Open House: commissioning editor Eszter Karpati on how to decorate from scratch at her restored flat in a 1920s apartment block in Highbury
Eszter: “In the morning of my move here, I packed all my furniture into a large truck and asked the removal men if we could make a quick detour to Criterion, the auction house on Essex Road. I placed all my furniture in the next sale, and our drive to Highbury suddenly became a lot lighter! It was very liberating. I didn’t want to hold onto anything that I didn’t specifically pick for the space.
“I lived in a tiny lower-ground floor flat in a beautiful Georgian square in Barnsbury. The flat was a little dark, but in an atmospheric way, and it had lots of period features. It was crying out for old furniture: I had a French antique wooden bed with a matching dressing table, a Victorian chaise lounge, heavy velvet curtains, and art everywhere.
“When I first saw this flat I immediately thought it had great potential. It’s a purpose-built block designed by Edward Monson in 1922, a few years before he designed Islington Town Hall on Upper Street. You really get that sense of 1920s utilitarian living and the proportions of the space are perfect – you can tell it was designed to be a flat.
“I liked the green spaces in front of the entrance and at the back, and that there were large sash windows in every room. There was a closed-up chimney breast which I thought would look great with a reclaimed fireplace put in. I liked the fact that the flat was long and I could see how great it could look with narrow floorboards running continuously from one end to the other.
“So I laid down reclaimed pine floorboards and hid all the pipes underneath them; installed an original cast-iron fireplace and cast-iron radiators, opened up the kitchen by moving the boiler into the bathroom and created a lot of built-in storage space.
“Opening up the kitchen was key. There were hanging cabinets on all three walls with a U-shaped worktop. The finishes were dark which made the space appear small. Removing the hanging cabinets from two of the walls, leaving them completely bare, and installing a simple all-white kitchen has really opened up the space.
“Creating a built-in wardrobe in the bedroom meant that I could keep this space clean and tranquil. It’s a lovely space to fall asleep and wake up in, especially with the window open.
“For me, modern living is about a more simplified life. Living with fewer things – fewer pieces of furniture, fewer items of clothing, fewer pieces of art, fewer products…just a bit less of everything. It’s not about periods or styles or brands, but about living with things you love and bring you happiness on a daily basis, and in the long run.
“I wanted to live in a simple space in which I knew and loved everything – from the furniture right down to the crockery. I wanted it to be modern but with the warmth of some rusticity, which created a great filter when decorating.
“It meant that I could talk myself out of buying things very easily. But I have always been interested in lamp design so sourcing lights for the different rooms was a lot of fun. The pair of bedside factory lights, for instance, come from two different sources – one I bought from a dealer in England and the other I got from an eBay seller in Germany.
“The green German beer bench is the one piece of furniture that survived the move from my previous flat. I like sitting by it with my feet under the cast-iron radiators, especially in the winter. It’s a great spot for working, making art, having breakfast, looking out the window and contemplating life…
“I’m looking to move to Highgate, though it only takes 45 minutes to walk from Highbury to Highgate through the Parkland Walk. It’s one of my favourite London walks.
“It’s difficult to single out just one thing I value the most about this flat. I like how light it is and how calm it feels. I like cooking in it. I like working in it. I like just being in it.
“But having a new project on is always exciting. I cannot wait to have a reason to go to all my favourite places again – flea markets, vintage fairs and auctions. I hope that I’ll be able to create something equally homely as I have done here.”
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