The clients wanted vibrancy and colour. Enter the purple sofa
‘Can you do a house in Vienna?’ The unexpected inquiry came from a young Austrian couple who had lived in London for years and discovered my shop, books, and studio along the way. They were returning home and had bought a remarkably untouched 1917 villa in Vienna’s handsome Dornbach district, where the beautiful urbanism of this remarkable city gives way to vineyards and to the open country beyond.
They came to the office and explained the issue. Every Viennese designer they spoke with had a modernist approach involving white walls, black furniture, and occasional red accents. That was not their look at all. Their sensibility, learned and fine-tuned in England, leaned toward a layered, colourful approach to life. They were seeking to draw out and enhance the character of the old house, removing modern changes, restoring period details, and bringing to the fore a sense of energy.
I know we don’t like to talk about the pandemic, but it was a background to the story. We first met in the depths of the London lockdown, and my only visits to the house were virtual. It was also an extraordinarily swift project. Local firm Moser Architects was appointed, and builders were starting on-site.
My colleague Leo Kary and I had the briefest of moments to intervene on the architectural framework of the house. We toured the various details – the fantastic mouldings, the facade, the views from the upstairs rooms – via iPhone. We pored over the original, beautiful architectural drawings signed by Anton Schnell.
We then set to work designing fireplaces, helping on the restoration of architectural elements, and guiding swiftly, at a distance, the design of a new kitchen, dressing rooms, and other features. Our clients were adamant about certain things. The stone floor that ran through most of the ground-floor rooms was to be retained.
I did not understand why until I finally experienced the house in person. I arrived last summer to take photographs of the completed project. It was a sweltering, sultry weekend that felt distinctly (to my naïve mind) un-Austrian. The stone floors brought a coolness to the interior that was astonishingly welcome. I understood the brief a little better that day.
From the start, the clients knew they wanted vibrancy and colour. We dove into a palette of rich, saturated hues; I introduced the clients to Adelphi wall hangings and to Morris & Co., Hamilton Weston, Howard & Sons, and Soane Britain. They introduced us to brilliant Viennese dealers like Michael Schwab, who provided much of the furniture, and to a network of excellent local craftsmen.
I have longed to decorate in regal purple for years; it’s not many clients who boldly go for that shade on the main sofa. But then to combine it with a stunning needlepoint ottoman by London-based Hunt & Hope, custom-made to our own design – intense!
Antique heirlooms weave through the narrative. Grandfather clocks, dining chairs, silver, and glass were combined with an eye-popping collection of contemporary art and sculpture assembled by our clients. I don’t mind admitting that I had no say in these choices, because this was one of those dynamic relationships where our ideas bounced around and against each other like atoms fizzing around a science experiment.
Of course, there are elements of calm too. Every drama needs its moments of gentle pace; our clients, carrying on from their house in London, were set on the idea of a de Gournay wallcovering in the bedroom. The one selected provides the room with a serene, airy simplicity. The stair hall has simple white walls and soft gray on the woodwork. It’s always, in life, a question of balance.
And so here we find ourselves on a hot midsummer’s evening, on the weekend that Leo and I took these photographs, sitting in the scented garden enjoying fantastic company, delicious wine, and remarkable food. An evening that started with a degree of formality descends into brilliant laughter, stories, and a sense of glamour – tales told long into the night. Never has a setting felt more right for its happy, vivacious, thoughtful yet carefree owners – perfect collaborators on our adventures together.
Entry
The wainscoting and staircase are painted in Farrow & Ball’s ‘Lamp Room’.
Drawing room
Mantel by Jamb; artwork by Hans Kupelwieser. For details, see Resources.
Drawing room
The family’s Yorkshire terrier, Leon, relaxes on a Howard & Sons sofa in a Romo fabric. Custom ottoman’s needlepoint border by Hunt & Hope; walls painted in Farrow & Ball’s ‘Shaded White’; artwork (left) by Tomo Campbell.
Kitchen
The custom island is painted in Farrow & Ball’s ‘Green Smoke’, and the hood is by Fletzeger. The chair was copied by an 18th century antique. On the left, the standing meat slicer is by Berkel.
Dining room
An Eero Saarinen table is surrounded by antique chairs. Rug, Guinevere; wallcovering, Adelphi; artworks by Robert Schaberl (left) and Hanakam & Schuller (right).
Bar area
Custom cobalt walls contrast with a turquoise ceiling and curtains in a Pentreath pattern for Morris & Co.
Wife’s study
The walls are covered in a Svenskt Tenn pattern. The desk is custom, the Eames chair is by Vitra, and the lamp is by Anglepoise.
Husband’s study
The sofa is by Howard & Sons and a Max Rollitt chair in a Claremont stripe. The custom ottoman has a top in a Pierre Frey floral. The pendants are by Roche Bobois and the artwork is by Denise Rudolf Frank.
Main bedroom
The walls are covered in a patterned silk by de Gournay. Chair by Rose Uniacke.
Winter garden
The 19th-century chaise is covered in a fabric from Pentreath’s collection for Morris & Co. The wallpaper is by Twigs, and the rug is by Sinclair Till.
