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Hampstead interior design studio owner transforms her home during lockdown

Published: 11:48 AM September 11, 2020

Updated: 2:06 PM October 14, 2020

The dining area with Gucci wallpaper and Knoll furniture. Picture: Vigo Jansons - Credit: Archant

We take a look around the newly renovated Hampstead home of Carly Madhvani, founder of interior design studio, NW3 Interiors

Carly in the new lounge area, featuring Knoll furniture and Farrow & Ball paint. Picture: Vigo Jansons - Credit: Archant

When Carly Madhvani and her husband heard that the flat above their Hampstead garden apartment was for sale, they jumped at the chance to expand their space.

The lounge area. Picture: Vigo Jansons - Credit: Archant

“We’re a family of four, and my husband and I both have elderly parents who come to stay, so we really wanted to go bigger,” the design studio director says. “We’d previously tried to get planning permission to go into the garden but with no luck. When we found out the flat above us was available we thought it was the perfect opportunity to expand.”

Carly Madhvani. Picture: Vigo Jansons - Credit: Archant

The sale went through and the renovation works to update and connect the two period apartments began in February this year, just weeks before lockdown.

Carly Madhvani's house in Hampstead - Credit: Archant

“Yes, that wasn’t ideal,” smiles Carly. “But we actually managed to carry the work on while always following government guidelines, like social distancing and keeping everything very clean. The hardest part was that the whole family was stuck at home with the noise and the dust. Getting some of the supplies was tricky too and added a bit of time and money.”

The guest room. Picture: Vigo Jansons - Credit: Archant

The project, which Carly oversaw herself, was completed in August, a month later than planned, but the mum-of-two says that in the current circumstances it could have taken a lot longer.

The gym features retro-style wood and leather equipment from NOHRD. Picture: Vigo Jansons - Credit: Archant

“We’re very lucky we had such fantastic builders,” she adds. “I’ve worked with them before, and they’re such hard workers, and their attention to detail is incredible.”

The garden view of Carly's home, with its new pool and outdoor furniture and fire pit. Picture: Vigo Jansons - Credit: Archant

The new space boasts a spacious guest room with connecting bathroom, sauna and steam room, a large living and dining area with a range of Knoll furnishings (Carly has worked closely with the iconic furniture brand for a number of years) and striking Gucci heron-patterned wallpaper, a gym with retro-style wood and leather equipment and an extra kitchen if the family ever want to rent the upper flat out. A pool was also added to the garden space, as well as new outdoor furnishings and a fire pit.

The outdoor area with its fire pit is perfect for evening film screenings. Picture: Vigo Jansons - Credit: Archant

Asked if she had a vision for how she wanted the rooms to look, she says, “I wanted it to feel like a beautiful hotel, so although you’re at home, you feel in a way that you’re away somewhere wonderful.”

The glass room was already part of the garden flat, but Carly redecorated it as part of this summer's renovation project. Picture: Vigo Jansons - Credit: Archant

“It also needed to be a space which I could invite clients to,” she adds. “An inspirational space that gives them an idea of the kind of work we can offer them, while also a relaxing environment to meet and talk in.”