Cozy Apartment in London with Bold Accents

In England, Ben Pentrite is known as an architect and decorator with a unique sense of color. His interiors are so beloved by the British that Ben opened a small home decor shop in his native London and published two books on decorating English homes.

The apartment in the London borough of Chelsea is a vivid example of Pentrite's design style. The couple who hired the decorator for their pied à terre (apartments purchased by people living in the provinces to have a place to stay in the city) insisted on neutral walls. The prints on pillows, lamps, and paintings filled the interior with Pentrite's signature colorful flair.

The living room decorator divided into two zones, one of which is centered around a large television. Here Pentrite employed his favorite decorator trick: replacing a coffee table with a low ottoman on classic legs, matching its color in one of the sofa cushions.

The fireplace area was symmetrically surrounded by a pair of powder-blue armchairs and colorful lamps with ikat shades. This technique is often used by the decorator in pillows and carpets as well.

Classic chairs at the table are a clear visual focal point in the room. The shimmer of emerald velvet on the armchairs echoes the color of lamp legs and many plastic decorative items on the iconic Tulip table designed by Eero Saarinen. Like the glossy brown sideboard, all of this is a remnant of mid-century modernism. It's remarkable how in Pentrite’s projects classicism doesn't clash with seemingly incompatible interior trends of the 1960s.

The prints on pillows in one of the bedrooms add dynamism to the pastel palette of the room. Another great tip from the British decorator worth noting is two abstract paintings by the headboard, subtly humorous in artistic tone, dividing the bed into 'his' and 'her' halves.

Despite private splashes of color, there is no excessive brightness in the interior. There is none even in the hallway with dark plum walls and a colorful Oriental rug. Skillful color balancing and something indescribably British in the decorator’s handwriting—could this be the secret to harmony of this interior?

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