A joyful Hampstead house imbued with warmth and colour by Anna Haines
For your work to be immediately recognisable, yet in a constant state of reinvention is the central challenge for most established interior designers. A signature style is a good thing to have, as long as you’re not enslaved to it; a designer wants to stay light on their toes. It is a challenge Anna Haines has risen to. Step through the door of this smart Victorian house and you will note all the studio's hallmarks: gently traditional furnishings, an earthy yet playful palette, but they are employed in an entirely novel way. This is a classic Anna Haines project, reimagined.
The house in question is situated on the border of London's Hampstead Heath. A family home, Anna was tasked with transforming the four-storey house into a functioning space for all six members. “The house has a really wonderful end of terrace spot, set back from the road behind quite a deep front garden. It does feel really private despite its wonderful location," says Anna. “The first time I went to the house I went up to the top floor and looked out across the roofs and chimneys of London. It’s breathtaking and quite Dickensian in a way.”
“It took a bit of time to understand how we were going to work around this narrow, tall building," Anna explains. "We had to reconfigure the whole house from top to bottom because it was ill-equipped, with poorly-fitted, small storage that couldn’t contain the gubbins that comes with family life.” This led to the creation of quite an intense technical package, which Anna worked on with a team of trusted tradespeople from Silver Design & Build. "The scope for the joinery alone was huge because the client wanted the children to have no cause for throwing coats and bags over the banister. We needed to build in practical and accessible storage everyone would actually use.”
It was in the open plan kitchen dining area at the back of the house that the joinery needed to work the hardest. The clients had specified it as a place where the children could have breakfast, but also as the venue for elegant dinner parties. As such, Anna designed, alongside Devol Kitchens, an island with handy bar stools, as well as a curved banquette that can easily seat between eight and ten people.
The joinery was also absolutely integral to balancing the client's abstract art collection. “The family were coming from Norway to London with almost no furniture but this fantastic selection of art that became the jumping off point for much of the project,” Anna says. Everything, from the height of the banquette in the kitchen and the mantle in the primary bedroom, to the paint selection, was done to accentuate or counter this collection. One of the most exciting examples of this is the large bookcase that spans one wall in the kitchen and sits opposite the largest canvas in the collection. The design of the bookcase is influenced by mid-century principals, chosen both to "knock out any newness in the house and to reflect the client's Scandinavian heritage.”
The bolder colour scheme throughout the house–a small departure for the studio–was also response to the dramatic, large scale canvasses the studio was working with. “The artworks are pieces of scale and very much informed the colour schemes and style of the rooms," Anna says. “What we always want to deliver is a home for the clients, so we had to step away from what we have done before, approach things from a slightly different angle. Our classical approach wouldn't work here."
Then there was the task of putting together a colour palette that would work across the four floors. Anna explains, “it was really important that the colours translated from one room to the next." Fortunately, the studio found the perfect through-line in the form of a contemporary feeling runner by Sophie Cooney that flows through every floor of the house. “The clients saw a sample of it and just fell in love with it. They had to have it, so the runner became instrumental to the scheme because everything in the house needed to call back to it and match the weight of its colour."
Antique textiles play a big role in most of Anna's projects, and this one was no different. “Often, where we felt there was quite a strength of colour, we would layer in fabrics that felt muted.” In the primary bedroom, a yellow painting by Kate Friend is revealed and opposed by the headboard, which is covered in an antique textile from Susan Deliss. “The yellow is really vibrant and we wanted to be able to carry it through the room in subtle ways,” Anna says. “The whole room still feels really soft because, even despite the bold painting, and even though the windows are painted red, the rest of it is quite knocked back.”
Anna and her team managed to complete this project in just under sixteen months, which she credits to the tradespeople, makers and decorators they worked alongside. “You cannot run a successful and efficient job without an amazing contractor. We were really lucky that everyone involved, from Daniel, the site foreman, and Peter, who runs Silver Design & Build, to the electricians and floor stainers, was honest and hardworking, so things really trucked along at speed.”
As the build came to a close, the client's photos, personal effects and luggage were brought over from Norway and unpacked in an install that took just two weeks. “Overnight," says Anna, “There was a real feeling of familiarity right away. It just looked like their home.”
Anna Haines Design | annahaines.co.uk
1/21In the downstairs loo, Anna has employed tongue and groove panelling painted in ‘Brassica’ by Farrow & Ball, paired with ‘Eldblomma’ wallpaper from Svenkst Tenn. The mirror, from B & T Antiques, is flanked by lights from Balineum.
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Boz Gagovski3/21In the sitting room, the walls are painted in Edward Bulmer's ‘Lute’ at 60% strength. The mirror is from Trove by Studio Duggan.
Boz Gagovski4/21The inside of the shelves is painted in ‘De Nimes’ by Farrow & Ball. The mid century armchair is covered in Susan Deliss’ ‘Trebizond’. The small two tier table is from Lascombe Hill.
Boz Gagovski5/21The ottoman is covered in an antique crewelwork fabric, sourced by Anna from Petworth. The floor lamp is from Howe London.
Boz Gagovski6/21The hallway is painted in a beautiful lilac hue, ‘Calm’ from Pure and Original. The runner is from Sophie Cooney and the pendant light is from Carlton Davidson.
Boz Gagovski7/21Upstairs, in the main bedroom, the headboard is covered in an antique textile from Susan Deliss. The bedside tables are from Chelsea Textiles. The wall lights are Lorfords and the table lamps are bespoke murano glass by Emsie Sharp.
Boz Gagovski8/21The walls are painted in Little Greene’s ‘Joanna’, with woodwork in Argile Paints ‘Sienne Calcine’. The end of bed bench is the ‘Custom Silhouette Bench’ from Howe London, upholstered in Susan Deliss' ‘Mini Weave’.
Boz Gagovski9/21The curtain fabric is Jean Monro and the Roman blinds are Beata Heuman’s ‘Sheer’ in milk. The armchair is from Desired Effect Antiques upholstered in Turnell & Gigon ‘Abelia’ in salmone. The small table is from Hone Gallery.
Boz Gagovski10/21The bathroom is a welcoming, calm space, softened by antique pieces from Desired Effect Antiques and Susan Deliss. The walls are painted in Paint and Paper Library's ‘Slate II’, while the window frame and bespoke vanity are painted in Atelier Ellis' ‘Phia Green’. Window treatment is a combination of Claremont and Beata Heuman fabrics. The wall lights are Vaughan.
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12/21In the bunk room, the bespoke beds are painted in ‘Lichen’ from Farrow & Ball. The blankets are Caravane’s ‘Chiara Throw’, wall lights are Rose Uniacke. The walls are papered in Cathy Nordstrom’s ‘Barbro Wallpaper’ in ‘Spruce’.
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Boz Gagovski15/21The headboards in the girls' bedroom are covered in Beata Heuman’s ‘Bay’ linen, complemented by the Lewis & Wood ‘Oaksey’ linen which makes up the valance. The cushions are Susan Deliss. The blankets are from The Rug Seller.
Boz Gagovski16/21The walls are painted in Paint & Paper Library’s ‘Desert Rose’, with window frames in Farrow & Ball’s ‘De Nimes’. The blinds are Antoinette Poisson ‘Boutonniere’.
Boz Gagovski17/21The paint colour on the treads, spindles and skirting of the stairs is Pure & Original's ‘Aubergine’. The wall colour is Pure & Original's ‘Calm’.
18/21Up in the attic, the bedroom walls are painted in Atelier Ellis' ‘Khadi’ with woodwork in Farrow & Ball's ‘Treron’.
Boz Gagovski19/21The bed throw is a kantha from Anna Haines Design and the headboard is covered in a vintage Navajo textile, also from Anna Haines Design. The cushion is Penny Worrall. The curtains are in ‘Path’ from The Fabric Collective.
Boz Gagovski20/21In the children’s bathroom, the stone is ‘Terrazzo M3 from Mosaic Factory. The wall lights are Visual Comfort’s ‘Ziyi Sconce’ and the taps are Studio Ore. The mirrors are Anthropologie’s ‘Perla’ design.
Boz Gagovski21/21In the office, which is divided from the guest bedroom by pocket doors, the desk chairs are from Vinterior. The rug is from Lila Rugs and the lamps are Anglepoise designs. The blinds are in ‘Book Cloth’ by Marianna Kennedy.
