House tour: Monochrome scheme creates 'cool and contemporary' home in Hampstead

Your home is always a reflection of yourself. So when NW3 Interiors were tasked with styling up a turnkey Victorian apartment in Hampstead for a young professional couple, the design studio had to come up with a “cool and contemporary” design that was sophisticated, yet homely.

The bespoke black trim on the utilities, coat and laundry room doors were a stylish way to hide necessary utilities. (Image: Vigo Jansons)

The design also had to enhance the three-bedroom property’s Victorian architecture, and work with its irregular shaped rooms and ceilings.

To achieve the desired result, NW3 Interiors founder Carly Madhvani used a monochrome colour scheme as a base, which she added to with warmer colours, different textures “and a little bit of pattern” to create a homely feel.

Warm textured soft furnishings and furniture were offset with the original, warm wood flooring and the sleek monochrome scheme. Carly also used black accents as a thread throughout the house – on door knobs, door stops, accessories, the stair runner and bespoke doorframes for example - as a way to give the space a sense of cohesiveness, “but not going over the top”.

Black accents, such as the trim in the stair runner, were used to create a sense of cohesiveness to the design. Carpet by Wolff and Grace. (Image: Vigo Jansons)

Instead of true black and white, Carly’s monochrome palette featured blackish browns and neutral greys as a way to soften the scheme while still retaining a contemporary, polished edge.

“It took quite a lot of visual panelling, mood boards and balancing to make sure the colours were cosy enough and stylish enough,” says Carly.

The Acupanel in the lounge improves the room’s acoustics, evens out the room’s irregular ceilings and hides bespoke storage. Sofa by Knoll. (Image: Vigo Jansons)

“If you go completely black and white, it’s a bit 60s and quite stark. So we used a tight scheme but not too tight, which was a way to use materials that created a dark, yet warm aesthetic.

“The natural wood gave the scheme warmth and depth, and it feels cosy as well,” she adds.

Carly Madhvani, director and founder of NW3 Interiors. (Image: NW3 Interiors)

Carly introduced a felt Acupanel section in the living room, which evened out the irregular ceiling angles, concealed bespoke storage and improved the room’s acoustics.

“The clients thought the lounge didn’t feel cosy and they wanted a solution that made the room feel flush and smooth. The panel was a way to soften the room which is super angular.

In the master bedroom, bespoke storage was tailored to the homeowners’ needs and a dresser was placed near the window to utilise the natural light. It features a bed by B&B Italia and Arte wallpaper. (Image: Vigo Jansons)

“They also didn’t like the echo in the room,” Carly goes on to say, “and the panel helps with sound bouncing off the wall.”

The master bedroom was reconfigured to maximise space usage, and features a B&B Italia bed and bedside tables, wallpaper by Arte and carpet from The Rug Company.

The master bedroom was reconfigured to maximise space usage. Bed and side tables by B&B Italia. (Image: Vigo Jansons)

The dresser was placed near the window to utilise natural light and bespoke storage was custom-made with multiple shelf and hanging spaces of various sizes to accommodate the couple’s business wardrobes and to hide functional items away.

“They have exactly what they need there,” says Carly. “Everything behind the doors has been tailored to them.”

The guest bedroom was designed with a high-end hotel room in mind. (Image: Vigo Jansons)

Storage was also a concern in the guestroom, which Carly designed to feel like a high-end hotel using a Heals bed, Farrow Ball wallpaint and lights by Tiger Moth. She used deep, extra wide bedside tables from B&B Italia to maximise the irregular-shaped room’s storage capabilities.

The study was designed to feel like an executive office in a skyscraper. (Image: Vigo Jansons)

The third, “teenagery” bedroom was converted into an office, and designed to “feel like an executive office in a skyscraper” for when the client was working from home and taking Zoom meetings.

Dark colours create the study’s masculine feel. The cabinet and desk are from Knoll and the wallpaper from Arte. (Image: Vigo Jansons)

Carly sourced the office chair from Vitra and used a pendant light from Kaia Lighting and electric blinds from Venestre. The room’s masculine feel was created by introducing dark colours into the room, such as the cabinet and desk, which are from Knoll, and the wallpaper from Arte.

Black and white marble tiles were used in the kitchen to give the room a contemporary feel, with a nod to the past. (Image: Vigo Jansons)

While the original wood flooring was retained in the lounge and hallway, underground heating was installed and black and white marble tiles were laid in the kitchen, which again, added to the overall cohesiveness of the design and its contemporary feel.