Indian and Japanese Influences Come Together at This Stylish Apartment in London
Inspired by the Japanese tea ceremony and Holi, the Indian festival of colours, designer Melissa Bolivar has envisioned this tranquil yet playful abode
At first glance, it’s hard to tell in which part of the world this characterful apartment is located. Displaying a mix of cultural influences and design styles, it is, appropriately enough, situated in the melting pot that is London, and belongs to a young couple of Indian heritage who love Japanese design and rituals – hence the name of the project, the Tea House. The role of their interior designer, Melissa Bolivar of the London-based House of Sui Sui, was to combine all of these diverse notes into one stylish, cohesive whole.
Her starting point for the interior was a book of photographs of the couple’s wedding, which showed the bride in an intricate embroidered gold dress, and their pre-wedding party, a Holi festival in a field in Slovenia.
“The sun was setting over this field and there were these bursts of luminous colour in the air everywhere,” Melissa recalls. “I was really inspired by the nature and the colours” – as can be seen in the flashes of pink, green and blue that punctuate the scheme.
The apartment is located in an Arts & Crafts building in north London dating from the 1900s, originally designed as artists’ studios. Due to its architectural heritage, the building is listed, which meant certain original elements of it could not be altered, for instance the subway tiles that line some of the walls.
“That was the main challenge,” says Melissa, “but I believe those limitations allowed us to come up with creative solutions, and design something really unique and special.”
For instance, for the tiled entryway she designed a freestanding cloakroom, or ‘cloakspace’, to hold coats, shoes and bags – a neat storage solution that also creates a fun moment as you enter the apartment. That playful spirit continues in the Klein blue-painted pantry off the kitchen, where bespoke printed tiles depicting a pig and a cow decorate the floor. “The clients just really liked those images,” says Melissa. “For me, if you can add a hospitality touch in a small space like this, so that it makes you feel almost as if you’re in a restaurant, it just adds that edge of coolness. We wanted the pantry to be an experience when you open the door.”
Elsewhere, the vibe is more calming and peaceful, especially in the living space, where the fitted cabinetry has custom-made door fronts in Indian-inspired jali lattice screens. The artwork above the fireplace, which depicts the Kiso Mountains in Japan, is a de Gournay wallpaper, scaled down for the space.
Much of the furniture here was designed by Melissa for the room – for example, the dining table and bench that sit perfectly within the bay window, the neutral corner sofa and the vibrant armchair and stool, all showing an unexpected melange of styles and colours that work together in tranquil harmony.
“I find it interesting that a lot of my clients who have come to the UK from other countries are inspired by British design, but they also want to integrate their culture into their homes,” says Melissa, who is herself of Anglo-Colombian heritage. “It creates a wonderful fusion. Whereas you used to see a lot of brass and marble in the luxury market, there’s a new design style being born. The younger generation who are buying homes in London now are mixing different looks and expressing their identities. It’s really refreshing that we are seeing and creating new design styles that are a combination of all these beautiful cultures.”
Photo: Vigo Jansons1/5The pantry cupboards are painted in a cobalt blue to reference Yves Saint Laurent’s Jardin Majorelle in Marrakech; the paint colour is Smalt by Little Greene. The floor tiles were custom-printed by Tile Fire.
Photo: Vigo Jansons2/5Pictured here, Melissa Bolivar designed the floating staircase, which leads from the guest bedroom up to a mezzanine level above.
Photo: Vigo Jansons3/5The Bedroom
In the guest bedroom, the subway tiles are original to the apartment; the artwork on the wall is a panel of de Gournay wallpaper showing a branch of cherry blossom.
Photo: Vigo Jansons4/5The dressing area in the guest room is tucked into a tile-clad niche, playfully decorated as if it was a retail booth in a luxury department store.
Photo: Vigo Jansons5/5Off the main bedroom, the pink-painted dressing room has a fitted wardrobe with doors covered in a Japan-inspired Iksel wallpaper.
