The drawing room

The Drawing Room

Located in the new part of the old house, the drawing room or living room, as it's also known, is heavily influenced by architect John Soane and the aesthetic of the Regency era.

• I knew from the very beginning that I wanted a chintz fabric wallcovering in this room, and opted for the 'Bryanstone chintz by Lee Jofa. It isn't in production anymore, so it had to be made for me on a custom order that took nine months.
• The domed ceiling is directly inspired by the work of John Soane and has three vaulted sections.
• The ceiling is anchored by a chandelier I used to have in my London apartment, and it is a Maison Jansen original from the 1930s.
• Unusually, this living room also acts as a hallway, which I like very much as it's reminiscent of grand English homes that had large hallways with huge open fires. Rather than narrow hallways, I always prefer open, flowing spaces.
• The seating arrangement is centred around the fire with smaller groupings around the outside; in total, the room can easily accommodate 10-12 people.
• Provenance is of utmost importance to me, and this impacts all of my furniture and artwork choices. It doesn't matter how much something is worth if it has a story that speaks to you and has meaning, that is provenance.
• Beauty always follows practicality, so a room must first function properly. For a living room, this means it has to be comfortable and relaxing to sit in, and the furniture layout should be conducive to conversation.
• While I wanted the room to be in a traditional English style, I also wanted it to feel part of the landscape in which it sits. All of the paintings and artworks are connected to Morocco and the Islamic world, as are select pieces of furniture.
• The room is always adorned with plants and fresh flowers cut from the garden.