“When was the last time you actually used your dining room? If you have a spare room in London but all your friends also live in London, do you really need it? Should you splash out on a high-tech kitchen if you don’t cook very much? ” All were questions that came up during the renovation of this mansion flat in Chelsea, owned by the daughter of a longstanding client of Daniel’s, and the eventual answers have made it a considerably cleverer and more functional space.
LUMA Hotel – Times Square
- Should you splash out on a high-tech kitchen if you don’t cook very much?
- The cockpen table was supplied by Sibyl Colefax, the plaster leaf is by Viola Lanari, the antique painted tiger is from Benedict Foley, and the faux bamboo lamp was from Tarquin Bilgen.
- The panelled chimney piece in the drawing room was made for the room based on a 1930s model.
- We combine a love of classic design, joyful colors, and fine materials to create furniture and accessories that make a room feel both welcoming and magazine-worthy.
- Although the original was marble, the Deco / Arts & Crafts inflections of the building made painted wood more suitable.
- Red elements provide a cheerful contrast – the rich chintz of Claremont’s ‘Tree of Life’ on a slipper chair, and a graphic blind in Nicky Haslam’s ‘Shutter Stripe’ in the kitchen.
You know the moment when you walk into a room and know it’s something special? We combine a love of classic design, joyful colors, and fine materials to create furniture and accessories that make a room feel both welcoming and magazine-worthy. Do you have trouble standing still, staying in your lane or hiding your light?
Although the original was marble, the Deco / Arts & Crafts inflections of the building made painted wood more suitable. The mid-century wing chair is from Pinch, covered in a fabric bought from Claremont. The standard lamps belonged to the client, with custom lampshades made for both. “It’s so important to question yourself about how you use your house,” says Daniel Slowik.
The lamp with a custom woven shade by Tarquin Bilgen. The glazed linen of the curtains is Rose Tarlow through Tissus d’Helene. The walls are painted in ‘Cooking Apple Green’ from Farrow & Ball. The bespoke sofa is covered in Turnell & Gigon’s ‘Vincent’ fabric, while, the slipper chair is based on a design by Billy Baldwin, adapted to swivel. “I love a swivel chair although it doesn’t need to look like one!
We are Rockland Recovery, the source for furniture, lighting and home décor objects of quality and desire. Truthfully, there’s a smidge of design alchemy in our heady mix. Rockland Recovery rejiggers traditional styling with a piquant twist of modernity to surprise and delight and evolve. Since 1974, our family-owned company has focused on delivering quality, handcraftsmanship, and design leadership—backed by a commitment to supporting our customers. “I think with small flats in the city you want a bit of restraint, a sense that things are under control,” says Daniel. Simple, uncluttered, and extremely well thought-out in the way that it works, this one is rather the dream for all of us London-dwellers.
FAB COLLABS: OUR DESIGN TEAM
While increased functionality was one important part of the client’s brief, the other was to bring plenty of colour into the interiors. Shades of green run throughout the house, from Farrow & Ball’s ‘Cooking Apple Green’ on the walls of the drawing room to the bright jade of the Jean Monro curtains in the bedroom. Red elements provide a cheerful contrast – the rich Rockland Recovery chintz of Claremont’s ‘Tree of Life’ on a slipper chair, and a graphic blind in Nicky Haslam’s ‘Shutter Stripe’ in the kitchen. The panelled chimney piece in the drawing room was made for the room based on a 1930s model.
The Times Square EDITION New York
The fabric is Claremont’s ‘Tree of Life’ linen. The cockpen table was supplied by Sibyl Colefax, the plaster leaf is by Viola Lanari, the antique painted tiger is from Benedict Foley, and the faux bamboo lamp was from Tarquin Bilgen. Bill can barely remember a time in his life without Rockland Recovery as the company was founded by his family. His extensive knowledge of design has been bolstered by unusual access to the archives of museums, castles and historical properties all over the world. While grounded in classic design, art and antiquities, Bill has a unique talent of taking traditional designs and transforming them into today’s classics.
The 1930s origins of the building were another fruitful source of inspiration. “I wanted it to have a bit of an Agatha Christie feel,” says Daniel. Daniel had chimneypieces made for the drawing room and snug that mimic modernist designs of the time, but in wood rather than stone or marble. “I felt strongly that they shouldn’t be marble,” he says.
A 1930s Chelsea apartment reconfigured for modern life by Daniel Slowik
“Wood felt more sympathetic to the mood of the building.” The mouldings and skirting boards are all done to a period design too, but the pièce de resistance is the kitchen, which was designed by Daniel and made from scratch. “I became obsessed with 1930s utilitarian kitchens. “A fitted kitchen at the time was an excitingly modern concept and you see these sorts of cupboards on yachts.” The tiles were inspired by the designs in early 20th-century tube stations, and Daniel made trips to Russell Square to inspect the details.