Designer Ebba Thott of Sigmar transforms a Notting Hill Flat for a client who wanted to achieve the feel of 1930’s Vienna, in the fashionable neighborhood of Notting Hill, London, England. This was achieved through a muted grey scale, with dramatic dark woodwork to contrast and plenty of vintage touches. The designer used a blend of Scandinavian modernism and English eclecticism in the interiors—an apt reflection of the far-flung travels of both designer and client (who is an American in London).

In the photograph above, the bookshelf was designed by Sigmar, along with the ladder. It needed to house the owner’s large collection of books, as well as accommodate the existing radiators. The backdrop for the interior is various grey shades, while the green and red provide bright accents. The walls and bookshelf are painted in London Cloud from the Damo collection, available at Sigmar. The woodwork is Cocoa, also from Damo.

The designer brings an Old World feel to the entrance hall (reminiscent of those in prewar New York apartment buildings) with the main feature being a vintage Thonet bench upholstered in a checkered black-and-white fabric.

The floor has stone slabs in the middle, which is hard and durable, great for an entrance. The stone is edged with the same oak planks that flow through the rest of the house. The walls are painted in Sure Grey from the Damo collection, available at Sigmar.

A view from the entrance towards the living room. Reclaimed oak floors throughout the flat introduce a relaxed warmth.

A painting from the owner’s contemporary art collection hangs in the hallway.

A detail from the living room in which the accent colors of the room are picked up on. “The green on the lampshade and cushion is a lovely pea green,” Thott says. “I was inspired by the green in some of the paintings in the client’s beautiful and quirky art collection and used it to tie the room together.

The dining room generously opens up to the living room allowing a flow between the rooms. The colours in the two rooms correlate to create a link through the flat. The walls are painted in Sure Grey from the Damo collection, available at Sigmar.

In the bedrooms you can afford to break off from the dark woodwork in the rest of the flat and go for a more traditional white. The walls are painted in London Cloud from the Damo collection, available at Sigmar.

A detail of the bedside table from the guest bedroom. The switches are built into the bed and are completely flush.

A steel four-poster bed adds a modern note to the wallpapered bedroom in Marthe Armitage’s oak leaf in a custom blue. The ladder is custom, as designed by Sigmar.

A detail from the master bedroom. A small shelf hold a selection of books next to an armchair. The master bedroom is wallpapered in Marthe Armitage’s oak leaf in a custom blue.

Toilets are a place for being expressive. In this small space the beautiful blue tiles break off an otherwise all white bathroom. The Blueware tiles are patterned with photographic-negative images of pressed weeds from London streets.

Photos: Petr Krejci