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Houzz Tour: London Apartment Gets a Stylish Midcentury Look

A 1-bedroom home is rebooted with an improved layout, space-saving ideas and a fresh take on modern style

Jo Simmons March 25, 2017

Houzz UK Contributor. I have been an interiors journalist since 1995, writing several books on design and numerous features for glossy homes mags over the years. For Houzz, I cover decorating ideas and trends and interview designers and professionals for their insights. My favourite pieces to write, though, are Houzz Tours, as I love exploring and learning about real homes. Call me curious — or nosy!

Houzz UK Contributor. I have been an interiors journalist since 1995, writing several... More

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The owners of this apartment, which was built in the 1990s, had lived in a furnished, rented home before, so moving here was a fun opportunity to start from scratch. They asked interior designer Olga Alexeeva to design the new look for their sixth-floor pad in the City of London. “They wanted to add some clever tricks and solutions to help boost space,” she says. “Functionality and good space planning were crucial to this project.” Alexeeva changed the layout, borrowing square footage from the bathroom to create a functional, light kitchen, then added space-efficient furniture and lighting to create a hardworking but cozy home with a softly midcentury style.

Black and Milk | Interior Design | London

Photos by Dan Lysenko

Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A professional couple
Location: The City of London
Property: Sixth-floor apartment in a 1990s building
Size: One bedroom, one bathroom
Designer: Olga Alexeeva of Black & Milk Interior Design

The apartment was completely refurbished, with walls removed to create a larger kitchen and all the floors and ceilings replaced. Alexeeva decided to keep a wall of mirrors original to the apartment. “It was there from the start,” she says. “We joked that there was someone sitting behind there watching us! The builders covered it up to protect it during the work and this made us realize how much it actually helped the room, so we decided to keep it.”

In the mirrors you can see the two pockets doors that lead to the kitchen and hallway. “When you’re dealing with a small space, pocket doors are one of my favorite solutions!” Alexeeva says. “They are an easy option but really help to free up the wall space that an open door would block.”

Black and Milk | Interior Design | London

The mirrored wall became the starting point for the style and arrangement of the apartment. The sofa is positioned against it, so no one seated looks into it. “You don’t really notice it during day-to-day life, but it does a great job of making the space feel bigger and brighter,” Alexeeva says.

She chose an emerald green for the sofa to introduce some color. “The sofa was the anchor for the scheme,” she says. “Then it was quite an organic process of building up the look.”

The sofa also serves as a bed for guests. “There is a large mattress underneath which pulls out,” Alexeeva says. “It has a slightly French look to it and it’s also incredibly practical.”

Sofa bed: available through Black & Milk Interior Design; Wormley chair: Duistt

Black and Milk | Interior Design | London

Alexeeva positioned a tall plant between the mirrored wall and the dining space, so diners wouldn’t have to watch themselves eating.

Houseplants feature throughout the apartment. “I like to use plants to make a space feel cozy,” Alexeeva says. “They add movement, organic shape and color to a home and really improve its feel. They don’t cost a great deal, either.”

The flooring is engineered oak, to which Alexeeva added a playful rug. “I knew I wanted a round rug just to help level up the geometry in the space,” she says. “The sofa isn’t symmetrically arranged with the sideboard opposite, and a rectangular rug would have drawn attention to that.”

Rug: Houseology; wide engineered oak boards: Havwoods; Stellar white marble coffee table: Atkin and Thyme; Ronde pendant light: Gubi

Black and Milk | Interior Design | London

The decor is gently midcentury. “The architecture of the block is very contemporary, so I felt we couldn’t go that traditional in here,” Alexeeva says, “but the owners wanted something cozy and homey, so I thought, let’s find a look that is in between traditional and contemporary.”

Midcentury dining table and Classic Cafe dining chairs: West Elm; CoucouManou Loop sideboard: Clippings

Black and Milk | Interior Design | London

Alexeeva found this midcentury cabinet at a vintage store in Rye, East Sussex. “I just loved it!” she says. “I asked the clients if they wanted it, and said if not, I’ll have it! There was just enough space for it and it’s a lovely original piece which brings real warmth.”

Lights were installed in the wall rather than the ceiling. “The ceilings are not very high, so we didn’t want lights dropping down into the space,” Alexeeva says.

Black and Milk | Interior Design | London

Rather than going for a uniformly midcentury look, Alexeeva added pieces that reference the style but with a twist. “This chair has gold-tipped legs, which is a bit traditional, and it helps link together the more classic sofa with the original midcentury pieces,” she says. “I love midcentury style, but you can’t re-create the whole look. We live in a new age; we shouldn’t take everything from just one style. Many of the pieces in here are a new interpretation of that look.”

Floor lamp: Pooky

Black and Milk | Interior Design | London

Wall paneling softens the feel in the living room and helps the space look more classic than contemporary. “That said, this paneling is quite modern,” Alexeeva says. “It has no moldings or fussy details, just very straight lines.”

Floor-to-ceiling shelving would have eaten into vital wall space and taken up room where furniture now sits. Instead, Alexeeva installed shelves above the paneling, answering a need for storage and display space.

10 Great Ideas for Creating Vignettes in Your Living Room

Black and Milk | Interior Design | London

The midcentury-style dining table and chairs sit neatly by the window, which has views toward the London Eye. Alexeeva created the golden radiator covers using metal mesh, both to conceal the radiators and to tie in with the touches of brass and gold dotted throughout.

Black and Milk | Interior Design | London

The bathroom originally extended all the way to this exterior wall, while the kitchen itself butted out awkwardly into the living space. Alexeeva redesigned both rooms, squaring off the kitchen so it’s in line with the bathroom and doesn’t intrude on the living space. She then reduced the size of the bathroom, so that this portion of light-flooded space now belongs to the kitchen.

Black and Milk | Interior Design | London

The apartment lacked a proper kitchen, but the owners wanted one equipped with a dishwasher, washing machine and microwave. “They wanted all the functionality but in a really small space,” Alexeeva says.

The redesigned kitchen now features white cabinets topped with rugged stone counters. “It’s very simple and plain in here, apart from the distinctive Italian stone on the counter,” Alexeeva says. “I wanted to add some elegance, something to contrast with the stone, and found these ceramic tiles with a wave in them, which look really gentle.”

Ceramic tiles: Porcelanosa; stone: sourced from Italy, available through Black & Milk Interior Design

Black and Milk | Interior Design | London

The bedroom was designed to be calm and subtle, but once finished, Alexeeva decided it was too plain. “It was lacking something!” she says. “So I found this really fantastic wallpaper with an organic, uneven pattern on it, which works well with the brass switchplates. It’s perfect!”

Sari Nomades wallpaper: Elitis; Philippe Starck for Kartell Ghost Buster night table: John Lewis; lilac throw: Zara Home

Black and Milk | Interior Design | London

The owners wanted a small office area to be included in the bedroom and Alexeeva sourced an original midcentury desk for them. The chair matches those around the dining table and can be used as extra seating when friends come to dinner. Layers of lighting, including these beautiful wall lamps, create an intimate feel.

Midcentury desk: Layer; String shelving: Skandium; Cobra wall lamps: Gubi

Black and Milk | Interior Design | London

Even though the bathroom lost space to the kitchen, it remains a good size. “The shower is really big and there’s a generous vanity unit in there,” Alexeeva says. To help it feel bright, she used wall mirrors and light colors.

Alexeeva designed the vanity to fit the newly reconfigured room and used a sink the owners had been given. “The top looks like really nice stone but it’s actually a porcelain tile, so much less expensive,” she says.

Tile on vanity and walls: Porcelanosa

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