2019-05-01 Homes & Gardens

DESIGNERNicky Dobree, director,

Nicky Dobree Interior Design, 020 7828

5989, nickydobree.com.

THE PROPERTYA seven-bedroom,

Twenties villa in west London.

DESIGN BRIEFThe brief for this master

en suite focused on achieving refined

elegance and a touch of glamour, with

details inspired by the owners’ Parisian

forays and their home’s Art Deco heritage.

They also wanted plenty of storage and

room to get ready for the day ahead.

DIMENSIONS 5x4m.

LAYOUT

Therectangular room has two

doorways on opposite sides (leading

to bedroom and dressing room), and

a tall window between on one side,

leaving only one wall free of apertures.

By building a stud wall in front of

this clear run, Nicky has effectively

created an extra wall against which

to install fittings. ‘Bringing the wall

forward allows the bath to take centre

stage in here,’ she explains. The new

stud wall also conceals a generous

showering area and the WC.

SURFACES

‘Calacatta marble was selected for

its beautiful golden veining. It was

bookmatched, with the pattern

radiating outwards from the bath, for

maximum effect,’ says Nicky. Painting

walls and woodwork in a soothing

white stops the busy marble from

overpowering the space.

FITTINGS

Positioned opposite each other, the

Twenties-inspired mirrored glass

vanity units were designed by Nicky,

and include inset bronze details and

elegantly tapered legs in crisp white

lacquer. ‘Bronze towel rails were

added on each side and the mirrored

cabinets above provide additional

storage,’ adds Nicky.

LIGHTING

Designed by the late American artist

Tony Duquette, the brass chandelier

forms a glamorous crowning feature

above the bath. The original Art Deco

wall lights provide a quieter note of

sophistication above the vanity units.

STYLING

The dramatic feature wall framing

the bath plays a key role in achieving

an air of exclusivity. ‘It was inspired

by Monsieur Bleu restaurant in Paris,

which has similar niche shelving

behind the bar,’ says Nicky. ‘The gold

metallic finish that echoes the

Calacatta veining is actually polished

plaster.’ Bringing the bath forward

also makes better use of the room’s

full footprint, rather than placing

fittings along the perimeter walls

• a common design pitfall that, here,
  has been cleverly swerved.

WHERE TO BUY

FITTINGS

Celine freestandingbath,

£7,738, Devon & Devon.

Bespoke mirroredvanity units,

Nicky Dobree Interior Design.

Henry exposed floor-mounted

tub fillerwith hand-shower and

metal lever handles (bath taps),

£4,345; Henry gooseneck

three-hole deck-mounted

lavatoryfaucetswith metal

lever handles (basin taps),

£1,267.20 each, Waterworks.

SURFACES

For similarmarble,try

Calacatta Oro tiles, £91.32sq m,

All Natural Tiles.Wallspainted

in Wimborne White modern

emulsion, £46.50 for 2.5L,

Farrow & Ball.

ACCESSORIES

Dandelion 24chandelier

(DC4610.24) by Tony Duquette

in brass, £5,229, Remains

Lighting. For similarwall

lights,try brass Naples wall

sconces, from £449 each,

Holloways of Ludlow.

A mirrored vanity

unit references the

property’s Art

Deco heritage.

FEATURE

LINDA CLAYTON

PHOTOGRAPHS

PHILIP VILE

DESIGN

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