time, it is a dramatic, graphic space set in woodland with vistas into the trees, and constantly changes with the light.
We have been collecting mid-century and contemporary design pieces for many years, so the house is the perfect backdrop for our collection.
If there was a fire and you could only save one thing, what would it be?
Our cat, Sherlock (although Simon would probably try and grab his car keys).
What was the last thing you bought for the house?
A pair of Gubi Pedrera table lights for our bedroom. Lighting is so important to a space and we have a collection of lamps – both originals and new. One of our favourite pieces is a floor lamp by Trix and Robert Haussmann from 1956.
Where do you shop for your home?
We are somewhat spoilt by owning a furniture and lighting business and we regularly visit our suppliers in Italy, Scandinavia and Spain, as well as the Milan furniture fair.
Apart from Atomic, when we travel our first destination is usually a flea market, brocante or antiques store. Our start in the design business was with a market stall selling original design items at Chalk Farm Stables Market in the 1980s, so searching for interesting things is second nature.
Top three coffee table books?
Entryways of Milan by Karl Kolbitz for the hidden and fascinating world of Milan’s apartment buildings.
Case Study Houses: The Complete CSH Program 1945-1966 by Elizabeth A.T. Smith and Julius Shulman. It’s a definitive large-format guide to the houses of Koenig, Neutra, Eames, Ellwood etc., with photographs by Shulman.
Gio Ponti by Ugo La Pietra. Il Maestro – the genius of architecture and design. One of our favourite places is the Hotel Parco dei Principi in Sorrento, which was designed by Ponti and completed in 1962.
If money was no object, what changes would you make?
An architectural/landscape plan for the garden. We have recently had an area of hard-landscaping completed but could do so much more to the garden given time and a good budget. The house has always been an inspiration and is very much how we like it, but there are lots of things we could do to the outside space.
Less is more or more is more?
Somewhere in-between. We aim for less but always seem to end up with more, which is the inevitable result of loving beautiful things…
The intention is to edit our collection but it hasn’t happened yet.
Design classics or contemporary pieces?
A combination of both. There are too many great new designs to consider – especially with contemporary lighting.
If you’re having people over for dinner, what do you cook?
We have a wood-fired pizza oven – initial results have admittedly been mixed but with practice, there has been an improvement! Otherwise, we have a fantastic Indian restaurant nearby which is our default takeaway choice.
What are the best things about the neighbourhood?
Mature trees, the variety of wildlife and quiet space. We can also be in the Peak District in half an hour or in central London in less than two hours.
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