As their antique-filled home on the top floors of a Victorian print works in Clerkenwell comes to the market, owners Paul Chaplin and Stephen Sprake open their doors for a look at why the apartment has been a special place to live.
Stephen: “Oh God, I’m so hesitant to call myself an antiques dealer because it sounds as if I spend my time looking for polished copper kettles and horse brasses. But yes, for lack of a better word, that’s what I do!
“In my work, I like to mix different furniture, light and art of different eras and I like to play with scale a lot too. At my shop, Sans Pretention, you might see a petite 19th-century European oil painting next to a chunky 1950s bamboo chair or an African tribal mask. And I suppose it’s the same here, just in a domestic context.
“I grew up in the 1970s. My parents and their friends had inherited 18th and 19th-century furniture, and they bought new pieces, which of course now is vintage. So, I grew up with that mix, and I still think it keeps things interesting. I try not to be a one trick pony as the people that I sell to are confident, creative types who enjoy mixing this up.
“Unfortunately, I think theres a movement at the moment towards things looking a little bit too similar. To me, injecting interesting stuff and colour into your life is a more exciting prospect, really. That’s what we’ve tried to do here, but still kept it liveable, we hope.”
Paul: “We were in Chelsea before, in a flat we did a number on. It was a convenient place for both of us at the time, but when we came over east to see this we fell in love with the area. There was a greater sense of community here, and a feeling of belonging, which has endured since we’ve been here. You might not expect a tight-knit community in such a central location, but it’s really here.
“The place was virtually a squat when we bought it, so we had to start again. Downstairs, one of the most compelling things about the space is that it’s triple aspect, with uninterrupted views over St Luke’s Gardens on one side, and London’s skyline on the others. Adding rooms would have meant walls that blocked the light and views off, and so we came up with a glass partition instead to separate the space.
“Then, upstairs, we added a dormer to create a master bedroom and en-suite and outdoor terrace. Stephen’s the son of an engineer and he worked hard in ways you’d never notice to get the design right so that the space feels generous and airy.
“It was important to get the right balance between old and new. Thankfully, the cheap laminate floors that were here had actually done a perfect job of protecting the original ones underneath. All the windows are original and have been beautifully restored, but we’ve added modern acoustic glass so they’re better performing.”
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发表于 2020-8-4 01:23:32
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