House Style with Mallika Chaudhuri and Sean Ronnie Hill
After letting us inside their renovated family home in west London, fashion designer Mallika Chaudhuri and architect Sean Ronnie Hill share their house style.
How would you describe the interiors of your house?
Sean: “Considered, adaptable and functional.
“We considered every part of this house and really took time to design each room to fit its function. Being a relatively small space, we thought about clever ways to make it adaptable and multifunctional, with a moving island in the kitchen, for example. We wanted one open space but to still maintain a feeling of zones.
“Our Mediterranean experiences (having lived a collective 15 years between us in Barcelona) definitely had a great influence on the interiors, and we wanted to create fluidity through the house as well as a sense of calm. The material palette of Birch plywood, soft pinks, greys and the bright Yves Klein blues on the studio doors takes you on a journey through the house: you enter into a dark cavernous corridor and then you come into a bright, light-filled space with this brilliant shining blue and greens from the garden foliage.
“We also wanted to make our house as ‘natural’ as possible. We chose clay plaster for its textural and non-toxic properties for the walls. Birch plywood and reclaimed London multi bricks for the depth, character and sense of movement.”
If there was a fire and you could only save one thing, what would it be?
Sean: “I would save our cat Brunito, who we adopted when we lived in Barcelona.”
Mallika: “My perspex/brass framed sofas, which I inherited from my parents who bought them in the early ’80s from Harrods. The design is incredible and it’s very difficult to find furniture made so impeccably these days. They also come with a lot of memories and bring nostalgia to our home. Oh, and all my old photographs, of course!”
What was the last thing you bought for your home?
Mallika: “The dining table and chairs. When we moved from Barcelona six years ago, we arrived with our new born and two suitcases and in a very short version of long traumatic story, we lost all of our life’s belongings in the move. So with the constant expectation that one day all our belongings would turn up, we were afraid to purchase more things. For the last six years we have been dining on a rickety Victorian side table.
I found this mid-century piece on Golborne Road for a great price and it extends to a 10 seater. Its the only piece of furniture we have actually bought since we moved in (everything else is built-in so we are safe).”
Where do you shop for your home?
Mallika: “Well, we haven’t really had to ‘shop’ as we haven’t really needed any furniture (Sean designed and Liam fabricated the black metal pivot lights) but there is nothing more I love than finding a reclaimed or vintage piece which is unique, coming with its own journey and has a story. I love reclaimed yards like Kempton Market or strolling down Golborne Road.”
Sean: “I’m not a fan of shops. I would prefer to sketch out ideas/solutions for problems and discuss them with the local master joiner Liam Dryden (who fabricated and installed all the joinery) and have him add to the growing number of bespoke items in the flat, like the ‘Stairway to Heaven’ stool made out of birch plywood on industrial castors which helps Mal and the girls reach the higher cabinets and climb into the bath!”
Top three coffee table books?
Dries Van Noten 1-50. An insight into the world of the legendary fashion designer, detailing his mastering of intricate fabrics and his innovation of embroideries and prints.
Horst: Photographer of Style, for its huge collection of prints, drawings and scrapbooks of an extraordinary range of work.
Paulo Mendes da Rocha, Projetos 1957-1999 by Rosa Artigas. The master-builder. We both hugely admire his Masetti House in Sao Paulo for its use of raw concrete infused with the liveliness of encaustic tiles and warmth of timber, standing the test of time both stylistically and physically.
If money was no object, what changes would you make?
Sean: “Excavate to create a full basement below the entire flat!
“We are a family of four, plus Brunito, and the girls are growing up fast, so more space would be a real luxury. This question has started me thinking about how to plan the layout of a two-meter wide swimming pool running the full length of the site front to back with rooms looking onto the water and views to the sky through the floor above.”
Less is more or more is more?
Mallika: “Tricky one! I love lots of different genres of design and love mixing them all up. I am also very sentimental so find it hard to throw things out but I am getting better at editing. Sean, I would say, is less is more.”
If you’re having people over for dinner, what do you cook?
Mallika: “South-East Asian, India or Persian/Palestinian. I love to cook and love great food. I have been brought up by our own personal chef (my mother) and my family are of mixed heritage – Bengali, Iranian, Pakistani, Burmese – so I grew up eating all types of food. I have learnt great tips from her and enjoy cooking anything from Keralan fish curry to a Thai noodle dish or something out of Jerusalem by Ottolenghi.”
What are the best things about the neighbourhood?
Mallika: “Its vibrancy and really interesting cultural history. Harlesden is a melting pot of cultures and you can buy literally anything you can think of on the high street and the independent local supermarket is a dream for any foodie.”
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