Meet the Team: Senior Sales Advisor Olivia Quirke’s favourite bedrooms
In our ‘Meet the Team’ series, we’re getting to know The Modern House staff. Here, we’re talking to Senior Sales Advisor Olivia Quirke about her favourite bedrooms from houses we’ve sold over the last 12 years.
After completing a BA in Art History at the University of Cambridge, Oliva interned at Christie’s and the Gagosian Gallery before working in marketing and account management. She joined The Modern House in 2017 and oversees the sales of homes with an approach characterised by her natural friendliness and scrupulous attention to detail.
Culford Mews, London N1
“This is such an authentic realisation of someone’s style. The previous owners allowed themselves to be completely free when designing a space that would work for them, and they had such a clear sense of aesthetic.
“I imagine the plot was quite difficult to design around, with planning constraints and what not, but I like the way they found a solution by putting the windows in the ceiling so that the whole roof is open to the sky. I love the idea that you could be in the middle of Canonbury, lying on that bed and staring up at the sky.
“There’s such a sense of pleasure and playfulness at this house. I think you can tell that the owners enjoyed putting different objects together, and I like that the ceramics and paintings in the bedroom aren’t of one style because it shows they have been individually appreciated.”
“This, with its double-height volume and sense of drama, is the complete opposite. It feels like a proper master suite with the bed being like its own island in the middle of the room; it’s throne-like.
“The glass only allows a clear view to the pond and Heath when you’re lying on the bed, which is what I think makes the perfect bedroom: you only get the best of it when you’re relaxing.
“It’s quite extraordinary to sit on that bed in what is a very Brutalist house, with the beautiful, wild landscape outside. It’s the dream!”
“I’ve lived in so many places in the last year, from a basement flat to where I am now, where I have a nice bedroom, but it doesn’t have a view. It’s unsettling to wake up and not see the outside world from your bed, so I think I’m just really craving having that at the moment.
“Some rooms become bedrooms by default. This, however, has been specifically designed as a bedroom, with purpose-built furniture that coheres to the angular, almost graphic lines seen in the rest of the house; it just really works.”
“The bedroom distils many of the reasons why I like the rest of the house: it’s beautifully simple without being pretentious or precious.”
“Again, it’s the idea that you have something really elegant but aren’t precious about it; good design doesn’t suppress the way you live naturally, or make you feel uncomfortable in your own home.
“It’s very simple and pretty in its use of colour, and the joinery and panelling complement the natural form of the buildings. And, of course, the view over the Regent’s Canal is amazing; there’s something so quintessentially London about it.”
If you’re interested in joining The Modern House team, explore our currently available opportunities here.
Read more: Meet the Team: Director of Home Sales Rosie Falconer’s favourite home libraries
Meet the Team: James Noble puts a spotlight on homes where old meets new
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