London interior designer Nicola Harding was the right person to turn to. Her clients, a couple with two young boys, were leaving London for rural Berkshire and life in a Georgian brick manse. They appreciated the grandeur of their house—8,600 square feet, seven bedrooms—but how to downplay the stuffy formality and lend the spaces the right energy—and functionality?
First the layout demanded a rethink, says Harding, noting that more than a few spaces felt “confused and uncomfortable” and that a relatively recent extension “sucked life away from the original part of the building. We kept structural work to a minimum but were able to rework the flow by blocking off doorways, making areas feel less corridor-like and more cozy.”
Equally importantly, Harding happens to be a master colorist: She is both deft and bold in her selections not only of paint but artwork and the many seating and lighting choices a dwelling this size requires. Join us for a tour of her transformative blues and greens and stealth pinks.
Photography by Paul Massey, courtesy of Nicola Harding & Co.
Towards that end, the living spaces, including this corner of the sitting room, are furnished with soft places to flop, arranged, says Harding, “to create a feeling of intimacy.” The sofa and striped pillows are Nicola Harding custom designs. The trio of prints are by Hormazd Narielwalla via UK art site C&B Curates.
Harding says she planned the house’s overall palette by “making note of the natural light levels in the different spaces. Where the light was good, I opted for paler colors that would enhance the sense of space. Where the light levels were lower, I went for richer tones that would give a sense of warmth and drama, and provide an exciting, varied experience of color through the house.”
“A trick I like to use is putting a darker color on the woodwork than on the walls,” Harding adds. Here, the walls are painted in Tracery and the trim is Normandy Grey, both from Little Green. “One’s eye stops at the lightest thing we see, so if you paint a window frame in a darker color, your eye is drawn beyond it to the view.” The rattan Wengler chairs are from Sika-Design.
Nicola’s description of the house’s palette as it was? “Various shades of beige, mushroom, and gray: safe and samey—and bland and depressing.”
The brass table is a Matthew Cox design and the pendant lights are from Cox & Cox. The red velvet-upholstered Safia Dining Chairs came from Made. The OKA block-printed cotton carpet is actually two rugs sewn together.
For more by Nicola Harding take a look at her collaboration with Howe of London:
- ‘Mamma Mia’ Producer Nick Gilpin’s Stylishly Revived Georgian Manse
- Steal This Look: A Plaster Pink Kitchen in Bath, England
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