How did a magnificent Thurloe Square town house in London—a property bathed in greenery and sun-diffused light from private communal gardens—become a home divided, torn between the distinct design visions of the men in the house and that of the wife and mother? Despite being outnumbered four to one by her husband and three sons, the homeowner possessed a secret weapon in her design arsenal: London-based AD100 interior designer and childhood friend Leonora Hamill. Together, they embarked on a comprehensive project to execute both the cosmetic makeover of the 5,000-square-foot South Kensington home and master the delicate art of compromise.
Spanning five generously proportioned floors, the residence successfully carves out room for everyone within its expansive footprint. The transformation bridges two seemingly opposed design sensibilities, seamlessly layering modernist elements favored by the husband with rich textiles and cozy details desired by the wife to create a welcoming environment for their three boys.
Nowhere is this harmonious clash of styles more evident than in the sophisticated drawing room. Here, patterned Pierre Frey curtains and a rose-velvet-upholstered Luigi Caccia Dominioni sofa play off a pair of modernist Pierre Jeanneret chairs fitted with bespoke tweed cushions, alongside a sculptural, stark white coffee table by François Bauchet.
Hamill acquired the Pierre Jeanneret chairs at auction, topping them with a de Le Cuona tweed cushion to soften their architectural lines. She also sourced a pair of 1950s Swedish reading lights by Paavo Tynell at auction. The sophisticated seating arrangement includes a sofa upholstered in velvet by Thorp of London, paired with a pair of coffee tables by Martin Szekely from Galerie kreo and anchored by a vintage Scandinavian rug from Doris Leslie Blau.
The client initially expressed a desire for blue walls, a foundational color choice that is artfully offset in the drawing room by a Dmitriy & Co sofa covered in vibrant Lewis & Wood Kimono fabric. "We loved the shape," designer Leonora Hamill notes of the seating piece. "It’s inviting and comfortable." Additional details in the sprawling space include a lamp from Christopher Butterworth topped with a Vaughan lampshade, and a 17th-century Portuguese cabinet from Foster & Gane centered precisely between curtains crafted in Pierre Frey’s Rochambeau fabric. Danish midcentury chairs sourced from Morentz and a family-heirloomed 19th-century painting by Eugène Boudin complete the layered aesthetic.
"The curtains were a coup," Hamill says, reflecting on the fabric choices and admitting that a classical chintz might have pushed the room’s traditional aesthetic too far. "We layered modernist elements for the husband and textiles for the wife, who wanted maximum coziness for their boys."
The children often perch on a vintage round conversation piece that Hamill and the homeowner spotted together at Puces de Paris Saint-Ouen, the world’s largest antiques market. "Leonora found me some really unusual pieces of furniture at different dealers on both sides of the Channel," the wife recalls, noting the hours they spent sourcing items side by side. Hamill had the circular seating re-covered in contrasting Lewis and Wood velvets to bridge the gap in the expansive room. "The room is quite wide, and the sofa is far away from the fireplace," Hamill explains. "A low piece like this helps connect the fireplace to the sofa, and it’s quite fun when entertaining."
Moving into the dining room, the space showcases an array of personal objects significant to the family’s history and travels. These include a suzani tablecloth sourced during the client’s journeys, an antique French 19th-century children’s highchair that serves as a family heirloom, and decorative objects hand-selected by the homeowner from the Decorative Fair in London. The table setting features plates from OKA, bamboo cutlery from Sabre, and a textured rug imported from Maison Blaoui in Marrakech.
A bold statement piece in the dining room is Alexandre Logé’s contemporary pendant light, which introduces a modern edge to an otherwise sumptuous and traditional room. Custom shelves display an eclectic collection sourced from the London Decorative Fair, featuring Japanese baskets and Kashmiri papier-mâché boxes. While the Gio Ponti chairs commanded a powerful visual inclination and required a substantial restoration to ensure structural stability, a colorful suzani laid across the table softens the overall mood. "This reflects them well, a layered interior with a contemporary bent," Hamill observes. "Mixing it up is what they wanted."
The morning room, however, is where the family spends the majority of their time together. The space features deeply comfortable seating, including a pair of armchairs upholstered in a Thorp of London yellow chenille and a sofa piled high with pillows crafted from antique suzanis and Eastern European textiles. The windows are dressed in Clarence House fabric featuring Eliot Crewel embroidery, set above a Robert Kime rug and a bespoke club fender covered in Claremont carriage cloth.
A subtle nod to the husband’s thoughtfulness hangs directly above the ikat sofa: an oversized photograph from Hamill’s own Art in Progress series, given as a gift to his wife for the birth of their second son. Nearby, a Märta Måås-Fjetterström tapestry forms the focal point of an expertly curated gallery wall.
"Leonora is the master of gallery wall hangs," the wife says. "I love what she did with that room—it’s so cozy." Initially, the rich green hue of the walls felt a bit too bold for both the husband and wife. "Leonora encouraged me to be brave," she recalls. "In the end, I’ve found one’s boldest choices become one’s favorites."
Unlike the formal reception rooms, the kitchen required no structural interventions or aesthetic overhauls. "I loved the large kitchen the previous owners had chosen," the homeowner notes. "We kept it as it was. Everything was very colorful and a welcome change from all the white houses we had visited." Hamill echoes the sentiment, praising the existing layout executed by the previous owners in collaboration with designer Hugh Leslie.
Upstairs, the primary bedroom offers a private sanctuary. Hamill upholstered the walls in a Manuel Canovas fabric, pairing them with a vintage wicker peacock chair sourced in France that features a custom pancake cushion crafted from a suzani. The window treatments feature an embroidered edge in Mitra by Alidad for Chelsea Textiles. "The light is beautiful," Hamill notes of the room’s orientation. "It looks onto the square." A painted glass mirror from Marrakech adds a final touch of exotic texture.
The primary bathroom, a marble-clad haven designed originally by the prior homeowners with Hugh Leslie, provides a soothing respite from the bustling city outside. "It’s bathed in greenery and light," Hamill says. "This is a very nice house to be in."
The home’s powder room continues the botanical theme with a green hue that visually reflects the lush landscaping visible just outside the window. "Leonora has a great visual memory," the homeowner remarks. "She always has the big picture in mind. I completely trust her."
For the guest bedroom, Hamill leaned into shades of pink, a color she considers a neutral. "The wife would have done the entire house in pink," the designer shares. "We settled on a bedroom. A client once told me to add a drop of pink into white ceilings because it’s so flattering on the skin, and I’ve done it ever since."
The guest bedroom walls are upholstered in pink Fermoie fabric, which is carried over onto the bed itself. The bedcover is from Décors Barbares, complemented by a tapestry cushion sourced in Egypt and an antique bedside table discovered at the Decorative Fair. "I’m proud of it," Hamill says of the delicate side table. "It’s so unusual and pretty. It doesn’t have much sturdiness, but it’s not used every day." A 19th-century artwork hanging in the space serves as another cherished family heirloom.
Reflecting on the collaborative design process, the homeowner emphasizes the personal nature of the journey. "You spend a lot of time decorating your house," she says. "It’s such a personal experience, so it has to be a pleasant one, too." Through compromise, thoughtful curation, and a shared vision, everyone involved emerges as a winner.
