design et al are delighted to announce that Native Land have been shortlisted for Residential £1-2.5 Million Plus (Project by Value) Award in The International Design & Architecture Awards 2019.
Designed by London-based designer Sophie Ashby, this show flat sits within a luxury development in a quiet corner of west London. Unlike so many stacks of luxury apartments in central London, the John McAslan-designed Holland Park Villas is a development within which you can make a home.
The neighbourhood’s village-like atmosphere and plethora of greenery – including its expansive parklands and the landscaped gardens of Kyoto Gardens and Leighton House – have long attracted people looking for a dose of peace and quiet within the city. But it is still a prime location within the British capital, a mere stone’s throw from the cutting-edge Design Museum and the scattering of high-end boutiques on Kensington High Street and walking distance from the vibrant Portobello Market and the world-renowned museums quarter in South Kensington.
In designing this show flat, London-based interior designer Sophie Ashby had to consider this diversity of influences – reflecting the timelessness, authenticity and unpretentiousness that has sustained the cultural status of this corner of the capital for so long. What was required was a sanctuary from these buzzing surroundings but one that reflects the eclectic tastes and distinct character of the kind of person who would choose to live there. Apartment 53 needed to bring together the traditional and modern, lively and calming, local and global in one seamless design, always bearing in mind the exceptionally high standards that a person seeking to live in this exclusive neighbourhood would expect to encounter.
Artists, makers and designers were commissioned to create works especially for this interior – several of whom were asked to immerse themselves in the local surroundings and take influence from the neighbourhood. Among the results are a rug adorned with peacock feathers and foliage – a nod to the environment of nearby Kyoto Gardens.
For a resident of Holland Park Villas, a home is an extension of their wider interests. Studio Ashby bore this in mind when selecting artwork, antiques, furniture and textiles for this interior, all of which reflects west London’s diversity, informality and joie de vivre – as well as the tastes of the elite cultural professionals who might choose to live there.